If we want to get so nitpicky there are poor and isolated areas along the coasts too. And heartland areas outside of major cities are less able to sustain inde

If we want to get so nitpicky there are poor and isolated areas along the coasts too. And heartland areas outside of major cities are less able to sustain independent media. Modern institutions like the military shuffle people around to and from these less notable areas and many broad trends do not fit the simplistic narrative you're presenting (for instance, many rural areas have large immigrant populations who work in farms, meat-processing facilities, and similar).