• surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    the vast majority of people still live within metro areas

    But when we talk about food deserts, that’s not where we’re talking about. We’re not talking about the vast majority. We’re talking about the other 20%, or 66 million Americans, who live in rural areas and who get a Dollar General instead of an Wegman’s.

    “Despite the increase in the urban population, urban areas, defined as densely developed residential, commercial, and other nonresidential areas, now account for 80.0% of the U.S. population” - https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/urban-rural-populations.html

    • grue@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      But when we talk about food deserts, that’s not where we’re talking about. We’re not talking about the vast majority. We’re talking about the other 20%, or 66 million Americans, who live in rural areas and who get a Dollar General instead of an Wegman’s.

      On the contrary, we’re very much talking about urban areas, because food deserts very much include urban areas.

      I myself lived in a food desert until recently, despite the fact that my neighborhood is so urban I could easily ride my bike to the state capitol building. I had a choice of several supermarkets each about 2 miles away, but none within a mile until a new one opened a year or so ago.