Domestic violence is most commonly associated with urban poor people, but this article points out that women in rural communities also suffer a great degree of abuse. The article also examines the inaccuracies of common assumptions and stereotypes about where violence and deviance are likely to be found. It discusses how rural beliefs about violence and deviance affect women’s perceptions of themselves as battered, as well as their friends’ and family’s tendency to believe that they have been beaten. Rural women contacted for this study engaged in many acts of resistance and developed strategies to avoid being vulnerable to victimization. They did this in spite of multiple barriers, including distance from social service providers, schooling, health care, public transportation, and support from the criminal justice system. In addition, support from local law enforcement providers was sometimes compromised by their personal relationships with abusive men. Some women felt they could depend for assistance only from the State Police. References