Big Picture: Then there's rural Valley County, Montana, where the population has dropped 56% since its 1960 peak of 17,080

 

Source: Wikipedia

Daily Yonder,

Valley County is nowhere near a metro area.

A Daily Yonder analysis of 2023 Census Bureau data showed that rural America gained population for the second year in a row, continuing to reverse a decade-long trend of rural population loss. 

The gain came primarily in counties that are closest to metropolitan areas and was the result of people moving to those counties from other parts of the country or internationally.

But the trains go on forever.

Photo and video by Retiring Guy (9/23/2020)

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One-third of Wisconsin's 72 counties have lost population since 2020.  (3/18/2024)