[angdis]

It wasn't until the 1960's through 1970's, the car-ownership prompted massive shifts from cities to suburbs.

Many baby boomers and those who preceded them (the "Ward Cleever" generation), can still remember the concept of having a main street. Even suburbs back then had central business districts and these are now known as "streetcar suburbs" or "inner-ring suburbs".

This way-of-life where everything so spread out so much that it necessitates driving for every little trip is a relatively new phenomena.