Our heated national political arguments about immigration policy too often obscure good people’s efforts to recognize others’ humanity as individuals, families, and neighbors. Rural towns can be great places to foster welcoming relationships. Drawing newcomers into local life takes effort, especially when residents differ in their cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Local groups and organizations shape changing communities when they offer language classes, create employment opportunities, provide chances to learn about all residents’ cultures, and guide children to success in school. Density in big cities allows community-engaged people to brainstorm with each other and trade ideas easily. Rural leaders know their local partners well, but distance can separate them from opportunities to gather fresh ideas from those outside their immediate circle. RIN allows community builders to learn from others like themselves, creating an online network that stretches across geographic distances and highlights efforts to empower and support immigrant newcomers in rural areas.

We want RIN to serve advocates, teachers, health care providers, community event planners, employers, volunteers, public officials—in short, the organized groups and individual leaders who make rural communities good places to live for all residents. We hope you use RIN to find inspiration, learn more about specific topics relevant to your organization’s work, and to connect with other organizations for direct networking.  

RIN does not offer direct services or advice to individuals, nor does it engage in partisan advocacy or activities.

What do we mean by “rural”? Different people use the word to express their own ideas and experiences. We can also look to statistics to find an answer. For example, the federal government identifies (see link here) several different types of population areas. Metropolitan areas have populations greater than 50,000; micropolitan areas have populations between 10,000 and 50,000. They designate a third type as rural: those neither metropolitan, micropolitan, or connected to the prior two by commuting patterns. RIN targets micropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas because community builders within these areas experience a geographic spread from others like themselves when seeking to exchange new ideas about immigrant incorporation. We acknowledge several exceptions (for example, Fargo, ND which is technically “metropolitan”) present on the website, yet have chosen to include them on a case-by-case basis to best align with our goals of sharing information from beyond the major population centers in the United States.