Our Story

My family hails from the rural south, in the eastern-most part of Texas (El Campo, Inez, Tyler, Longview, Marshall, Dallas and Houston). My grandmother was a wife and mother of three, and owned several businesses and homes in California and Texas. She only had a 6th-grade education but credits her personal and professional success to strong family roots and the resources made available to her from the El Campo, Texas town people. My grandmother’s story represents many others that came before and after her. Her story is what motivates me to advocate for small-town communities like hers, and the families that live in it, to ensure they have access to opportunity.

It was during a road trip through the Northernmost part of California, where the border meets Oregon, that inspiration struck. The towns we stopped in were beautiful - pastoral, lush and serene-like. But the towns themselves were quite bleak; it was clear there was a major lack of resources and infrastructure. It made me think about who lived in these areas, especially since I didn’t see many stores, schools or homes -- how did they raise their family? How did they make a living? What was the school day like for students? What do these kids do after they finish high school? I immediately started researching.
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The discrepancies between rural and metropolitan communities are so jarring, so unacceptable, I felt I needed to do something to change the status quo. So I did. I founded The Good Rural in 2020 to bridge the gap for rural communities, and ensure academic and economic success for those that live there.

~ Delia

Founder of The Good Rural