There's so much to do in NL that luckily I think a potential void in the Happy Homes area won't be felt so badly.
I live in a highly populated area and have plenty of places to go that might provide me with StreetPasses, so I am not too worried about it myself.
I can totally sympathize with those that live in an area with a lower population, but here's an idea - Maybe NL will be the incentive you need to actually actively search for StreetPasses? I can't say for sure whether or not you have done so already, of course. But maybe if you were just leaving it up to luck and chance before, NL will motivate you to purposefully go to places where you might get a StreetPass or two. Maybe it'll be easier than you think. That's just me trying to be optimistic.
Who knows, maybe there are more players in your area than you might think, and when NL comes out, they will all be on the hunt for StreetPasses as well! I'm sure there will also be ways to arrange local meet-ups for people who want StreetPasses if forum populations really boom upon release.
The best places I can think of to look for StreetPasses would be schools (all grades/levels), shopping malls, busy coffee shops, public transportation hubs, airports, and heavily-trafficked areas like downtown streets and strip malls.
Those of you who feel nervous about traveling with your 3DS (especially when it comes to taking it to school), here's something you could consider... Wear a pullover hoodie/sweatshirt, the non-zip-up kind with the large front kangaroo pocket. You could carry your 3DS around in that pocket, even have your hands on it most of the time, and no one would know. It would always be close to you that way and you'd know right away if it wasn't there.
Personally, soon after release day I'm going to be heading to the Japan Center about 40 minutes from where I live, which is full of Japanese restaurants and shops as well as cafes, bakeries and more. I think that might result in a couple StreetPasses.
