Yes, you’re right. Whenever we go upstate, through the Bronx, the high buildings of Parkchester stand out. It’s well-maintained. I haven’t been there in a couple of years in case somebody tells me otherwise!
Apartment living isn’t very common in places where there’s lots of space. In the 1990’s, my parents lived in Crystal City (just outside Washington, DC) in Buchanan House, a high-rise apartment building. They were in their late 50s, and it was the first time either of them had lived in an apartment.
Dad was from a farm in Missouri, and Mom was born in a row house in Philadelphia. They’d lived in Navy housing cottages and townhouses, rental houses ... I even vaguely remember a Quonset hut in the late 60s ... and Dad lived in barracks and on ships, but they’d never rented an apartment until then.