Examining the United States’ Urban/Rural Dichotomy

In presenting the new series, “America's Rural/Urban Divide” Governing assumes the premise that “[for] the first time in history, more people worldwide live in cities than outside them.”

Troubling, however, is how many cities see themselves more as partners with distant metropolises than with the rural communities right down the road. “Chicago woos jobs from Shanghai, but may not coordinate with small towns in downstate Illinois. Boston aligns itself more with Berlin and Beijing than with the Berkshires,” says the article introducing the series.

The series includes an examination of the political discord between rural and urban areas, an article on the potential to find middle ground, and a look at the troubled financial situation of many rural hospitals.