I would never call Sandusky, Fremont, Tiffin, Findlay, or Defiance "country," nor Port Clinton, Clyde, Fostoria, Napoleon, or Bryan. Neither would I consider any of them to be part of the Toledo metropolitan area.
Most of the USA is empty compared to NW Ohio.
But I understand your point. I live less than a half hour from downtown Toledo. Our many friends in the Toledo area act like we live in the hinterlands. For a job, I once road with three Toledo guys out to Leipsic. Two of them were actually nervous. "There's nothing out here." I could see houses and farms in every direction, but they were genuinely anxious. I almost laughed but it was too weird.