Why the massive rural/urban divide?

[Smash255]

It's not a rural vs. urban divide so much as an exurban/suburban vs. metropolitan divide. Looking at maps tend to exaggerate the importance of rural areas, where less than 20% of the population lives. The GOP is getting its margins from suburban areas, while Democrats are getting their margins from the cities.

Partially right.  You really have to put the older suburbs who (with a few 9/11 related exceptions which are now over with plunging Bush poll #'s in  some of these areas) in with the cities because they have really trended to the Democrats.  Generally its the cities & older heavily populated suburban areass that are Dem vs the newer, lesser populated, but faster growing suburbs, exurban & rural areas.  For example their are massive differences between Nassau County NY & Cobb County Georgia.  So you can't link all suburbs together as being a GOP stronghold as their are some (which are mainly older highly populated suburbs in the mid-atlantic, northeast & bay area, with some spots in the Denver area) that are mostly Dem and those that aren't tend to be  trending Dem

[Smash255]

Rural
 59,061,367
 21.0
 
of which: - Place of 2,500 or more
 4,089,599
 1.5
 
 - Place of 1,000 to 2,499
 4,989,152
 1.8
 
 - Place of less than 1,000
 3,821,336
 1.4
 
 - Not in place
 46,161,280
 16.4

wtf??

That might refer to areas that aren't listed as a citw. town or CDP.  For example Bush with his home address as his ranch.  Its always called Crawford, but the ranch is actually several miles from Crawford

[Smash255]

This was a good thread. I kind of chuckled reading Philip's arguments that he lives in a rural area while describing it since he was basically describing the textbook example of an exurb.

I have more commentary on this, but that has to come later.

Loudon County, VA is the fastest growing county in the United States (at leats was from 2000-2005) it is not rural, it WAS rural, but not anymore.  Now parts f it might still be rural (far western portions of the county) and I'm not sure where exactly in Loudon Phil lives, but it is no longer rural, and no question an exurb, and moving towards suburbs (parts of the county is no question full out suburbia)