Went to my little cousin's graduation last night (the one that was in the bad car accident and made a recovery nothing short of miraculous a few years ago). It was fun seeing everyone and everybody has stories to tell of things done or things other people have done. The hot topic this year is that most of my relatives are really getting into motorcycles, the big cruising kind. Cool. Oh, also weddings are popular (two in two months).
I also heard a few negative stories (ie: troubles) and it got me to wondering while I was driving home. Why does it seem that rural towns have more troubles?

People get messed up, do stupid things, get in trouble. Now, I'm talking about the population in general of small-town rural Minnesota, not my specific relatives. Does it just seem like more troubles because the population is smaller and everybody knows everybody else? Or does more shit happen out there away from the city? Being a city boy (even though I grew up in the rural areas) my perception may be skewed, but it seems to me that there just isn't enough to do, not enough challenges, not enough diversity/variety of things available and this leads to boredom and/or apathy. Thinking back to my high school days, this was certainly the case. Nothing to do except drive around, drink beer, repeat. Ugh. Yet I think if queried, many people would say they hate the big city and/or love the rural areas. If that is the case, why so much unhappiness and trouble? Perhaps they love the idea of rural communities more so than the actual reality.
I don't know the answers, but it seems to me that perhaps people yearn for something they don't have or they yearn for something they aren't even aware they don't have... it may have nothing to do whatsoever with locality. It may just be that I feel uncomfortable away from the city and I am subconsciously looking for imperfect things... yet I don't seek that out, I just get told of this thing or that thing or the other thing ... and I cringe and feel stifled and maybe even sad... and then at the end of the day I am very happy to go back to my little house in the big city...