American Rural Studies: Digital Resources

An in depth series of audio and written pieces detailing how the opioid crisis has harmed Sullivan County N.Y., and how the local community has started to fight the various problems.
SUNY Rockefeller Institute : Albany, N.Y : 2022.

"Video about the legend of the Appalachian feud between the Hatfield and McCoy families. Hillbilly stereotypes, caricature, yellow journalism, An American Vendetta, timber and mining industries, myths, corporate greed."
Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020.

"The one-room schoolhouse may seem like a distant memory from U.S. history, but about 200 of them still exist today...in Wyoming, education funding is redistributed so that students can have access to similar resources, no matter how small or remote their location."
Public Broadcasting Service : Arlington, VA: NewsHour Productions, 2019.

"Students and faculty from Auburn University's Rural Studio have been working, studying and living in Hale County, Alabama, and using architecture to serve the greater good. There, more than two dozen different homes that cost only $20,000 have been designed, constructed and given to residents."
Public Broadcasting Service : Arlington, VA : NewsHour Productions, 2018.

"After high school, West Virginian Chris Farley went to work in the coal mines. At first, it provided a decent living, but it soon became a precarious existence, as mines would frequently close. Now, instead of removing mountaintops, Farley helps bring the land back to life, transforming former coal mines into farms. He works for Refresh Appalachia, a project of Coalfield Development..."
Great Big Story : Atlanta, GA : Cable News Network, 2017.

"the official podcast of the National Rural Education Association called the Rural Voice. [Hosts] discuss the common themes and experiences facing teachers, parents, and administrators in rural education." [ONGOING]

"Join Dana Peterson and Richard Fordyce every other week as they share real-life stories of inspiration and hope from across the spectrum of rural America."

A 16 part special series from National Public Radio. Aired throughout 2018-2019. (Approximately 80 minutes for the entire series)

Produced by PRI and WNYC. February 16, 2011.

"Is a biweekly, 30-minute podcast about rural education, business, and health. The podcast’s mission is to increase awareness, inform discussion, and expand the dialogue on the most important issues facing rural stakeholders"

"One of the most dangerous divisions in the United States is between urban and rural communities.... This series examines a multiyear effort to help people on both sides build relationships, [and] find common ground"

"some of the barriers that are unique to rural residents when it comes to seeking mental health services and how his company is helping to improve mental health resources in rural areas. See: www.RuralMinds.org."
[May 23, 2023 : 2:38 minutes]

A Mental Health America webinar focusing on the particular issues and difficulties on mental health and mental health care in rural areas"
[October 27, 2022 : 1 hour and 2 min.]

"During a Senate Health committee hearing [August 2022], Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) questioned witnesses about the fentanyl crisis."
[August 27, 2022 : 5:40 minutes]

A Wisconsin news report on the lack of rural 911 responders and all-volunteer EMS companies.
[August 15, 2022 : 2:35 minutes]

In 10 years, the country could have a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians - and that deficit could hit rural America hardest. Though almost 20% of Americans are "rural," fewer than 10% of doctors practice in rural areas.
[November 2, 2021 : 4:11 minutes]

There are over 20,000 "small towns" remaining in the United States. While many face serious economic and social challenges - others are growing their way out of their small-town definition.
[October 11, 2021 : 9:44 minutes]

'The scope and impact of poverty in rural America [that] can often go unseen by the national eye [and] how the ideal of picking yourself up by your bootstraps, doesn't work so well for people born without the metaphorical "boots."'
[September 10, 2020 : 15:34 minutes]

"[See] how a different life doesn't mean less access to rights, like voting"
[August 21, 2020 : 3 minutes]

"The United States is largely a nation of homeowners and homeownership is more prevalent in rural areas. But many rural households still face challenges in accessing, attaining and affording the purchase of a home."
[August 20, 2020 : 2:32 minutes.]

"Harlan County... is now a shell of its former self. The coal mines that once were the lifeblood of the local economy have shuttered, depriving the community’s dwindling number of young people of any real job prospects"
[June 4, 2020 : 16:16 minutes]

"It’s prohibitively difficult to access mental health services in rural America. Relative to urban areas, rural counties have few mental health professionals."
[December 6, 2019 : 14 minutes]

The color divide across America seems to strike a vivid political dichotomy: rural votes red; urban votes blue. However, Ellie Dupler debunks the perception of America as a binary country and challenges her audience to think purple.
[May 24, 2018 : 12:33 minutes]

Northern New York is inching dangerously close to having 50% of its families struggling to afford their basic needs. They are friends, neighbors, and co-workers who have jobs, but are still having a tough time getting by.
[November 17, 2017 : 58:45 minutes]

In 2016, Rural America proved to be the deciding factor in determining the presidency. A group in our society that is easily forgotten and taken for granted, has now been the victim of political attack. Ohio State Senior and farm owner to be, Mikayla Bodey asks us to reconsider how we view our rural cousins.
[May 10, 2017 : 11 minutes.]