Calvin Lunsford Beale was born in Washington, DC, on June 6, 1923, and passed away at age 85 on September 2, 2008. He was a city boy born and bred, and while he "never wanted to live in a rural area" he became one of the most astute observers of rural America in the latter half of the twentieth century. Calvin spent the majority of his…

Uses interview and telephone survey data to demonstrate that the merger of the vowels in words such as "cot" and "caught," traditionally considered a defining characteristics of the speech of western Pennsylvania, is well established in the mining towns of eastern Pennsylvania. Notes that the data indicate that the merger arose…

A detailed regional profile that compares rural and urban populations of seven North Central states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) is presented in this report. Following an overview of the report, sources, and definitions, the next eight sections discuss the region as a whole and each of the seven states by…

Rural communities of less than 2,500 residents in Illinois showed a reversal of growth patterns between 1950-80. During the 1950's Illinois' approximately 900 rural towns grew at a rate of 60% compared with 81-86% growth rate for towns in other size classes; during the 1970's rural towns showed a steady growth increase of 73% while growth of towns…

To provide information on characteristics of rural and small schools in Region VII of the U.S. Department of Education, this profile presents selected demographic data on schools in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. A narrative section discusses the purpose of the report, definitions of rural and nonmetropolitan classifications, percentages of…

Four major concerns are currently shaping national rural development policy: (1) rural population and employment are increasingly diverse but physical isolation and low population density limit essential public services; (2) many geographically concentrated rural communities continue to have high rates of very low income; (3) rural governments are…