Is this poetic or condescending

I'm reading a biography of Warren Magnuson (D-WA). He was an incredible force for positive social policy but I know very little about him. I struggled to find a biography of him, eventually I ordered a used book that from the packaging used to be in the Spokane Washington public library. It's the only bio I could find. I guess being a powerful Senator doesn't warrant nearly as many biographies as say being Martha Stewart or Tony Danza.

The bio starts with his legacy and then moves to his birthplace. Fairly standard stuff. In describing the place of his birth, Moorhead, MN the author talks about Moorhead as a classically American small town:

Fargo and Moorhead are the kind of church-going, tree-lined small places that made America great because they inspired their more gifted offspring to get out, go forth, and prosper."

I'm quite seriously unsure what to make of this passage. Is it saying that the only value to small towns is that they are so limiting that they force their strongest minds and sharpest wits to leave for greener pastures. Is is saying that small town America is a place where great minds are nurtured and then unleashed on the rest of the world towards great ends.

What do you think it means? Am I just being daft here?