The Rural / Urban Variable b Objectives for these notes describe early work in defining ruraldescribe early work in defining rural describe current meanings

The Rural / Urban VariableThe Rural / Urban Variable

Objectives for these notesObjectives for these notes• describe early work in defining ruraldescribe early work in defining rural• describe current meanings of ruraldescribe current meanings of rural• describe early work in defining urbandescribe early work in defining urban• describe current meanings of urbandescribe current meanings of urban• Discuss the potential impact of rural Discuss the potential impact of rural

and urban life on residentsand urban life on residents

Exploring the meaning of Exploring the meaning of ruralrural

Rural comes from the Latin rusRural comes from the Latin rus• means room or open spacemeans room or open space

• rustic also comes from rusrustic also comes from rus– rustic means simple or unrefinedrustic means simple or unrefined

• rural community usually means “small rural community usually means “small town” town” – rural places are wide-open and big spaces rural places are wide-open and big spaces


1915 Charles Josiah Galpin1915 Charles Josiah Galpin• The Social Anatomy of an Agricultural The Social Anatomy of an Agricultural

Community Community • Core and the rural hinterlandCore and the rural hinterland• The “rurban” communityThe “rurban” community

The Rural Life Studies (1941&1993)The Rural Life Studies (1941&1993)• El Cerrito, NMEl Cerrito, NM Lancaster, PALancaster, PA• Sublette, KSSublette, KS Landaff, NHLandaff, NH• Irwin, IAIrwin, IA Harmony, GAHarmony, GA


Willits and Bealer (1967) Willits and Bealer (1967)

• An Evaluation of a Composite An Evaluation of a Composite Definition of RuralityDefinition of Rurality

– OccupationalOccupational– Socio-culturalSocio-cultural– EcologicalEcological


Jacob and Luloff (1995) Jacob and Luloff (1995)

• Exploring the meaning of RuralExploring the meaning of Rural

– Rural as Residual (anything not urban)Rural as Residual (anything not urban)– Identified rural placesIdentified rural places– Natural Resource ImagesNatural Resource Images– Written wordsWritten words

Current meanings of ruralCurrent meanings of rural

Non-Metropolitan County (residual)Non-Metropolitan County (residual) Frontier CountyFrontier County

• population density (ecology)population density (ecology) Natural Resource Dependent county Natural Resource Dependent county

(occupation)(occupation)• farmingfarming• miningmining• forestryforestry• fishingfishing

officially, not a census defined place of officially, not a census defined place of 2,500 people or more (residual)2,500 people or more (residual)

Exploring the meaning of Exploring the meaning of urbanurban

Urban comes from the Latin urbsUrban comes from the Latin urbs• means citymeans city

• urbane also comes from urbsurbane also comes from urbs– urbane means sophisticated or of the cityurbane means sophisticated or of the city

• Urban Renewal Urban Renewal – urban centers have decayed and there is urban centers have decayed and there is

an effort for redevelopment an effort for redevelopment


Georg Simmel (1903) Georg Simmel (1903) • Metropolis and Mental LifeMetropolis and Mental Life• Negative views of city lifeNegative views of city life

Wirth (1938) founded Urban SociologyWirth (1938) founded Urban Sociology• Urbanism as a Way of LifeUrbanism as a Way of Life• Large sizeLarge size• DensityDensity• heterogeneityheterogeneity• too deterministictoo deterministic


Claude Fischer (1975)Claude Fischer (1975)

• Subcultural Theory of UrbanismSubcultural Theory of Urbanism

– ““critical masses” that foster unconventional critical masses” that foster unconventional behavior (next slide)behavior (next slide)

– Attracts those with special talents and interestsAttracts those with special talents and interests

• density increases “unconventionality” and density increases “unconventionality” and pathology but not from crowdingpathology but not from crowding


Claude Fischer (1975)Claude Fischer (1975)

• Subcultural Theory of UrbanismSubcultural Theory of Urbanism

– ““critical masses” that foster unconventional critical masses” that foster unconventional behavior (next slide)behavior (next slide)

– Attracts those with special talents and interestsAttracts those with special talents and interests

• density increases “unconventionality” and density increases “unconventionality” and pathology but not from crowdingpathology but not from crowding


Leo Srole (1980)Leo Srole (1980)• Mental Health in New YorkMental Health in New York

– City life does not produce mental illnessCity life does not produce mental illness– urban mental health is better than ruralurban mental health is better than rural– social networks social networks

Mark Granovetter (1973)Mark Granovetter (1973)• The Strength of Weak TiesThe Strength of Weak Ties

– primaryprimary– secondary secondary – acquaintencesacquaintences

Current meanings of urbanCurrent meanings of urban

Places of 2,500 or morePlaces of 2,500 or more Urbanized Areas (not confined to MCD Urbanized Areas (not confined to MCD

boundaries) boundaries) • Extended CityExtended City• city and surrounding area of 50,000city and surrounding area of 50,000

MSAMSA• single incorporated city of 50,000 plus in single incorporated city of 50,000 plus in

a urbanized area or 100,000 or more in a urbanized area or 100,000 or more in countycounty

Current ConfusionCurrent Confusion

Tendency to equate rural with our Tendency to equate rural with our agricultural pastagricultural past

Tendency to equate urban with Tendency to equate urban with modern lifemodern life

Rural still persists in modern societyRural still persists in modern society Urban still capable of rural-like Urban still capable of rural-like

interactionsinteractions

There are elements within There are elements within society that have made society that have made the maintenance of the maintenance of community difficult...community difficult...

