What it boils down to is that small towns may lack some desirable traits like racial/cultural diversity, shopping options (Whole Foods), and professional live entertainment (concerts, plays), but make up for that with a laid back attitude, access to home produced foodstuffs and local talent/fairs.
I think it’s a lot easier for someone from a small town to navigate successfully in a city than it is for someone from a city to navigate a small town. And that’s the heart of this question. Anything I need from the city, I can retrieve in a day and be back to my low crime, low stress, low cost, small town same day.
I have the internet. I’m well aware of modern society. Heck, some times I even succumb to the lure of the bright lights and big city. I love it! Then I drive home to the view of the (this time of year) corn stubble across the road.