Antenna type and design can make all the difference in the world with regards to performance. Even plain-old 2.4GHz or 5GHz WiFi can work great over large distances provided that you use a parabolic reflector, yagi, log-periodic, etc. Microwave linking is all the rage nowadays, with WISPs popping up all over the place and large commercial operators using microwave links as backhaul between internet-connected sites (usually cell tower sites). But LoRa is still really awesome for low-bandwidth data with minimal antenna considerations, and having it be such a convenient standalone package with some of the boards available is just icing on the cake.