The 1964 Report of the President's Appalachian Regional Commission reinforced the popular image of Appalachia--low income, high poverty, limited education, poor living standards, job deficits, high unemployment, outmigration, stagnation, and decline. Current data indicate that conditions in Appalachia have improved greatly: the percentage of…

The 2000 Census reveals four patterns of change in rural America. Rural areas in states such as Florida and Arizona are gaining population due to high retiree growth. These areas will experience growth in service sector jobs that have low pay and low educational requirements. Florida and Arizona trail the nation in high school and college…

This paper addresses the shortage of physicians providing medical services to rural communities in Queensland, Australia. Queensland is the fastest growing Australian state, but it has the lowest ratio of total doctors to population. Data indicate there may be twice as many patients per rural doctor compared with the city, which represents a…