No. 1: Barren County,Kentucky
Barren County is the kind of place where people come, like what they see, then decide to call it home. With its rolling farmland and friendly residents, there's little reason to wonder why. ... [And] while many rural areas have struggled to attract commerce, businesses here are thriving.
No. 2: Warren County, Pennsylvania
Warren County is the kind of place that seems custom-made for every season on the calendar. It's tucked underneath the New York-Pennsylvania state line and just an hour or so from the lakeside town of Erie. A river runs through it -- the Allegheny -- strikingly picturesque at every bend.
No. 3: Randolph,Illinois
There's a lot to smile about in this southwestern Illinois county. Located an hour south of St. Louis, its western border hugs the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. Travel along the Great River Road and you'll see fertile river bottoms planted to corn, soybeans and wheat that abruptly stop below towering limestone bluffs.
No. 4: Gillespie,Texas
In many ways, Gillespie County is the kind of place you think of when you picture Texas: lots of wide-open spaces, cattle ranches, old men in cowboy hats. Even the major highways have cattle crossings. But in other ways, it surprises: this county is more well-known for citrus than cattle.
No. 5: Union County,South Dakota
Fly over Union County, S.D., some misty morning and you get a perspective on what makes this a special place to live. Down south you'll see where the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River merge, creating flat, fertile farmland that is the county's economic anchor.
No. 6: St. LawrenceNew York
In this one county -- and granted, it is one of the biggest counties in the United States -- you'll find a wonderful mix of attractions: traditional arts, great hunting and fishing, an outstanding collection of Frederic Remington artwork.
No. 7: Sac County, Iowa
If the sight of golden corn on rolling hills in summer evening sunlight doesn't make your heart glad, Sac County, Iowa, might not be the place for you. ... And if you don't like friendly people who know how to get things done, don't slow down when you see the Sac County highway signs.
No. 8: Garfield, Oklahoma
Eighty-five miles from Oklahoma City and 120 miles from Tulsa, Garfield County is largely an agricultural region -- wheat and cattle. The countryside around county seat Enid is dotted with horse pastures and folks living on acreages.
No. 9: Amador County,California
To the southwest are the towns of Amador City, Drytown and Sutter Creek, along with the county seat of Jackson and small farms and ranches. The low-slung buildings and storefronts along the main streets evoke the Wild West.
No. 10: Polk County,North Carolina
Hip, trendy Asheville is just 30 minutes to the north ... And yet this little cluster of communities, tucked into the foothills of the Appalachians, has somehow gone unnoticed. Consider this: Polk County does not have a Wal-Mart.
http://money.aol.com/progfarmer/realestate/bestrural2006?photo=2
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