As used in this subchapter, the terms “rural” and “rural area” mean any open country, or any place, town, village, or city which is not (except in the cases of Pajaro, in the State of California, and Guadalupe, in the State of Arizona) part of or associated with an urban area and which (1) has a population not in excess of 2,500 inhabitants, or (2) has a population in excess of 2,500 but not in excess of 10,000 if it is rural in character, or (3) has a population in excess of 10,000 but not in excess of 20,000, and (A) is not contained within a standard metropolitan statistical area, and (B) has a serious lack of mortgage credit for lower and moderate-income families, as determined by the Secretary and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. For purposes of this subchapter, any area classified as “rural” or a “rural area” prior to October 1, 1990, and determined not to be “rural” or a “rural area” as a result of data received from or after the 1990, 2000, 2010, or 2020 decennial census, and any area deemed to be a “rural area” for purposes of this subchapter under any other provision of law at any time during the period beginning January 1, 2000, and ending December 31, 2020, shall continue to be so classified until the receipt of data from the decennial census in the year 2030, if such area has a population in excess of 10,000 but not in excess of 35,000, is rural in character, and has a serious lack of mortgage credit for lower and moderate-income families. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the city of Plainview, Texas, shall be considered a rural area for purposes of this subchapter, and the city of Altus, Oklahoma, shall be considered a rural area for purposes of this subchapter until the receipt of data from the decennial census in the year 2000.

(July 15, 1949, ch. 338, title V, § 520, as added Pub. L. 89–117, title X, § 1007, Aug. 10, 1965, 79 Stat. 502; amended Pub. L. 91–609, title VIII, § 803(e), Dec. 31, 1970, 84 Stat. 1807; Pub. L. 93–383, title V, § 511, Aug. 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 695; Pub. L. 94–375, § 25(b), Aug. 3, 1976, 90 Stat. 1078; Pub. L. 98–181, title I [title V, § 515], Nov. 30, 1983, 97 Stat. 1247; Pub. L. 98–479, title I, § 105(g), Oct. 17, 1984, 98 Stat. 2227; Pub. L. 99–120, § 3(b), Oct. 8, 1985, 99 Stat. 503; Pub. L. 99–156, § 3(b), Nov. 15, 1985, 99 Stat. 816; Pub. L. 99–219, § 3(b), Dec. 26, 1985, 99 Stat. 1731; Pub. L. 99–267, § 3(b), Mar. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 74; Pub. L. 99–272, title III, § 3009(b), Apr. 7, 1986, 100 Stat. 105; Pub. L. 99–289, § 1(b), May 2, 1986, 100 Stat. 412; Pub. L. 99–345, § 1, June 24, 1986, 100 Stat. 673; Pub. L. 99–430, Sept. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 986; Pub. L. 100–122, § 1, Sept. 30, 1987, 101 Stat. 793; Pub. L. 100–154, Nov. 5, 1987, 101 Stat. 890; Pub. L. 100–170, Nov. 17, 1987, 101 Stat. 914; Pub. L. 100–179, Dec. 3, 1987, 101 Stat. 1018; Pub. L. 100–200, Dec. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 1327; Pub. L. 100–242, title III, § 308, Feb. 5, 1988, 101 Stat. 1896; Pub. L. 101–137, § 7(b), Nov. 3, 1989, 103 Stat. 826; Pub. L. 101–625, title VII, § 715(a), Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 4296; Pub. L. 102–550, title VII, § 709, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 3840; Pub. L. 105–276, title V, § 599H(g), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2669; Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(4) [div. A, § 102], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–172; Pub. L. 106–569, title VII, § 705, Dec. 27, 2000, 114 Stat. 3015; Pub. L. 113–79, title VI, § 6208, Feb. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 861; Pub. L. 115–334, title VI, § 6305, Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4752.)