Rural and Small-Town America: Context, Composition, and ComplexitiesContemporary America is centered around urban society. Most Americans reside in cities or their surrounding suburbs, and both the media and modern American sociology focus disproportionately on urban life. Rural and Small-Town America looks at what we can learn from rural society and confronts common myths and misunderstandings about rural people and places. Tim Slack and Shannon M. Monnat examine social, economic, and demographic changes and how these changes pose both problems and opportunities for rural communities. They assess changes in population size and composition, economies and livelihoods, ethnoracial diversity and inequities, population health and health disparities, and politics and policies. The central focus of this book is that rural America is no paragon of stability. Social change abounds, accompanied by new challenges. Through analysis of empirical evidence, demographic data, and policy debates, readers will glean insights about rural America and the United States as a whole. |
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Accessed October adults American Indian Appalachia Asian behaviors challenges chapter COVID death decades decline demographic disease Donald Trump drug overdose Economic Research Service ethnic ethnoracial diversity ethnoracial groups farming federal health and mortality higher Hispanic immigrants increase Inequality Jennifer Johnson and Lichter Journal of Rural labor Leif Jensen Lobao metro metro and nonmetro metro areas metro counties migration Monnat mortality rates myth and misunderstanding National natural amenities Non-Hispanic nonmetro areas nonmetro counties Nonmetro population October 11 Opioid pandemic percent Pew Research Center places political population change population growth population health race racial rural America rural and urban rural areas rural Black rural communities rural counties Rural Health rural population Rural Sociology rural United rural White Rural-Urban Shannon share Slack Sundown Towns Tickamyer tion trends Trump U.S. Census Bureau U.S. Department U.S. population U.S. South University Press urban areas vote West Virginia University workers