The School Community Council of the Fort Gay-Thompson area (West Virginia), organized in May 1971, requested a study in order to look at its past, assess present needs, and plan for the future. The study of the Fort Gay-Thompson School Attendance Area was designed to: (1) describe the area; (2) analyze the characteristics of the people living there; and (3) inquire about the people's attitudes toward the community and the Council. Due to time, money, and difficulty in finding appropriate data, only a limited study was completed at this time. Data were obtained from: interviews with leaders in the Area, a 1969 study conducted for the Wayne County Planning Commission and the Wayne County Court, information gathered by the School Community Council's staff, and a questionnaire returned by 74 of the 900 households in the Area. Some findings were: (1) considerable amount of Public Assistance was being received by the citizens; (2) programs were needed to meet the needs of old citizens in the Area on a more adequate basis; (3) there was a shift from agriculture, railroads, and mining to manufacturing, utilities, service industries, medical, and professional employment; and (4) little, if any, long range planning for the future was being done by individuals or agencies in the Area. (NQ)