This study analyzes the correlates of life quality differences in 243 U.S. metropolitan areas. Using an overall index of life quality developed by Ben-Chieh Liu, it tests the empirical utility of three competing explanations—racial dualism, economic development, and political culture. The results show that all three exert substantial effects on the quality of life regardless of metropolitan size. Overall the best predictor of life quality differences is the percentage of adults who have received at least a high school education. In addition, cultural differences exert significant effects on the quality of metropolitan life independent of racial and developmental differences. These cultural effects are interpreted within two theoretically seminal theories: Elazar's theory of political culture and Gastil's theory of cultural regions.