There’s no longer one rural America – could there be five?

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I see wealth disparity discussed a lot within city contexts, so it’s interesting to see that disparity is increasing in rural areas as well. Rural American life is “no longer a monolith” because it is regionally diversifying, but also because issues such as wealth disparity are now experienced by all Americans, whether rural, city, or in between (Grabmeier 2022).

The rural low-income destinations category stands out to me; if people are moving to lower income rural areas in search of affordable housing, does this mean gentrification can occur in rural communities? I’ve only seen gentrification discussed in city suburban contexts.

I’d be interested to see the differences in how the preservation of land is approached in lower income rural areas versus higher income rural areas. Does more money mean more preservation? Or are higher income rural communities unconcerned with land preservation?

Lastly, I’m curious if state parks are noticing any changes in the demographics of their visitors and local residents. And if there are significant changes, does this make it easier or more difficult to implement sustainability initiatives?