living

There are lots of songs written about moving to the country. They usually talk about the clean air, the slow pace of life, the beauty of nature and the friendly people. They over-romanticize the true reality of rural life.
They also give the impression that everyone really wants to leave the city behind and get back to the land. The fact is, however, that is not what most people want to do. According to the latest census data, most people are doing just the opposite: moving to the city.

The 2010 census data shows that the overall population of Indiana increased, but it was only large urban areas that saw their population grow. Indianapolis and Ft. Wayne had the most increase. Several suburbs of Indianapolis more than doubled their population in the past decade.

Contrast that with rural counties like Benton and Wabash that saw a decline in their population.

This shift in population is not a new trend, but it represents a continuing problem for rural communities. Not only does a declining population limit economic activity and reduce the labor force, it lessens a rural area’s political power at both the state and federal level.

The census data released last week will be used to redraw state and federal Congressional districts. But the loss of rural residents is also a problem for urban areas.

There is a marked and noticeable difference between rural and urban residents in attitude, outlook, and character. Having lived in both rural and urban settings, I have seen this difference first hand; and I am not alone.
During a recent conversation, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels expressed this same opinion.

He told of a recent road trip he took during which he stayed in the home of a farm family in a rural area. This family had 2 sons, both very involved in the farming operation and in 4-H. He talked about how impressed he was with the leadership and character these young people displayed.

The next day he traveled to a large city to visit a charter school. This school was noted for its curriculum that stressed character development.
He saw young people learning and developing good leadership and character skills. But Daniels marveled at how much of a head start the rural young people had.

He and many other leaders are beginning to realize that the values and lifestyles of rural residents are much different than those in the city and that our rural communities have much to offer our society in the way of good character and leadership.

The culture of agriculture and rural living is hard to quantify; but it has had, is having, and will have a big influence on our society and its values.

What is needed is a great appreciation of this contribution by city folks and community leaders. Also, we need more rural folks to step up into leadership positions. Many of our great leaders have come from farms and small towns, and their character has greatly influenced the course of history and our nation.
Perhaps, if we promoted the character of rural America a bit more, we could draw some of those folks out of the city and back to the country.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Gary Truitt may write to him in care of this publication.