The relationship of man to the land on which he lives is one of the fundamental problems in various fields of scientific knowledge, including anthropology. On the whole, a positive emotional attitude towards the native land is explained by such a fundamental feature of territorial identity as ensuring the initial socialization and satisfying the basic human need for belonging to a certain community. Territorial identity includes the identification of a person with a particular place, the image of this place and its population, emotional attitude, a sense of place, satisfaction with the place, its symbolic significance. Our study of the phenomenon of local identity was carried out in various settlements of the Republic of Moldova, in particular in the Bulgarian-Gagauz village of Chirsova and the Moldavian village of Vadul-Rashkov. It showed a positive local identity of the residents of both villages. The local identity in Vadul-Rashkov is typically rural without any distinct features: it is mainly associated with the family and the immediate circle, the house; it is inscribed in the general peasant vision of the world, which is confirmed by the annual cycle of religious holidays and agricultural work (in the context of a lack of interest in history and events as single significant factor). It is spatially narrow, i.e. limited by the geographical boundaries of the village and the social boundaries of the community. The unique landscape, the richness of nature, and the pride in the famous poet, a native of the village, maintain the local identity, but the economic problems block the interest in the place, creating the main criterion for a “different” place - “they live better / worse there”. The local identity of Chirsova is part of the Gagauz Yeri regional identity. The main difference between Chirsova and Vadul-Rashkov is the importance of the ethnocultural component (language, culture, history, symbolic personalities), which helps them maintain their identity in difficult economic conditions. This local identity includes territory, culture, family, labor, cultivated land, which are all interconnected and form a rural version of identity.