Art, I think small towns may have the best audiences.
Take for example Skamokawa, a town of 519 (latest count) on the Columbia River in SW Washington State, Wahkiakum County (state's smallest county). They support the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society of at least a dozen or more active members. I've played a house concert there at a B&B (The Inn at Lucky Mud, run by a couple of folk musicians) with 20-30 local people in attendance, and a potluck and great jamming afterwards. It's a real community, and I guess not much else to do in that rural area.

Cheers, S. in Seattle