I'm not convinced your assertion is true in general. Picking some local towns, cities, and counties... Shepherdstown WV, population of ~2000, population densit

I'm not convinced your assertion is true in general. Picking some local towns, cities, and counties... Shepherdstown WV, population of ~2000, population density 4,700/sq mi (bedroom community on outskirts of DC metro) Fairfax County, VA, population of 1.1 million, density 2,800/sq mi (big, mixed suburban county) Arlington County, VA, population 238,000, density 9,200/sq mi (much of it is very urban) Charlottesville, VA (city) population 46,000, density 4,500/sq mi (small college city) Anyways, the problem is sprawl, which can happen regardless of municipal label. Houston and LA sprawl and run into similar problems of upkeep as large counties like Fairfax Co VA.