In the 1948 census of population, 86 percent of Montenegrins were classified as rural, but over ensuing decades this proportion has changed dramatically. In the 1981 census, only 13 percent of the republic's inhabitants were listed as rural dwellers. Montenegrin villages are found mainly in the polje depressions of the Karst. Houses are most often constructed of stone, frequently without mortar.

Podgorica has been the administrative centre of Montenegro since 1945, when, under the name Titograd, it replaced the former capital of Cetinje. In the early nighties Titograd was renamed into Podgorica once more.