The Lies of the Land: Seeing Rural America for What It Is―and Isn’t

The Lies of the Land: Seeing Rural America for What It Is―and Isn’t by Steven Conn

After World War II, the population of central cities declined while the suburbs grew. However, the growth of the suburbs vastly eclipsed the loss in the cities. Much of this extra population consisted of people leaving rural areas. In some cases it may have been forced upon them as suburban areas encroached on farmland. In other cases, it was a more conscious decision. They sought more opportunities, yet didn't want to go all the way to the city.

In America, rural living represents many of the core tenants of individuality. However, rural living rarely lives up to the "ideal".  People also desire many of the resources of the cities. Suburbs are often the "compromise". Today, rural areas tend to be poor. Many "food deserts" appear in the areas of food production. Medical care and even education may be missing or require long distant travel. Retail in general is missing. Dollar stores are the most recent retail area that has taken to rural and small town areas. They are the latest in the series of "downtown dominators", after 5 and dime and Wal-Mart/K-Mart type stores. 

The explores the definition of what "rural" is. It can be more of a state of mind than an actual location. "Not city" may be the key part of it. In then wanders into various physical and economic characteristics. It is a bit unfocussed, but interesting.