URBAN CONNECTIVITY IN MONTANA

Q mode factor analysis is used to isolate the latent structure of the pattern of telephone calls between Montana towns. An eleven axis component solution accounts for 82.6% of the variance of data set and defines a series of nodal regions in the state. A higher order factor analysis is used to generalize these results into second and third order levels of connectivity. Comparison of the first order regions with results derived from Huff's gravity model demonstrates the utility of this theoretical formulation. The overall spatial structure of connectivity bears close relationships with the hierarchical and reciprocal propositions about urban structure formulated by Friedmann but there are a lot of overlapping connections and local distortions which modify the pattern. © 1979 The Annals of Regional Science.