"[Craglorn] should be mostly dead..."
Nope. Still hopping.
Among other reasons is that Belkarth is a very efficient city to do writs in. All crafting stations are in buildings within visual range of each other, the wayshrine is right there, and the bank is equally close. Plus for mat farming it's still very productive. Then add in all the XP farming spots (primarily Skyreach and the Spellscar) and it's hardly ever even close to empty, even now.