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After having defined rural towns in France and analysed residential migrations, this paper looks at population ageing in rural towns. The findings show that rural towns have become the category of settlement with the highest proportion of elderly people in France, much more than villages and cities. Contrary to popular belief, their ageing is partly due to their migration attraction for a diverse population of retired persons. This structural phenomenon could become a source of development for these rural towns that are often subject to “revitalisation” policies.