I’m sure you didn’t intend it this way, but this comment comes across as incredibly arrogant and unfeeling.
Having grown up in a small idyllic town, there was beauty in the slow struggle to live there.
OP would do well to try and learn the culture before seeking to change it. There’s value beyond “cheaper houses” and “craft beer” in these places.
Coincidentally the novel/film Winter’s Bone author portrayed this area, north Arkansas and southern Missouri.