Rural America

Is Self Employment Changing in Rural America?

May 24, 2009

An estimated 25 million people in the United States call themselves ‘self employed.’ They might hold multiple jobs, run online businesses or other small shops, or function as independent contractors or ‘freelancers.’ The Promise and Peril of the Freelance Economy provides a comprehensive overview of how self-employment has changed in America, and reflects changes in [...]

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When East Meets West – A New Chicken and Egg for Rural America

April 10, 2009

My husband Tim and I had a brief discussion today with a local government employee, whose son will graduate from college next month. We inquired about what his son had majored in, where he wanted to live, what kind of job he hoped to go after. Of course that led us to share some thoughts [...]

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Self Employment in Rural Nebraska

March 23, 2009

A University of Nebraska sociologist has found that the decreasing rural population of Nebraska is changing the way business is conducted in the state. Randy Cantrell with the Nebraska University Rural Initiative, reports that in most rural counties of Nebraska self-employment accounts for 18 to 30 percent of jobs and pretty much all job growth. [...]

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What Small Towns Care About

March 18, 2009

“To read the papers and to listen to the news… one would think the country is in terrible trouble. You do not get that impression when you travel the back roads. The small towns do care about their country and wish it well.” Charles Kuralt American radio and television Journalist (1934-1997)

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A Stronger Voice for Rural America in Washington

March 13, 2009

Senate Democrats announced a “rural agenda” for the 111th Congress today. The website created to describe the issues they understand to be important to rural America is called Rural Outreach. “Rural America reflects our nation’s most precious values: hard work, independence, and an unparalleled commitment to community. Senate Democrats provide a voice for the over [...]

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Coping With The Modern American Tourist

March 9, 2009

The modern American tourist now fills his experience with pseudo-events. He has come to expect both more strangeness and more familiarity than the world naturally offers. He has come to believe that he can have a lifetime of adventure in two weeks and all the thrills of risking his life without any real risk at [...]

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Luring Last Minute Travelers to Rural America

March 5, 2009

It seems that all of us in rural America are going to have to work a little harder this year to attract tourists and other regional visitors to our businesses. Apparently, state tourism and commerce agencies are finding it quite a challenge to get travelers to go out for an occasional night on the town, [...]

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The Digital Dirt Road called Rural Broadband

March 4, 2009

There’s a terrific multimedia report that’s just been completed on the ‘digital divide’ in rural America, providing a glimpse of what life is like in some rural communities without high-speed Internet access. The report has been released by InternetforEveryone.org, which is a broad-based iniitative to connect every American to fast, open and affordable Internet. “More [...]

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Rural Sights and Sounds

March 2, 2009

“Not rural sights alone, but rural sounds, Exhilarate the spirit, and restore The tone of languid nature.” William Cowper One of the most widely read English poets of his day, 1731-1800

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What Rural America Doesn’t Have

March 1, 2009

“Ironically, rural America has become viewed by a growing number of Americans as having a higher quality of life not because of what it has, but rather because of what it does not have!” Don A. Dillman