What makes a town ‘rural’? The answer can mean the difference of billions in federal aid

A town of 1,000 people feels like a rural place to someone from Chicago, but to a person living in a town of 200, that population of 1,000 feels almost urban.

And what the government defines as rural determines tens of billions of dollars a year in spending aimed at helping America's small or remote places.

Houston, Missouri, a town of 2,500 tucked into the hills of the Ozarks near the Arkansas border, takes pride as the hometown of famous clown Emmett Kelly. The residents tout a small-town, rural lifestyle with easy access to wide open, outdoor spaces.