Europe has very little mobility in their population. USA is the most dynamic country in the world. Traditional long time american values are more settle down in the interior of the country because maybe they tend to see less population traffic. On the other hand, new trends and innovation come from the east and the west coasts of US major cities. People is willing to risk and experiment with change. I might be wrong but...

Yeah...there are those who live in Manhattan and those who dont. Those who dont live in Manhattan survive day by day and constitute the transient cheap labor for the big companies and the no so big companies. Most people will return to their places or move to less expensive areas at some point where they will have some room to save money and send their children to school paying less taxes. Rent in NY is really expensive. The real investment return comes from owning an apartment in NY and renting it to an outsider. However, some people make it in NY. NY is a melting pot. That is very true.

Nevertheless, nothing is written on stone and less in NY. If you open your own business in NY and succeed, you can consider yourself a success.

NY is not real america. Real america is found in the interior.

Surprisingly enough, NY was always like that.

So...pick your side.