Yes, I like maps. Here’s a map of rural outmigration by county in the United States. A couple of reasons for outmigration are excellent schools (many economic opportunities for well-educated students are in metropolitan areas) and not-as-desirable landscapes. Scenic rural areas tend to attract new people. Also, medical rural counties with reliable broadband access tend to […]

Rural populations are NOT declining in North America “across the board”. For example,  they are declining somewhat in many rural areas that aren’t close to cities, but they are growing in many rural areas within a reasonable commuting distance to metropolitan areas. Rural population growth/decline is a complex issue. The following map details this trend in the United […]

Credit: NASA Just to let you all know where I’m coming from: I grew up, and learned and taught music in the middle of the “un-lit” region in the middle of the western United States–between Salt Lake City, medicine Utah and Reno, Nevada–the Great Basin. I’m rural through and through and I’m also a music teacher and a […]