| The Encyclopedia of Rural America is dedicated to the land and its people. Rural America is characterized by its vast expansiveness and its diversity. Of the nation's 1.9 billion acres, 1.8 billion acres are in rural areas or federal lands. It is a land of crop and pasture land, forests and wetlands, mountains and deserts, sea coasts and inland plains. And of America's 249 million people, 62 million people live in rural areas. They represent scores of races, ethnic backgrounds, religious groups, and cultures. The Encyclopedia of Rural America is a resource of information on the land and its people. It includes topics ranging from production agriculture and a variety of other rural industries to rural youth, elderly, women, and minority groups to the culture, music, and the arts of rural America.
A variety of definitions are used for "rural." Some definitions emphasize the population in an area. For instance, the U.S. Census Bureau defines any community with a population of less than 2,500 as rural. Other definitions emphasize the economic nature of an area. Places that rely primarily on agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining, or energy-the land-based or extractive industries-typically are rural. Some definitions highlight the ecological, social, or organizational characteristics of places with low population densities, that is, places where substantial distances must be traveled to obtain medical care, to shop, or to go to school or church. Still other definitions are based on the culture or the mind set of the people themselves. The variety of understandings of "rural" often leads to differences in how the rest of the nation relates to the land and its people. The policies and programs made by state and national legislators, educators, medical and religious officials, and business and industry leaders for rural areas are heavily influenced by their understanding of what is "rural." (See entry Rural, definitions of.)
Rural sometimes is viewed as synonymous with agriculture. Agriculture is extremely important to rural America; it has been the mainstay of many rural communities, and continues throughout much of rural America as the predominant economic sector. But other economic sectors also are vital. Many regions depend primarily on forestry, fishing, energy, mining, manufacturing, tourism, or other industries. Thus, the Encyclopedia of Rural America includes articles describing these diverse industries and the roles they play in the lives of rural people. |