The authors discuss concept of Russian intelligentsia from the standpoint of the present. Particular attention is given to examining the concept of “intelligentsia” and considering objective external indicators of its position in society. In particular, by using the conceptual tools of social geography the authors explore trajectory of geographical migration of intellectuals from the big cities to the countryside (late 19th – early 21st centuries.). They discuss such phenomena amidst intelligentsia as a cautious attitude towards urbanization, emergence of cultural perception of nature and rural traditions, passion for country recreation. The examples of enclaves of intellectuals in non-urban areas are reviewed with regard to the social role of the Russian intelligentsia. By positioning itself in geographical non-urban space, the intelligentsia thus refers to its social role and produces self-identification.