Could be. The White house is pretty darned nice by semi-rural PA standards, too, but I don't know about ABQ. So was Roseanne's. It's really about the area you're in.

Newer towns are all planned out. There are places where you're not even allowed to build unless the house has a certain square footage of living area. So I guess it's a combination of American self definition through their house and TV-glamorizing.