Zoning has a lot to do with it, as it's damned near impossible to build anything less than a 1500 square foot home anymore unless you build on property not in a

Zoning has a lot to do with it, as it's damned near impossible to build anything less than a 1500 square foot home anymore unless you build on property not in a subdivision or under city ordinances. There's now a whole counter-culture, with people building small homes where they can (out in the woods), and some going so far as to build and live in small tiny homes in truck beds or on trailers in city lots or trailer parks. Also -- and I don't know if this is cause or effect -- we're becoming more detached as families. Everyone has their own room and own stuff. Back in the Leave It To Beaver / Brady Bunch era, kids shared rooms much longer, you had a single family room TV and you ate together at the table. Now, everyone has their own rooms, their own TV/console/entertainment, and often don't eat or entertain as a family unit.