Urban Community Vs Rural Community

The two major communities that individuals live in are urban and rural. Both types have both positive and negative aspects. The focus of this paper is on rural communities. From my research rural environments are not as popular as urban ones; however, the citizens who live in these communities are very happy with the lifestyle they chose. The word rural is generally associated with communities that lack accessibility to public services such as transit, shopping, and entertainment. This is generally used in communities where farming is a primary occupation. In my study I interviewed three individuals who identify as living in a rural community.
The individuals I interviewed were from different walks of life; however, they all had similar experiences

Rural children have had higher poverty rates for decades. In 1970, the poverty rate was 20 percent for rural children compared with 12 percent for urban children. Although the gap narrowed in the 1970s and 1980s, the rates have diverged since the early 1990’s. The rise of child poverty in rural America is consistent with the growing income gap between urban and rural families over this same period (Bilsborrow, 1987). These poor communities also tend to struggle with easily obtained drugs such as methamphetamine and crack cocaine. Substance abuse can be especially hard to combat in rural communities due to limited resources for prevention, treatment, and recovery. Substance abuse results in increased illegal activities, as well as physical and social health consequences, such as poor academic performance, poorer health status, changes in brain structure, and increased risk of death from overdose and suicide (The Association for Better Living and Education International, 2009). When asked about how the use of drugs corresponds with living in a poor community, I found that drugs have impacted the life of all three of these citizens. The first person I interviewed made note that two of her sons overdosed on crack cocaine. She blames this on the lifestyle that comes with growing up in such a poor community. Although she educated her children of the dangers of drugs they fell into peer pressure when they dropped out of

Because rural environments are not as densely populated as urban ones, public services are not as readily available. This requires people to find other means of getting where they need to go and also effects the way they take care of themselves in regards to health. When asked about how she was effected by the lack of healthcare and transportation, my first interviewee stated that it is a constant struggle for her. She said that because she does not work she cannot afford a car to get around with. She said it makes things especially hard when trying to get groceries. She tries to ride to town with some of her friends whenever possible, but if she cannot find a ride she has to walk where she needs to go. She said the lack of healthcare and transportation was a big problem when her husband had a heart attack. She said they had to bring in the helicopter to get him to the hospital in time and it came with a large bill that she doesn’t know how they are going to be able to pay. The second person I interviewed said that the lack of transportation required him to buy a vehicle. He said it was expensive; however, due to where he lives he has to have a four wheel drive to get down his road. He said that he has to drive over an hour to get him and his family to regular doctor and dentist appointments. Because of the lack of access to