ABSTRACT
Definitions of rural have changed over time, but most definitions characterize rural by size and location. Traditionally, sociologists thought that location, social system, and common identity were features of rural communities. For some areas, this was (and is) true—half of the fifty counties with the least diverse populations are in Nebraska and Iowa. By contrast, fourteen of the thirty most diverse counties are also rural; six of them are in New Mexico. A community may be a political entity, for example a town or village, or it may be a social entity, for example a neighborhood in a large city. The structure and institutions of the community are created by the interactions of the people who live in it. The word "rural" conjures up many images—wide open spaces, closeness with nature, freedom, privacy, solitude. Americans share a common romantic dream of living in the country, imagining a place where community is strong and life is peaceful.
