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Originally Posted by dc_denizen
New York Times sends courageous reporters on dangerous mission across the Hudson to investigate geographical income distribution in 'the country': cool map though.
Between the lines, the angle seems to be that rural areas are in fact poorer or harder places to live than many of the underperforming urban centers like Detroit or Flint or St. Louis.
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Those of you who live where natural vegetation is thick and where trees grow like weeds, need to see the prairie belt from the Canadian Border to Texas to get an idea of the huge rural population crash. In states like Nebraska and Kansas, particularly in their western halves, there are hundreds of towns with collapsing roofs, boarded up store fronts, and, obvious signs of blight. Go into the cities with populations greater than 5,000, and, most of their downtowns are unoccupied with what business that survives, centered in a huge Walmart just outside the city limits. Drive out into the country and the majority of surviving structures are abandoned.
The working farms that survive either look like small cities made up of grain silos, or are dream farms that can only survive by putting outside income into the farm- i.e., money loosing propositions. Many of the farmers are old, and, contrary to BS in the press, the old farmers don't have much energy anymore. Survival is contracted out to a few young entrepreneurs that own $1 million or more in fertilizer spraying equipment, combines, tractors etc., that charge a flat rate per bushel. When the price goes up everybody is happy, when the price per bushel drops only the young entrepreneur makes any money. Of course, the old farmer borrows more money, and, flirts with going bankruptcy for the "n" time.
In order to see this in your area (even with the trees), get off the interstates. The old US highway system has roads that show the Country without the retail, food, and, lodging that the interstates bring. Much of it looks like "rural" Detroit, with huge areas planted in mono crop agriculture surrounding abandoned barns and farm houses.