Hypothesizing that a person's views, perceptions, and reactions will vary according to the kind of community in which he lives and that the differences will be influenced by his status position in the community, data were obtained via personal interviews with 803 men and women aged 20 and over living in a rural county in Southern Appalachia and a metropolitan center outside the Region. Each individual was asked to respond to 72 statements constituting 24 attitude scales relative to: economic well-being; self-image; morale; community life; family relationships; and general outlook. Divided into 4 age groups (20-29, 30-44, 45-59, and 60 and over), the respondents constituted a relatively homogeneous group, being predominantly Protestant, married, and white. The median years of formal education and the annual incomes reported were substantially higher in the urban center. Major results were: metro persons scored more favorably than nonmetro respondents on the attitude scale by a ratio of 2.5 to l.; but when controls were introduced for marital status, sex, health condition, age, and level of formal education, this ratio was modified; the greatest disparities in metro and nonmetro attitudes occurred in subjective economic deprivation and self-image, suggesting a pronounced need in the nonmetro county for interventions by action agencies with economic and mental health programs. (JC)