In order to understand the policy needs of rural Americans, it is important to consider their unique social and economic characteristics. This chapter discusses several periods in the peopling of rural America. In 1790, 95% of the nearly four million residents of colonial America lived in rural settings. The availability of low-cost farm land may have led to high fertility on the rural frontier by enhancing the economic value of children, by reducing the age at which couples could marry, and by enabling rural parents to bequeath land to their descendents. The outbreak of World War II in Europe led to military mobilization in the United States and stimulated new movement out of rural areas. Between 1940 and 1944, approximately eight million people left the farm. Further mechanization of agriculture, improvements in seeds, and use of fertilizers and pesticides added impetus to the cityward movement after the war ended.