Many Americans view the Amish as living simply and in touch with the land, but their views about the environment are complicated and not always 'green.'
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Rural America
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Rural Westerners have been stereotyped as angry ranchers who hate government. But for every gun-wielding militia member, there are many others who work collaboratively to protect what they value.
Today, 8 out of every 10 Americans live in a city or suburb.
Towns are embracing their eccentric visitors as a way to boost their struggling economies.
Many people who live near large-scale livestock farms complain about noxious smells, air and water pollution and health risks. With little help from regulators, they are turning to lawsuits.
Here's a challenge for gun control proponents: Watch 100 videos made by gun owners and gun rights advocates. One scholar watched these videos over five years and something surprising happened to her.
Congress is drafting the 2018 farm bill, which will guide agriculture, nutrition, trade and rural development policy. A former agriculture secretary explains how this bill reaches far beyond farms.
As with our politics today, geography and race matter in the US criminal justice system. Should they?
Federal rules governing television stations were meant to keep them connected to the communities they serve. The Trump administration wants to weaken those rules, and those civic links.
Nationwide, 16 percent of charter schools are rural. Yet, somehow these key players are often overlooked.
A recent study from the Tisch College of Civil Life at Tufts looks at millennials' civic engagement – and finds some cause for concern in rural, suburban and urban areas.
More and more people are talking about the 'rural-urban divide,' but what does that phrase actually mean? We asked experts from around the country to illustrate the gap in graphs and maps.
The number of prisons in the US swelled between 1970 and 2000, from 511 to nearly 1,663. Here's the story of why one town in Arkansas welcomed a correction facility.
Giving rural residents the option of using broadband access isn't enough to boost their community involvement. To really improve civic engagement, rural dwellers need to use the internet.
With little action at the national level on climate change, state and city officials are taking the lead – but by emphasizing local benefits.
Republicans in Congress are working to kill an Obama administration rule that broadens public input into federal land use planning. Hunters, fishermen, hikers and environmental groups are opposed.
Nine out of 10 rural places experienced increases in diversity from 1990 to 2010. Data show a more diverse future is guaranteed across all of America, and there's no going back.
'Rural America' is a deceptively simple term for a remarkably diverse collection of places. Understanding – and improving – these parts of the country is critical for all Americans.
Are you part of the 86 percent of Americans who do not live in rural America? Here's why Trump's choice to lead the USDA matters to you.
Top contributors
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Assistant Professor, University of Oregon
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Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Texas State University
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Professor and Extension Economist, Oklahoma State University
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David McConnell is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor of Anthropology, The College of Wooster
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Director, Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement in the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University
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Professor of History, University of Idaho
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Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University
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Assistant Professor, Department of Media Studies, University of Virginia
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Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography, Pennsylvania State University
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Professor of Environmental Science & Policy, University of North Dakota
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Associate Director of the Agricultural Law Center; Director of Career Development (Law School), Drake University
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Professor of Sociology and Demography, Pennsylvania State University
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Professor of Sociology and Senior Demographer, University of New Hampshire
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Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, Pennsylvania State University
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Research Associate, The University of Montana
