I live between two communities in Illinois. One is 3 miles north of us with a population of 461 and the other is 3 miles south of us with a population of 3,200. Google lists the smaller town as a village and the larger town as a city. There are no businesses in the smaller town. The larger town has many businesses. It has several fast food restaurants, 3 gas stations, 4 banks, a clothing store, a furniture store, several factories, 3 locally owned restaurants, an Ace Hardware, 3 automotive shops and 3 public schools. Ooops, I can’t forget the flower shop, dentist, general practitioner, veterinarian and butcher.
Our entire county has a population of 32,600 with the largest town having a population of 19,000. The population density is 56 people per square mile. I consider every town in our county as rural, with the exception of our largest town which is considered a college town.
We travel at least 60 miles to visit a city.