ABSTRACT
Transportation facilitates the emergence of markets for goods that provide the basis for the existence of communities in industrialized nations. The economic and geographic history of rural United States has been heavily influenced by the available means of transportation. Before the 1970s, the prevailing, though often challenged, perception of the future of the rural United States was one of diminished population and opportunities. Lack of transportation may be the major barrier to obtaining and holding a job in rural areas, especially for minorities and other disadvantaged households. The chapter identifies transportation issues under demographic, technological, behavioral, economic, institutional/fiscal, and transportation/communication tradeoffs. In rural United States, transportation is the largest consumer of energy. Both rapidly growing and declining rural communities complain of the lack of public transit. There are many reasons why public transit in rural areas has not been widely used except for such specific functions as school transportation.
