Historically, waves of new technologies have brought Americans higher standards of living. Electrical service and hot and cold running water, for example, were once luxuries; now their absence makes a home substandard. Today, technologies for accessing the Internet are diffusing at an even faster rate than those earlier innovations once did,…

If most mass communications instructors could have their way, they would choose an urban setting in which to organize internship programs for their students. In a large city, with a vast supply of mass media outlets and many dozens of media adjunct organizations, students can choose from many venues to obtain valuable experiential learning.…

In their roles as writers, editors, and photographers for community newspapers, women helped to record the economic, social, and political fluctuations that comprise the past. In villages and towns, however, the boundaries of and limits on acceptable female activity were as strong as they were in the cities. Women in community newspapers may have…

This paper examines the degree of superintendent turnover in Nebraska, a state dominated by rural school districts. It also lists the causes of turnover as reported by short-term superintendents. This study finds that turnover is higher in the subject rural districts than the national average. Superintendents report that they leave these rural…

The study examined the extent to which family membership disability affects the magnitude of internal family interaction. Metropolitan (M), and nonmetropolitan (NM), and family structural type were controlled. Data were obtained from black families living in a Southeast Texas county (M), the county seat, and two small open-country villages in an…

A positive relationship has been found between access to telecommunications capabilities and improved economic development. However, the deployment of systems that deliver toll-free Internet access favors urban regions. This research examines Internet service providers' (ISP) operations in rural portions of Texas, Iowa, Louisiana, and West…

The revolution in telecommunications technology will be a driving force in the future economic growth of rural areas. Federal and state universal service policies requiring delivery of service to rural areas were major factors in how the telephone system evolved during the 20th century. In the 1990s, telephone penetration rates were similar for…

It is estimated that nearly 8.5 million people living in rural America possess some form of disabling condition. Strokes are the major cause of disabilities among older persons and accidents are the major cause among teenagers and young adults. This paper provides background information on rehabilitation services in rural areas, some examples of…

Implicit or explicit national governmental actions designed to perpetuate, change conditions, maintain the status quo, or introduce change (although not designed for that purpose) are known as policy. Some of these actions relate directly to population distribution from early land grants to present urban renewal and rural development activities.…

There are two stories about political trends affecting nonmetropolitan America. The old story, which is the story of declining rural population and declining rural influence on public policy formation, has its roots in early deliberations about governance in this country. Jefferson's republicanism focused on direct citizen involvement in decision…

The 1970's ushered in widespread population deconcentration, seen in the pervasive shift of the United States population down the size-of-place scale. To document population changes in various sized places in the country from 1950 to 1980 and to show the pervasiveness of urban-rural deconcentration in nonmetropolitan areas, researchers examined…

To be scientific, rural sociology must have a distinctive conceptual basis; therefore, defining "rural" has long been a major concern of rural sociologists. Recently faced with similar problems, political economists have revitalized the field of urban sociology by looking beyond the city to the social production of spatial forms under…

This paper first considers the importance of housing as a component of rural quality of life. Rural-urban housing differences are then evaluated, with both advantages and disadvantages cited for rural areas relative to urban areas. A strategy to improve rural housing by increasing the number of housing choices is presented, with human service…

This paper presents a model for rural social service outreach programs, based upon the following: (1) an explanation of various resource systems and how they are related to outreach services; (2) current economic and social conditions of rural areas; (3) rural client systems; (4) the relationship of the agricultural extension model to rural…

The Geriatric Assessment Unit (GAU), which has proven successful in urban areas, may be a viable system for providing health care to the elderly in rural areas. GAUs engage in assessment, follow-up response to findings, education, and research. The assessment component includes, at minimum, physical health, functional ability in activities of…