Given increasing political and financial commitments to wildfire preparedness, risk policy demands that risk identification, assessment, and mitigation activities are balanced among diverse resident groups. Essential for this is the understanding of residents' perceptions of wildfire risks. This study compares wildfire-risk perceptions of…

Whether large-scale or small farms dominate, a county's farm structure is influenced not only by changes within farming but also by key factors such as nonfarm economic activity, geography, and population growth. Large-farm counties where agriculture dominates the economy are concentrated in the Plains, Midwest, and Mississippi Delta. Small-farm…

The 28 papers in the proceedings are separated into 7 categories according to the session at which they were presented at the annual meeting. The areas of rural life covered by the papers are youth, rural development in the 1970's, population, social change, race and culture, community and community development, and ecology and environment. (PS)

Compares the attitudes of newcomers to rural areas from cities with those of rural newcomers and rural residents on several growth and development issues. The research suggests that rural newcomers may be more likely to function as advocates of change in a local situation than former urbanites. (Author/CT)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other specified Federal agencies regarding their responsiveness to the problems and needs of small communities. A major objective was to define a "small" community and to determine how its problems and needs differ from those of a…

Findings from current literature form the basis for this examination of five critical elements of change and development within the local community setting which impact on agriculture: population, employment, land, water, and environment. Renewed rural population growth during the 1970's has reversed small farm trends but placed strains on local…

Discusses implications of population turnaround, reverse migration for societal polarization, human resources based economy, and rural/urban segmentation on the new socioeconomic role of rural areas. Identifies an interrelated public policy model composed of local community, human resources, technical inputs, and integrating institutions to…

A study of the process of a 1977-1983 oil and gas boom in Caldwell, Texas, disproved the assumption that local social effects of rapid energy development are severe and negative. Using interviews, surveys, observation, local newspapers, and other writings as data sources, researchers determined that during the boom, Caldwell's population grew…

Four papers are featured. The first is a statistical overview and analysis of past, present and future happenings to small communities in the Region; it focuses on two indicators: (1) population growth or declining community class size and, (2) the changing distribution of commercial outlets by community class size. The other three papers report…

After struggling through the recession of the 1980s, Powell, Wyoming, like many other small towns in rural America, has bounced back and experienced economic and population growth during the past five years. Fueling this growth is the town's attractive location for urban refugees, economic development efforts aimed at attracting small businesses,…

This paper addresses the need to sustain rural towns in Australia through private and public investments. Rural and remote areas of Australia have provided the national economy with crucial export earnings and provided governments with royalties and taxes collected on regional resources. However, government funding for upgrading infrastructures…

To assure that development of coal utilization facilities in the sparsely populated Old West Region of Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming will proceed in an orderly manner with a minimum of socioeconomic disruption or fiscal inequality, impact studies must be prepared for each of the 100 potential sites to be affected.…

Williamsburg County, South Carolina, is an almost entirely rural area near the coast. Although nearly 50% of the population is under 21, there has been a sharp decline in population since its high in 1950. The outmigration, prounounced for black youth, is caused by a lack of industrial opportunities, although there is slow, steady industrial…

The report of a United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Expert Group meeting, involving 13 experts from 10 countries, discusses planning national efforts to promote youth's role in development. Current systems and indicators used to assess the situation of rural and urban youth and their contribution to…

Building upon the body of knowledge re: rural cooperatives generated by the Office of Economic Opportunity and its research and demonstration programs, this paper proposes a design for a national program of Federal support for cooperatives serving the rural poor. Specifically, this paper presents: (1) the basic situation of the rural poor and the…