How to develop appropriate and affordable methods for selecting representative samples is an increasingly difficult problem. Response rates and contact rates have been falling and it is becoming increasingly difficult to reach people through traditional single mode survey methods. In this study we examine the effectiveness of using both an ABS and an RDD frame for representing a major metropolitan area, and for allowing respondents to complete the survey by telephone, mail, or Internet. The study was conducted with an address based sample of 6,400 residents of a major metropolitan area, and an RDD sample of 9,944 telephone numbers. The questionnaire was designed as a 12-page booklet consisting of 40 questions about community health. Response rates for both the mail portion of the sample and the telephone RDD sample were comparable at 28% to 29%. A total of 1,176 respondents completed the survey by telephone; 1,728 completed it by mail, and 205 completed it on the Internet. Significant differences were found for many questions, by survey mode and also by sample frame. The paper focuses on assessing the adequacy of each sample frame as well as the combined responses in representing the households in the study area, in comparison to census demographics. The paper compares the demographics and other findings by survey mode and by sample frame and discusses the implications of these results for designing surveys of households.