What is rural?

Those of us who have driven through towns in the northern part of the United States may be struck by Danielsville’s northernesque feel. You enter the town through a roundabout, reminiscent of the many rotaries I learned to drive growing up in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In the center of the roundabout sits the historic red brick courthouse, built in 1901.

Beyond the courthouse there’s the Huddle House. Then there’s the Rite Aid in addition the local pharmacy. There’s the Hardy’s and the Subway. And of course there’s the Chinese Buffet. There is even a stoplight (at this point I have only seen one)! Danielsville doesn’t feel rural.

The definition of rural varies, but most statistical definitions are based on population and population density. See What is Rural? published by the USDA. And by definition, Madison County is rural.

The appearance of rural or not, Madison County is still confronted with rural health issues. In the wake of the peanut product scare, Leigh Ann Aaron, a county extension agent for Madison County, tells how one thing that rural counties often struggle with is disseminating information. One time she called one person, she said, and received nine calls back. The individual had shared her number with other concerned community members. Word of mouth, local connections, being plugged into the community, are major pathways in the Madison County information network.

Though the town may not appear rural (at least to me), spreading pertinent health information is certainly still an issue.

Introducing Madison County

“The quintessential Southern Community,” the Madison County government website calls itself. Named for President James Madison, the northeast Georgia county dates back to 1811. “Madison is far from the hectic pace of Atlanta,” says Nancy R. Bridges, the University of Georgia Family and Consumer Sciences Cooperative Extension county agent for Oglethorpe and Madison Counties. As a county extension agent, Bridges serves as a liaison between UGA and the Madison County community disseminating helpful information.

With the closest access to a major interstate being I-85 in Commerce one county over, Madison County may maintain the charm of a small southern town, but the county seat of Danielsville sits 15 minutes away from Athens where UGA is located. The other Madison County municipalities include Carlton, Colbert, Comer, Hull, and Ila. “No municipality has a population over 1,000,” the county website says. “Only one, Comer, exceeds 500.” The 2001 census lists the county population of around 26,000, but estimated it to be closer to 28,000 in 2006. A daily average number of 26.7 miles driven to work suggests that though many of the Madison County residents enjoy living in a county that upholds “the rural flavor of the south,” they make a living in the more urban areas surrounding Madison.