While I can only personally speak on Albany, NY and New York Politics, I can observe several things on the rural-urban split. These comments are from an earlier post on another site on this topic.

Issues of Money Create Resentment

There is a lot of money and resources being drained from the countryside and suburbs to feed NY cities. That makes many people resentful. For example, Medicaid, which in NYS is funded 25% by counties, 25% by state, and 25% feds. The 25% by the counties comes disproptionately from property taxes and those who own lots of land, even after circut breakers such as homestead, forest and farmland. People are getting taxed off their land to pay for Medicaid which disproptionally pays for poor minority city people.

Likewise, in Albany County, a tax on Mortages pays for CDTA the public bus system, despite the fact that most people who have mortages don't live in the city, and don't take public buses. People from outside of the city pay (illegally) inflated prices to dispose of their trash in the city landfill in the Pine Bush, effectively subsidizing the big tossing habits of city people.

That said, Albany County NY is the only majority Democratic County in Upstate NY, and it's rural part (the Hilltowns in which I live) is one of the few solid Democratic parts around. Some of it has to do with history dating back to the Van Renselears and the anti-rent wars, some with the large number of state employees living around (roughly 1/3 of people out here work for the state in one capcity or another), and some has to do with patronage.

Polarizing Rural Issues Statewide

Outside of the County I see several issues that polarize urban-rural relations in recent years in the state. My perception is in New York gun control (with some exceptions) is not the issue of other states. Bigger is:

1. Minimum wage (farmers and small business vs. liberal think tanks)
2. Canned shoots issue (that would ban all enclosed hunting preserves and probably deer farms)
3. ATV and snowmobile access issues (environmentalists who see land being chewed up vs. property rights people and grumpy farmers with crops torn up vs. riding enthutists who feel they're being cheated)
4. Burn barrel / agriculture burning issue (NY is one of few states that has allows the open burning of trash by individuals and farms in towns with populations less then 20,000 and this really upsets environmentalists but is defended to extreme by many rural legislators, their consituents and farm bureau)
5. Hunting regulations (bow hunters vs. gun hunters vs. anti-hunting people and gun-controllers vs. farmers who want less crop damage)

The scary thing is people and politicans can't talk rationally or straight about all these issues.

On example is All-terrian Vechicles. Many rural people have their feelings about All Terrian Vechicles and your not going to change their minds through debate. Go to a public hearing regarding ATVs in New York's forest preserve or anywhere else, and your going to hear a lot of polarization.

This debate was big this past legislative year, after the Republican Governor Pataki (his hack in the Department of Motor Vechicles) sent out notices to all registered ATV owners claiming that the legislature was planning on hiking the fee (it was the Governor's plan the legislature opposed), which caused the Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to kill all legislation that had any relevance to ATVs, snowmobiles, or anything that had a motor and didn't drive on roads.

Observations on Farm Issues in NY

Farm issues not mentioned are largely feel good issues in NY Politics. Everybody supports agriculture in one way or another. Something like 95% statewide support farming in NYS. Nobody votes against open space preservation, except in a rare cases when it would cost taxpayers a lot of money. In cases like the failed Saratoga Horse Farm proposition, this would have costed taxpayers over $95 a year, and and that only failed by a few votes.

Moreover, I've seen legislators with districts in upper Manhattan who have farm bureau posters in their offices. Liberals and environmentalists support preserving farmland, and rural people and farmers like getting free money. Most people in New York see it as a cultural thing, something while maybe crude and outmoded, is neccessary.

Conclusions

It seems that not all of these issues are clearly partisan or liberal versus conservatives. Many of them are one local group versus another. But these are the issues that tear at one rural person versus another, and it becomes even more complex as growing sprawl brings even greater differences in opinion. Our consensus on the benifits of agriculture are one place to start, but that won't change the world over night.