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Maryville, MO | My grandparents generation had lots of kids, my grandpa was one of 12. Their family wasn’t all that uncommon in their era (he was born in ’38). See lots of photos from the local historical societies of families with 5-10 kids, like almost all of them.
I find it to be more rare to see a family with more than 4-5 kids these days. I have some friends who have 5+, but that’s the minority for sure.
Less kids = less enrollment
Plus, the amount of farmhouses that I’ve seen torn down and farmed over since I was a kid is a pretty large number. Hard to have a thriving rural community when housing dwindles. And, I get it, some of these houses aren’t worth fixing, but it’s just the reality of the situation.
Let’s be honest, the barrier to entry to farming is astronomically higher than it was 40-100 years ago. Doesn’t make much sense for folks to move to rural areas when there’s not much opportunity for them once they get there. | |
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Rural school enrollment?