a long-time Manhattan resident shares his reasons for departing from the city after 20 years. He emphasizes that his concerns extend beyond the high cost of living, focusing instead on the exorbitant taxes, which amounted to over 50% of his income. The speaker voices alarm over the city's spending priorities, particularly regarding public safety. He recounts personal experiences of dangerous encounters, such as a half-naked man attacking the air and a friend being sucker-punched. The speaker also criticizes the city's inefficient subway system, citing the $11 billion East Side Access Project as an example of mismanaged funds. He compares this cost to the Shanghai Metro, which could construct significantly more for the same amount. The speaker also laments the negative impact of the city's government, including endless construction projects that have ruined neighborhoods and an ineffective free daycare program for three-year-olds. These issues, along with the loss of affordability and quality of life, have led to a mass exodus from New York City, with half a million residents leaving since 2020. Despite his attachment to the city, the speaker has moved to New Jersey and reports an improved quality of life and better-run institutions.
It does feel somewhat ironic to complain about the subway system… and then move to New Jersey. It’s also hardly a low tax haven, the property taxes are eye watering.
Generally speaking, as an NYC resident I’ll be curious to see longer term trends for people leaving the city. There was a notable exodus when COVID hit but my anecdotal experience is that it didn’t continue.
I enter, as an European who only know NY for tourism: in most large cities we see a significant mean-income decrease simply because remote working have convinced many high income people going outside the large city, followed by not too old retired to do the same, swapping their vacation home with their old main residence. Due to it's size I imaging NY have experienced this phenomenon apparently less (due to the size) but substantially more.
Even if most "big & powerful" have done and do their best to fight remote work, their success is limited, even gifts like short workweeks and various benefits do not keep many in the office. There is no advertisement, people seems even to fear stating "I'm for WFH 100%", but most who works in jobs doable from remote actually want to do them from home. Meanwhile poor people keep going to the city seeking possible opportunities, collective transport since they can't own a car, social housing since they can't own/rent a home and so on.
This is actually a bit exaggerated for today, but it's the trend, covid have pushed many, many are back, simply because they are forced to be back and their secondary homes are not really usable to live the entire year, they have not enough services around and so on, but things slowly change, and the trend is the big city as a giant labor camp of poor, not owning nothing and being bound to services they need and no way to escape.
My piece is a little paradise. Education is top notch, roads are taken care of. Even our average RWNJs aren't as RWNJ-y as they are most other places, probably because of point A. Were you hanging out in the left lane or something?
How long ago? It has become more dysfunctional in recent years. For example, read about the many cases of people calling 911 during emergencies and no one picks up the call. And their property taxes are positively skyrocketing due to the schools.
I like Jersey City, don't get me wrong. But I'd choose NYC over it any day.
a long-time Manhattan resident shares his reasons for departing from the city after 20 years. He emphasizes that his concerns extend beyond the high cost of living, focusing instead on the exorbitant taxes, which amounted to over 50% of his income. The speaker voices alarm over the city's spending priorities, particularly regarding public safety. He recounts personal experiences of dangerous encounters, such as a half-naked man attacking the air and a friend being sucker-punched. The speaker also criticizes the city's inefficient subway system, citing the $11 billion East Side Access Project as an example of mismanaged funds. He compares this cost to the Shanghai Metro, which could construct significantly more for the same amount. The speaker also laments the negative impact of the city's government, including endless construction projects that have ruined neighborhoods and an ineffective free daycare program for three-year-olds. These issues, along with the loss of affordability and quality of life, have led to a mass exodus from New York City, with half a million residents leaving since 2020. Despite his attachment to the city, the speaker has moved to New Jersey and reports an improved quality of life and better-run institutions.