Plus-side of not much going on is having more latitude to generate stories that reflect what you want to be reporting on. When I had my first (and only) full time position I said yes to a lot of stories from my editor, only to end up in a position where I left because the beat I was on did not reflect what I wanted to be doing (plus I realized after 3 years that I was not getting any better at handling my social anxiety on the job, but that's a whoooole other story). This was a small metro paper mostly surrounded by country btw, so I know what you mean by rural happenings. Did plenty of county fair, haunted place, dude stealing dirt, middle-of-nowhere council meeting type stories. It was fun when I wasn't having the aforementioned issues.

People who matter in those small places care when you show up, too. A mayor/councilmember of a little place that you build rapport with could become a state congressman and suddenly you have a fantastic source later on because you gave them the time of day when no other outlet found their ongoings newsworthy.

If you're a good journalist, you'll be able to make the most of it. There are more than enough opportunities for stories wherever you go, just gotta spot em. Good clips are good clips, especially when you'll be the one doing the photography too.