An urban social psychological approach suggests that shared social meanings aid in organizing the complex reality of an urban environment and that place preference may motivate and influence behaviors. The application of procedures for the measurement of roles to urban images suggests the use of discriminant analysis to identify dimensions that distinguish the meanings of downtown Atlanta, city residential areas, suburbs, and small towns. Findings include: (1) the identification of urbanism of place, middle‐class social status, and impersonal or quasi‐primary interaction as three social dimensions that distinguish places; (2) males, females, whites, and blacks appear to share a common set of meanings about urban areas but they differ somewhat more in their assessments of the areas and in their place preferences; and (3) some of the preferred place images significantly influence the use of downtown Atlanta for instrumental and entertainment activit