rural America

A nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine in Ridgeway, Va., in March. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Political divisions over the pandemic are creating a wedge and splitting off health care workers from small communities that desperately need them. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption

In Bucksport, Maine, the smokestack of a closed mill can be seen in this waterfront view along the Penobscot River. Molly Haley/The Hechinger Report hide caption

"There's this sense that decisions about the pandemic are being made in cities and kind of imposed on rural spaces," said Kathy Cramer, an expert on the rural-urban divide at the University of Wisconsin. JamesBrey/Getty Images hide caption

Rural communities across the country, places largely spared during the early days of the pandemic, are now seeing spikes in infections and hospitalizations. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

The U.S. Postal Service warned states in late July that it might not be able to deliver mail-in ballots in time to be counted. Amid a growing outcry from rural leaders, the agency's director has backed down from planned broad cuts and changes. Paul Weaver/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

In recent years, former coal miners were retrained to work with fiber optics, expanding high-speed Internet — and possible economic opportunities — to rural areas. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

The recently closed Pickens County Medical Center in Carrollton, Ala., is one of the latest health care facilities to fall victim to a wave of rural hospital shutdowns across the U.S. in recent years. With hundreds of hospitals endangered, residents are worried about getting health care amid the coronavirus outbreak. Jay Reeves/AP hide caption

Coplan and Vierkandt catch up outside the Kids Plus office. Vierkandt calls Coplan her second mother. They have remained in touch over the years. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

Located between Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has become a big tourist draw since its designation in 1996. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

Leitha Dollarhyde, a retired caregiver who lives in a rural town near Whitesburg, Ky., says she could not afford an unexpected $1,000 expense. Sydney Boles for NPR hide caption

Among at least some rural Americans, pragmatism may now be superseding traditional disdain for government and the prizing of rugged individualism. Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

Houses lie at the base of Colorado National Monument. The school district in Grand Junction knows it could take years to see whether their efforts towards suicide prevention have worked. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption