Rural America

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

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Rural Business Weekly News – February 21, 2009

February 21, 2009

Here are a few interesting blogs and online articles published this week that relate to Rural Small Business, ending February 21, 2009: President Obama signed the stimulus package this week, with much discussion on the funds allocated for rural America in installing rural broadband. In Stimulus Stirs Debate Over Rural Broadband Access, you can get [...]

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Rural Business Weekly News February 7, 2009

February 7, 2009

Here are a few interesting blogs and online articles published this week that relate to Rural Small Business, ending February 7, 2009: What The New York Times has to say this week may not be news to most of us in rural America. But odds are, it’s new information to most Americans and their fantasy [...]

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Rural America’s Economic Research Service

February 3, 2009

It’s important to understand where statistics about rural America come from, because those statistics influence the funding and governmental programs we see in our communities. One of the sources of statistics on rural communities is The Economic Research Service, which is an arm of the US Department of Agriculture, measuring the economics of food, farming, [...]

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The President’s Agenda for Rural America

January 29, 2009

You can read a one-page summary of President Obama’s’ agenda for Rural America now posted on the White House website. The agenda addresses three areas: economic opportunities for family farmers, rural economic development and rural quality of life. “Rural communities face numerous challenges but also economic opportunities unlike anything we have witnessed in modern history. [...]

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Changes in Rural Mail Delivery?

January 28, 2009

Rural small businesses may be affected by postal delivery changes in the future. The Postmaster General told Congress today that massive deficits could force the post office to eliminate one day of mail delivery each week. The most likely day to be skipped is Tuesday, which is apparently the lightest mail day. The Post Office [...]

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Building Rural Community – One Sip at a Time

January 25, 2009

My husband and I just signed up for a bridge class to be held at our local coffee shop. I’ve never played bridge before, and to be honest, never thought much about it until we received a promotional flyer this week from our local Chamber of Commerce. The flyer certainly achieved its goal. It described [...]