UNH Today

University of New Hampshire professor Ken Johnson, an expert on rural life in America, said that the definition of “rural” varies significantly depending on where one lives. “Casper would be considered a big place by almost anybody who lives in rural America, whereas I’ve seen people in Chicago talking about St. Louis or Des Moines as if it were small, ” he said. Johnson said people in rural America have different standards for what qualifies as big and small. The presence of a hospital, a county courthouse or even a Walmart can all be used to draw the line between town and country.