I’ve noticed this tends to be a theme in the South where rural black areas tend to be even more sparse than rural white areas around them. Is this just due to depopulation or is there more going on here? It’s quite interesting because in state legislative maps for these states some of the largest districts are Dem and in SC and MS a Dem may be able to actually win more “land” while loosing statewide.
Most people in "rural counties" don't live in rural areas They live in small towns. If there was not sufficient population for a small town 100 years ago, it won't develop. There might have been barely enough for a small hotel for traveling salesmen, and a small store. But now the salesmen travel by car, and stay overnight in the chain hotel out on interstate near a medium town. People drive to the Walmart 20 miles away for shopping. For big purchases like a car or furniture they drive to the nearest city.
If you look at the House map, you will see towns like Tupelo, Starkville, and Columbus chopped up so that there several districts that are smallish in size because they are getting a head start from the towns.
Now compare with the districts around Oxford, Greenville, Greenwood, Vicksburg where a single House district is drawn tightly around the city. Your brain ignores small details like this as it tries to construct a comprehensive understanding of the map. It might even skip areas along the Mississippi as all the meanders overwhelm the brain and we simplify it into the broad curve outward from Memphis down to Vicksburg and then that back out down to Natchez and Louisiana.
And then there are places like Natchez where there are small areas that are then stretched out into three districts.
