The paper aims at highlighting the changes that occurred in the population dynamics within the Fizes watershed,
a rural area located in the Transylvanian Plain in the northern part of Romania, from 1850 to 2007. While demographic
aging is a nationwide phenomenon, it is more pronounced in rural areas because of age-specific migration flows. The
rural population is a major source of village development. The area considered in this case study is thought to be one of
the least developed in the North West region of Romania, not as a result of a lack of resources but because of a lack of
socio-economic development and the predominance of rural settlements. The demographic profile of the Fizes
watershed has changed significantly in the analysed period. Socio-economic conditions, throughout the last 50 years,
triggered a number of manifest phenomena concluded in a severe population decrease. The continued out-migration of
young adults towards the nearby cities, the growing numbers of retirees and the lack of working places, have resulted in
rural communities where residents are older. The conclusions of this study are that the population aging and the
demographic dependency rate for the Fizes watershed is similar to the trend for most rural areas of Romania. Solving
the multitude of typical rural demographic problems calls for establishing long-term and time-stable strategic
development policies.