I live in one of those small towns of which you speak and can attest to the high moral makeup of the average person that lives around here. My father in law lives less than an hour from Crater Lake in a town called Prospect. If he wants fish for dinner he goes on down to the lake for some trout and catches some for me too.
I'm surrounded by some of the cleanest rivers, forests, and beaches you'll ever see in the United States.
I remember when I first relocated here with my wife (then fiancee) over seven years ago my friends back in Atlanta would ask me how Portland was. I would always reply that I have no idea since I don't live anywhere near there and thank God for that. People hear you live in Oregon and just assume you live in Portland I guess. I'm about 15 mins from California (another place I wouldn't want to live) and Portland is about 15 mins from Washington. I couldn't be further from Portland and still live in the Western half of the state.