I’m only 6 miles from a grocery store but just having moved from a major metropolitan area to a small city in a rural area has been a shock.
I cannot caution you enough.You’re right to be hesitant. If it’s possible do a long term stay before you consider it. And I mean like a month or two minimum. It’s got to be long enough for you to get over being in a “new and interesting” place so you can really experience what day to day life is like.
It’s probably at least partially something adjacent to survivorship bias. The most remarkable actions of the past that “survive” to the present to be retold are the ones that were most impactful.
But all of the current protests you feel are not as impactful help build a foundation for the more impactful ones.