>I will never understand the attraction of suburbs. The distances. The architecture. The boredom.

Affordable family formation. It's far cheaper to start a family in the 'burbs. Housing is cheaper, daycare is cheaper, and the housing premium on good public schools is far lower. The cost of driving doesn't scale with the size of your family, but the cost of public transportation does.

If you're not interested in a family you don't care, but having one is a much bigger sacrifice in a high-density area.