Can new boundaries create better neighbors? Secession picks up steam.

Values and identity are key to many of the movements motivated by America’s growing urban-rural divide. As cities have expanded, some in rural areas are feeling left behind – and looking to “move” without giving up their homes.

Since Bill White moved to Atlanta’s northern district of Buckhead in 2018, he and many of his neighbors have watched the city grow more violent and more tense.

The police shooting of Rayshard Brooks, soon after George Floyd’s murder in 2020, incited unrest and temporary riots. Homicides jumped 60% during the pandemic, from...