America's Heartland: A Case for Social Resilience?

Abstract

Much has been written in recent years about the decline, problems, distinctive traditions, and political conservatism of small rural “heartland” communities. I discuss the important place that rural communities occupied in the development of modern sociological theories, the focus of recent empirical studies of these communities, and the arguments that have been advanced about population decline and the stultifying effects of closed social networks. I then describe evidence that supports arguments about social resilience in small rural communities, including recent demographic figures about population stability, data on social capital and open networks, and qualitative information about small-town values and lifestyles.