Solitude in Ohio

A couple weeks ago, I re-read I AM NUMBER FOUR. For those of you who haven't read the book, it's set in Ohio. Which, if you don't know, is my home state, and the only state I've ever lived in. And there's one quote about Ohio in the book that really sticks out to me:

The solitude in Ohio is different from that of most other places. There is a certain silence to it, a certain loneliness.

Guys. I cannot explain how true this is.
I'm not even sure why it is so true. But it is.

I've learned that some people who aren't native to the state are surprised when they visit, that they didn't realize what a rural state it is until they've seen it themselves. The didn't realize that Ohio is such a huge farming state. I live in mid-western Ohio, and it's surrounded by farmland. When I go for a drive, I'm met by farms and forestry. Everywhere. It's even that way around the cities. When you're in the cities, it feels very city. But it doesn't take long once you're out of the city and back in the country. Back in the middle of nowhere.

Here are a a couple pictures I've taken on drives:


I love going for drives. I love the scenery, but it does feel very isolated. Very in the middle of nowhere. It's beautiful out there, but also kind of sad. I don't know. Maybe for me it has something to do with the fact that I've never lived anywhere else, and that I've always wanted to. The fact that I've always had that desire to be elsewhere. Or maybe not. Maybe Ohio really is just that isolated, that lonely. After all, I'm apparently not the only one who thinks so.

Are there any misconceptions about where you live?
Anything non-natives seem to think about it that isn't accurate?