Improved TransportationImproved Transportation TelecommunicationsTelecommunications Sense of community is coming Sense of community is coming

more from interacting with those more from interacting with those who share common values or with who share common values or with whom we do similar things, not whom we do similar things, not from those living in the same town.from those living in the same town.

Two Key Features That Two Key Features That Have Distinguished Rural Have Distinguished Rural and Urban Areas:and Urban Areas:

Size Size IsolationIsolation But… But… The decreased isolation has The decreased isolation has

created a need to move beyond created a need to move beyond simple urban/rural or simple urban/rural or metro/nonmetro designations.metro/nonmetro designations.

New typology utilizes both size and New typology utilizes both size and location.location.

Community as a Community as a Geographic AreaGeographic Area Two units of analysis are Two units of analysis are

commonly used in reference to commonly used in reference to community as a geographic entity:community as a geographic entity:• CountyCounty• PlacePlace

CountyCounty• Metropolitan/Nonmetropolitan AreaMetropolitan/Nonmetropolitan Area

PlacePlace• Urban/Rural LocalityUrban/Rural Locality

Metropolitan CountiesMetropolitan Counties

0 - Central counties of metro areas 0 - Central counties of metro areas of 1 million population or more.of 1 million population or more.

1 - Fringe counties of metro areas 1 - Fringe counties of metro areas of 1 million population or more.of 1 million population or more.

2 - Counties in metro areas of 2 - Counties in metro areas of 250,000 to 1 million population250,000 to 1 million population

3 - Counties in metro areas of 3 - Counties in metro areas of fewer than 250,000fewer than 250,000

Nonmetropolitan CountiesNonmetropolitan Counties 4 - Urban population of 20,000 or more, 4 - Urban population of 20,000 or more,

adjacent to a metro area.adjacent to a metro area. 5 - Urban population of 20,000 or more, not 5 - Urban population of 20,000 or more, not

adjacent to a metro area.adjacent to a metro area. 6 - Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, 6 - Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999,

adjacent to a metro area.adjacent to a metro area. 7 - Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, 7 - Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999,

not adjacent to a metro area.not adjacent to a metro area. 8 - Completely rural or fewer than 2,500 8 - Completely rural or fewer than 2,500

urban population, adjacent to a metro area.urban population, adjacent to a metro area. 9 - Completely rural or fewer than 2,500 9 - Completely rural or fewer than 2,500

urban population, adjacent to a metro area.urban population, adjacent to a metro area.

Benefits of New Benefits of New TypologyTypology It helps us to better characterize if a It helps us to better characterize if a

county’s population is located in county’s population is located in larger cities, or is dispersed in small larger cities, or is dispersed in small towns of fewer than 2,500 persons.towns of fewer than 2,500 persons.

It helps us understand the extent to It helps us understand the extent to which residents have access to which residents have access to urban services since it considers urban services since it considers their location relative to metropolitan their location relative to metropolitan areas.areas.

Rural Communities and Rural Communities and ChangeChange Rapid GrowthRapid Growth

• Describes rural communities having Describes rural communities having growth rates that have exceeded the growth rates that have exceeded the national average.national average.

• These communities face challenges in These communities face challenges in managing growth and ensuring that managing growth and ensuring that rural residents benefit from that rural residents benefit from that growth.growth.

Rural Communities and Rural Communities and ChangeChange Population DeclinePopulation Decline

• Applies to counties that lost Applies to counties that lost population over the last decade or population over the last decade or more.more.

Rural Communities and Rural Communities and ChangeChange Persistent PovertyPersistent Poverty

• These are counties whose per capita These are counties whose per capita income has placed them in the income has placed them in the bottom 20 percent of US nonmetro bottom 20 percent of US nonmetro counties since 1950.counties since 1950.

Rural Communities and Rural Communities and ChangeChange

Rapid Growth ... affects 25% of Rapid Growth ... affects 25% of nonmetro populationnonmetro population

Persistent Low Income … touches Persistent Low Income … touches 41% of nonmetro people41% of nonmetro people

Declining Population … affects Declining Population … affects 27% of the nonmetro population27% of the nonmetro population

Changes in Rural Changes in Rural CommunitiesCommunities

AutomobilesAutomobiles Better roads have allowed schools Better roads have allowed schools

to consolidate. to consolidate. • Social institutions less attached to Social institutions less attached to

their communities.their communities. As rural communities broaden their As rural communities broaden their

economic activity, people’s roles economic activity, people’s roles have become very different from have become very different from one another.one another.

Documents

The Rural / Urban Variable b Objectives for these notes describe early work in defining ruraldescribe early work in defining rural describe current meanings