Articles written by Brian Depew
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Rural-urban divide is oversimplified
For the past decade, the media has been obsessed with the idea of a growing divide between rural and urban areas, often portraying it as a deep chaasm separating the nation’s citizens. A recent example of this coverage took it a st... — Updated 7/26/2023
Rural America needs investment in home construction and repair
Communities in every corner of the country now struggle with a lack of affordable homes, an ailment long associated with fast-growing urban areas. A lack of affordable housing hamstrings rural towns’ abilities to attract workers a... — Updated 8/10/2022
Dollar General seeks to reshape small towns
Dollar General has become a ubiquitous feature of America’s small towns. The discount retailer is opening about 1,000 stores per year, with more than 16,000 spread across the country. Many local economic developers see the d... — Updated 5/26/2021
Media narrative distracts from focus on improving lives
Each of the past several elections has thrust rural people into the media spotlight. Rural and urban people are divided, the pundits tell us. Neither understands the lives of the other, the news reports read. I find the entire... — Updated 4/21/2021
Rural America: It's complicated, really complicated
There are two closely held, widely believed, narratives about rural America. The national media narrative, with roots in the 1980’s farm crisis, is fatalistic. Rural places are dying. It lives on at the Brookings Institute and t... — Updated 2/25/2015
