The reason we have an electoral college is to try to be as fair as possible so that the very polar opposites that come with major city vs. rural can be as equal as possible.
Almost, but nope: it's another compromise between North and South, to get them to ratify the constitution (biggest mistake of our "Founding Fathers"?) There were so many more "people" living in the more temperate north, the south objected to fair representation, and both got 60% of their slaves to count for census purposes and House seat appointment and a 2/state Senate.
It was explicitly unfair. Of course, the people didn't elect the president either. No US citizen has the right to vote for President. The "electors" can be chosen anyway a state feels like. So really, that's where the jive b/n the college system and the present comes in. We STILL don't actually vote for President, it's just all states now demand political parties appoint electors based on a popular vote, usually, but not always, in a winner-take-all manner.
So, we effectively vote for president, it's just that a person in North Dakota's vote is worth three times mine in California (I did the math months ago based on registered voters and it's just under 3, but I don't feel like digging those numbers up again).
SO DAVE: your fair and equitable system is actually worse than the slave compromise. A single slave in North Dakota would be worth two California votes.
I'd also challenge your "polar opposite" assumption as being the nature of a rural/urban divide, especially in the 1770's. The current "divide" is part of Lee Atwater, Nixon's Southern Strategy, civil rights-era turmoil, AM radio, and the late Roger Ailes.
ETA: and makes no sense, considering all states contain both rural and urban areas anyway--and in fact a huge state like California has millions more rural voters than North Dakota, what with our entire mountain range to ourself, and a desert even, and shit, I don't even know what all's up there north of Sacramento. Other than another six hours still to get to Oregon. And a lot of weed. And loggers. Meth. I bet there's some meth to be found on that I5 corridor.