>> Is there not any wisdom to giving rural areas a counterweight to heavily populated urban areas?
> The founders thought so. It's called the US Senate.
No, they were trying throw a bone to states like Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey, which were land-locked out of Western expansion. It was the more 'rural' states that actually preferred to balance Congressional power on population.
[ed: As the more rural states saw their own populations likely to increase over time. The Senate's existence had absolutely nothing to do about balancing rural vs urban interests].