The ideas that urban residents and decisionmakers have about rural people and places can influence rural-urban interactions and the nature of rural development policies. In Pennsylvania, residents, business people, and State officials/employees in urban areas often hold nostalgic, positive images of rural places and misunderstand the economic and social characteristics of the State's rural population. This disjuncture is problematic for rural development and creates a need for educating policymakers and urban residents about the realities of rural conditions.