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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

I have written on how the Census Bureau has made it virtually  
impossible to count ruralites versus urbanites. Here are sidebar notes  
from an article on the subject:

• The share of the U.S. population considered rural ranges from 17 to  
49 percent depending on the definition used.
• Rural definitions can be based on administrative, land-use, or  
economic concepts, exhibiting considerable variation in socio-economic  
characteristics and well-being of the measured population.
• For research projects and economic development programs alike, the  
appropriate definition of rural will be that which meets the goals of  
the endeavor.

I wonder how many of us might consider ourselves rural whom  
officialdom deems urban.

From:

Defining the “Rural” in Rural America

The use of different definitions of rural by Federal agencies reflects  
the multidimensional qualities of rural America.


http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/June08/Features/RuralAmerica.htm