Why the massive rural/urban divide?

[Tender Branson]

Particularly in the last two elections, cities have been voting overwhelmingly Democratic, whereas rural areas have been voting like it's 1984.

Why the huge split?

Well, in Austria the same thing. In the 2002 and 2006 elections there were lots of rural villages that voted with over 90% for the conservatives, one I remember voted with 100% for them (a small hillbilly town of 70 voters in the state of Tyrol), whereas the bigger cities of Vienna and Linz etc. are generally more to the left.