My first encounters were right on the edge of town - Eugene, OR - with a population of 200K. Sure, we're surrounded by prime habitat forest on 3 sides, but WOW! So yeah, I have no doubt that sometimes, for whatever reasons, they can come shockingly close. Researcher Christopher Noel has written several short books on the same subject that you might find interesting.
Good luck if you continue your research. Thanks for the great stories.
Nice to see another LCB