The majority of red, especially the dark red, is east of Columbia. I'm thinking those areas are experiencing stagnant or declining population growth because they are mostly rural areas that once relied heavily on agriculture and textiles/factories for jobs. Technology and the death of tobacco farming account for large number of jobs lost in agriculture. And it seems nearly every small town in that area of the state has a couple or more old factories that are no longer in use. A lot of the jobs are gone and that's why people are choosing to live elsewhere.
I think rural America is dying and it saddens me.
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