Funny thing is, rural towns don't even have to be so spread out. There are a lot of rural towns in New England with vibrant Main Streets where most people live in walking distance. A place like Brattleboro, VT for instance. But many people in Maine are obsessed with the idea of living in the woods and if you suggest that our state would be better if every town looked like Bath instead of Standish you get downvoted to oblivion.