John Adams and others much like him thought cities were just dens of iniquity and filth. Since he lost a son to drink, it's no small wonder. You can only imagine the filth, crime and degradation of those places then.

Even before the Romantics, people like Jefferson considered networks of small freeholders the only sustainable way to have people live.

From my comment: "… pre-industrial … wasn't common … many people … most people … "