We’re talking about journalists here. If they see a church (other than Uniterian Universalist), they classify the entire district as rural.
Actually, just by your research, I would say his district was about as dead-center America as you can get, for a district - close enough to be near “the action” (i.e., DC in this case), yet still lots of farms, and everything else in between.
MCF is probably right - first elected in 2000.
Under the 2002-2010 lines it appears his district was 255th largest out of 435.
Among Southern Republican seats, 2014, he’s 35th out of 103....more urban than the median.