Place identification and positive realities of aging

The concepts of place attachment and place identity inform this study of the experiences of older African Americans in a small town in the midwestern United States. Life stories collected from ordinary people remembering the past fifty years offer a view of aging which is contrary to the widely reported negative status that stems from lifelong experiences of injustice and inequality. Individuals do not see themselves in such a state. Experiences relative to identification with and the attachment to a place hold powerful memories for older people. The cumulative memories of place allow individuals to maintain a favorable self-image in spite of the contingencies of later life. This affirms a positive rather than negative view of aging in a region people call 'God's Country'.