Interesting article.
I moved to a small town for a while. Similar dynamic: no connection - families have been there for generations and no interest in "outsiders"; no culture and a stagnant, unsatisfying environment. The countryside nearby was nice, but eventually the same pretty walk palls.

Reader: I did not stay there.

The punchline: this was the "Midlands" in the UK in the 1990s. It's a place. In the middle.

Upon sober reflection, the name "Midlands" should have been a clue.

To sum up, for me: this story highlights how the dynamics of how people are over the world are more similar than they are different.
Which is something to celebrate as it unifies us in a way. Also, remember we can't ask of people more than they can give. That "small town" is not a city, only mini. sized.