Extension personnel can aid rural decision makers with impacts felt from rapid growth in their communities via a locally applicable community impact model. This paper illustrates how extension professionals can utilize community impact models. Impact models reviewed include: model to measure the impact of new industry on rural communities in Oklahoma, which provides results of private impacts, public sector impacts, and school district impacts; a computer model that is designed to describe the impacts of locating large power plants near small, isolated communities; a Florida impact model which ia an ex ante evaluation of the impacts of community growth; a North Dakota model designed specifically to measure the impact of energy developments; and the Oklahoma State University (OSU) community impact model, which contains all the components extension agents feel are needed to be useful, i.e., it's dynamic, community specific, and easy to adapt to each community. Although the report provides a brief review of impact models, a wide range of methodologies exist. It suggests that developing new and innovative methodologies is necessary to continually improve the models used, and that adaptation of existing models provides additional checks on model validity. (AH)