General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: If The Dems Made A Concerted Effort To Appeal To Rural Voters What Would You Recommend They Do?.... [View all]lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)...rural or otherwise.
My county (which also includes cities and towns) has 6%... one 17th... of the density as your state. Each of the counties in Rhode Island has more than 10x the population density. There aren't any "backwaters".
King County, Washington, the most populous county in Washington and about the size of RI; home of Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Renton, Kent and Federal Way, has less population density than even the least crowded county in RI.
I would consider the density of my county as the upper boundary of "rural". Most parts of the country have even less density than this, including those with cities.
The longest drive you can take on major highways in Rhode Island, from the north edge to the southwest corner requires 49 minutes of driving. This is one third the time required by the daily school bus ride my kids take.
RI is one of the most densely populated regions of the country.
You don't know rural, so don't presume expertise about the challenges facing rural schools. What you describe as rural is really suburb, and affluent suburb at that.