Complex sentence: As well as steep and elevated, the land to the south of Prudhoe is heavily forested and rural, once out of town it is hard to imagine at times that one is within two miles of a major town of 11,500 people.
Split into simpler sentences: As well as steep and elevated, the land to the south of Prudhoe is heavily forested and rural. Once out of town it is hard to imagine at times that one is within two miles of a major town of 11,500 people.