Notice that he didn't mention Los Angeles or Houston, which are still big cities, but which are also relatively sparse monstrosities that are only navigable by

Notice that he didn't mention Los Angeles or Houston, which are still big cities, but which are also relatively sparse monstrosities that are only navigable by car. I'll stick up for Houston a little bit. Yes, public transportation sucks and you need a car. But the near-complete lack of zoning means that most of the places you need to go are relatively nearby, so if you live close to work (usually possible because as you note real estate is cheap), you won't be spending that much time in traffic.