I would advise against using cities in Texas as your baseline of comparison when people mention "cities". Texas grew up well after the automobile was a thing, a

I would advise against using cities in Texas as your baseline of comparison when people mention "cities". Texas grew up well after the automobile was a thing, and didn't have the same external pressures that pushed urban growth towards density around specific areas (harbours, rivers, etc.). Also, the sprawl and government structure is such that "suburbs" are both larger, and better able to plan/direct and fund their own growth. (And yes, these incentives also further promote the idea of growth/expansion vs density and reinvestment into an existing geographic core) Texas truly is its own thing.