Word Request – Antonym of Crowded That Is Not Uncrowded

word-request

I want to describe two types of cities: one city is crowded, i.e., has a lot of population in a small area, while the other city is the opposite – it is uncrowded. For reasons of style, I want to use another antonym that does not contain the root "crowded". Any ideas?

Maybe the word "crowded" is unfit in this context. If so, what other words should I use?

Best Answer

To describe a city in this context, I would prefer this:

New York City is very densely populated.
Athens is sparsely populated.