Even if it’s cheaper, is it worth to have a cheaper but obviously less durable building when compared to brick and mortar?
It’s always been baffling for my southern European mind.
That said the US historically had a lot of wood. Most everywhere. So it was cheap and light[1] easy to transport. And wood if it's kept dry is durable. My house is 70 years old. The wood framing is totally solid. Previous house is 115 years old. The framing is also solid.
[1] House built of wood is probably 1/4 the weight of a house built of masonry.
There are new developments in the states where they produce the frames for the various housing 'templates' off-site, and then ship it to the plots and build the house there, almost like a lego kit.