&NA;The smoking habits of a suburban southern California community were determined as part of a total community heart disease screening survey from 1972 to 1974. The population was affluent, and approximately 40% of the subjects were over age 65. There were high proportions of former smokers compared with other surveys: 50% of men and 25% of women. Twenty‐two percent of the men and 26% of the women were current smokers. To our knowledge these are the lowest rates yet reported for an adult free‐living population, and the first time a population survey has reported more current smokers among women than among men.