I'm not sure if it's like this in other parts of the country like this, but rural towns are dying so quickly, now. I live in a &lt;3000 person town, and maybe 15% of people I graduated with 10 years ago have stayed here. There's no jobs, no housing, and nothing worthwhile to keep us here. 

Not only that, but the older generations don't even want people to move here, or give younger people incentive to stay, because it'll "ruin the small-town feel". Once all their children and grandchildren live over an hour away and can't care for them, they'll wish there had been some change.