After my 8 states in ‘08 trip (Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania) through the rural southeast, it is good to return to Ohio.  As I was driving through these beautiful hills, valleys, mountains and other scenic displays of rural life, I was once again reminded of the question that has motivated much of our work on this website:  What is rural?

Rural is defined in many ways.  For example, government agencies use factors such as population and distance from large urban centers as the demarcations of rural places.  The television, media, and, in some cases, comedians, define rural as a stereotype, linked to backward ways of being, thinking and living.  More traditional researchers use a variety of perspectives, including size, economic resources, and distance from cities as defining parameters.  There are, without question, a variety of ways to define this notion of rural.

As a group, I asked my graduate students to consider how, in the scholarship in the field, rural is being defined.  As expected, the students found that defining this idea is very fluid and, in the end, up to the individual.  However, one group presented an interesting perspective:  “Rural is a state of mind.”

This group proposed that being rural was a cultural way of being that was reflected in a mental attitude.  As we discussed this concept further, certain characteristics of this way of thinking were developed.  For example, being rural, to us, is represented in an extreme commitment to family.  A strong sense of independence and dedication to the land were also characteristics we identified as representative of a “rural mindset”.  In the end we decided that there are cultural characteristics that are found in the rural mindset that require further exploration and study.  Additionally, we found that trying to discover one “rural” way of being is impossible and, quite frankly, does not appreciate the diversity of the definition that exists in this country.  For example, even within Columbiana County, Ohio, there are different cultural characteristics that are unique to different segments of this area.  “Rural” is truly a complex concept.

In an effort to get some dialogue going, what is rural to you?  What are some of the cultural characteristics that you think represent the rural state of mind? How do you define being rural?

Feel free to respond to this post.  I look forward to the discussion.  

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