It is declining. Much of it has to do with the way agriculture works in that it takes far fewer people to run than ever before and the pay hasn't ever been good

It is declining. Much of it has to do with the way agriculture works in that it takes far fewer people to run than ever before and the pay hasn't ever been good. The ones close enough to a major city to be competitive in terms of housing and schooling can stay afloat for while. But if there are fewer jobs, the weather isn't that great, and you have to travel for an hour or more to get your needs met, it becomes much harder to keep a town running.