The issue doesn't lay in the location. County is even bigger than Los Santos and there's no way you're keeping players in one small town - there's just not enough space for most RP venues, especially illegal.
Several key issues I see at the moment:
- Slow development. Server updates are becoming even more rarer as the time goes, and so far these updates are minor and small. I don't know if it's because the developers busy or perhaps they are working on several big projects to release them all at once. I hope it's the second option.
- Communication. Ever since Sal went on LOA, communication has been down a lot. No more staff meetings, no more news from the management. Again, I really hope this is silence before something big from their side. But players don't like silence.
- Incomplete economy. Some people complain that the realistic economy model is bad. I personally think that it is good, but certain things are either missed out or done the wrong way. For example, car prices are wrong - some of them are too expensive, some are way too cheap. Rental car system is done terribly wrong - it's 20 times too cheap, there's absolutely no accountability, etc. Basically $20 burner cars that you can use for anything without any consequences, which also fucks up things for taxi businesses and transit schemes. Lack of ability to sell/scrap cars, etc.
- Surplus of LEO. I'll be lynched for this, but there's too much players in PD/SD - most evenings 1/4-5th of the server are on duty officers. That's something you'd see in a C&R server. There's no challenge for the LEO players and they way overpower illegals - forcing them to RP in enclosed circles somewhere in interiors. Not to mention that most of the LEO players are actually good roleplayers and could really be much more useful in other legal non-LEO and illegal factions, as well as businesses.