Rural USA - and I grew up there - is optimized for mining, farming, ranching, and logging. The bulk of the money has shifted elsewhere, and the economy has move

Rural USA - and I grew up there - is optimized for mining, farming, ranching, and logging. The bulk of the money has shifted elsewhere, and the economy has moved on. I don't myself see a future for the rural US outside of the 4 interests above - it's collapsing inward as automation and time rolls on. I would like to see a future. But the network effect of urbanized areas is tremendous and forms a vortex of attraction for all sorts of things. But this isn't new - WW1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Ya_Gonna_Keep_'em_Down_on_the_Farm_(After_They've_Seen_Paree)%3F https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Ya_Gonna_Keep_'em_Down_on_... http://www.azlyrics.com/lyhttp://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/andrewbird/howyougonnakeepemdownonthefarm.htmlrics/andrewbird/howyougonnakeepemdownonthefarm.html http://www.azlyrics.com/lyhttp://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/and... and Hofstadter in his book Age of Reform (regarding populism/progressivism in the 1870-1925 era) remarks that the migration to the cities was taking place in the 1800s.