YES! That's exactly the right model. Sparse cities with distributed industry. Houston (Greater Houston Area) is another such example. It's geographically huge

YES! That's exactly the right model. Sparse cities with distributed industry. Houston (Greater Houston Area) is another such example. It's geographically huge, but most commutes are fairly short. This allows Houston to have faster commutes than NYC, despite having a comparable population, and VASTLY better living conditions.