CityVille Expansions: Are they worth it?

When you are first starting out in CityVille, one of the first quests that you are prompted to complete is expanding your city. While I was going through the intro quests, I was especially excited for this quest because I wanted the space to add on to my already packed city. When I went into the build menu to purchase the expansion, I was completely blown away by the cost. 20,000 coins to buy a 12x12 expansion? I found that absolutely ridiculous.

20,000 coins is a ton of coins at the level when you first receive the expansion quest. I had dozens of neighbors to visit to earn coins from and I had to wait several levels before I could save up the money to purchase the expansion. When I finally got to the milestone of 20,000 coins, purchased the expansion and went to place it, I noticed that it was tiny. If placed side-by-side, only 9 buildings would fit in this space. That's not really what I expected with such a hefty price tag.

When reading the CityVille forums, I noticed that I am not alone. Many players agree with me that the expansions are too small and the price is too high. Some people have issues when they place expansions to the left as well. So far, color me unimpressed with CityVille expansions.

What do you think about expansions in CityVille? Too much to pay, or are they worth it?