Never set foot in the States, so is not a direct comparison, but as an European who prefers living in a big city compared to living in my parents' village, which borders the lower Danube, I can say that the village is certainly nice and dandy, but it doesn't have theater shows, doesn't have cinemas, doesn't have cafes, doesn't have bookstores, doesn't have (decent) sports teams, doesn't have countless streets on where one can lose him/herself walking, and, most important of all, doesn't have people. Yeah, rural life is indeed boring for many people until a certain age (I eventually plan to retire to my parents' village if I reach 60).