dc.description |
Rural life has changed dramatically over the past century.1 One of the most
salient features of rural areas in the past was social isolation. Advances
in telecommunications and transportation have integrated most rural
communities into the larger society. Rural residents now have access to the
internet, which allows them to shop and communicate with others outside
their local community. Many rural workers commute to urban areas.
Improvements in telecommunications also permit some people even to
work at home, often relatively long distances from the business site in urban
settings. Mass communications also provide rural residents with the same
news and information that once was available only in the largest cities. They
are therefore exposed to the same elements of mass culture that influence
urbanites.
There also has been a transformation in how people earn a living in rural
areas. Farming is no longer the primary occupation in most rural areas.
Even in agricultural dependent areas, farming provides less income than
other sources. Other extractive industries, like mining and forestry, no
longer provide many jobs either. Technological change has been the major
force displacing jobs in extractive industries. Today, the majority of
workers in rural areas are now employed in the services sector.
This is not to suggest that rural–urban differences do not remain. Rural
residents continue to maintain stronger ties and relationships with their
neighbors than do urban residents. Similarly, rural residents tend to be
more traditional and conservative with respect to their values and attitudes.
Rural areas also tend to have less access to health and social services, primarily a result of the low population density in many rural communities |
|