Six ideological types of rural residents were defined to represent empirically determined reasons and underlying philosophies for living in the country, addressing a need to look at aspects of the growing nonfarm contingent of rural population, especially as it concerns extension program needs. The types were descriptively named Committed Farmers, Reluctant Residents, Nature Lovers, Guests of the Country, Child "Raisers", and Agrarian Cornerstones. Rural residents Q-sorted 90 items representing diverse reasons (farming as individual achievement, business, cornerstone of society, escape release, child raising, naturist) and philosophies (Protestant ethic, consumerism, new naturalism, agrarianism, humanism) and rated reasons for rural living to provide a congruency test for factored types. Net results showed high congruency between types and rated reasons. No type was primarily committed to farming either as a business or to make money--even committed farmers rated quality of life issues and importance of farming to society over making money. No retirement-oriented type emerged, despite many retired and semiretired respondents--retirement concerns came after basic ideologies and quality of life reasons. Commitment to country living varied from Reluctant Residents longing for urban culture to those who saw farming as a cornerstone of society. There were no highly rated consensus items among types. (RS)