URBAN RESIDENTS VIEWS OF RURALITY AND CONTACTS WITH RURAL PLACES

Little is known about how rural people and places are viewed by the ur ban majority or the extent to which these images are related to first- hand contact with rurality. Data from a recent mail survey of a sample of people living in Pennsylvania cities suggest that urban people vie w rural places in positive terms and feel that rural areas and rural L ifestyles should be preserved. When asked to consider the desirability of various development strategies, most urban residents indicated tha t priority should be given to promoting traditional extractive economi c activities (farming, forestry, mining); there was little support for other types of business or industrial development Urban residents who visited rural locales for recreation and/or environmental contact wer e most likely to want to preserve those areas; visiting for social rea sons was related to support for development activities. Policy implica tions of these findings are suggested.