Placemaking is a valuable place-based development and integration tool in rural communities. This study examines how placemaking processes and outputs are associated with residents’ bonds with local places through survey data collected in rural communities in Indiana. Results reveal that policy communication and localized public spaces design are critical for increasing residents’ place dependence and place identity. These findings help pinpoint how local governments utilize placemaking in rural communities to effectively strengthen residents’ ownership of public spaces while further providing implications for residents’ empowerment and community planning in local governance scholarship.