In article Phil J writes:

Apparently you have never flown over this country at night. When I
have, I have looked down at thousands of lights, everywhere. Other
than the mountains, there are not very many areas that are not
populated.

Aha, back to AVIATION!!!

Flying at night is wonderful, but you must be from the east, since
night or day, much of Nevada and Utah looks pretty abandoned.

It is pretty amazing to come around the corner of the Sierras into
the central valley of California at night, and see the ground go from
almost completely dark to lit up all over.

Alan