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I've got other threads here now about moving to Manhattan and I'd like to hear from native New Yorkers on this one:
You read about how some obscene percentage of the people that move to NYC end up washing out in the first year and leaving. What percentage of THOSE people would you say are the sort of folks who move to NYC because they are running from something as opposed to the people who are running to something.
Let me explain.
When people move, it's almost always because of one of two things. They are either running from where ever they were or they are running to a specific destination. People who are running from something feel bored, unpopular, depressed, just got a divorce, hate their job, etc. They don't care really where they end up, just as long as "they get the hell out of here" (where ever here is).
People who are running to somewhere are usually looking at a job transfer that leads to promotion, moving to be with someone they love, can finally afford to live a dream, etc. It has nothing to do with how they feel about their current situation, but they know (or think anyway) that they can improve their situation by moving to a specific place.
An uncle of mine told me when I was 17 that whenever I felt like moving, I needed to ask myself whether I was running from something or to something. If it was from something, I should know that where ever I went, there I was. I'd be just as unhappy in LA as I was in Texas. But that if I was moving to run to some place, that was probably a better bet to work out.
NY and LA are probably the two places in America, more than any other cities, that are destinations for people who are running from something. It's easy to say "I'm bored here in <any city smaller than Philadelphia>, I'm moving to NY or LA and life will be better." More times than not, I think those people find out they're just as miserable (if not more so) once they make the move.
So again, this one for the natives that have watched countless people move to NY for both the right and wrong reasons...would you say the city chews up and spits out a majority of the people running from somewhere else or have you found that it really doesn't matter and that people from both categories wash out about the same?
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
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There must be a small majority who solely move to the area because that area is attractive to them. I was thinking of moving to Las Vegas because it's beautiful out there. I have no problems here in NY. I love it. I didn't want to move to Las Vegas for the lower cost of living; in fact, as a teacher, I would be struggling out there with their low salaries. That's why I chose to stay.
Right, but if you're moving there because you think it's beautiful, you're running to it. If you were saying (to yourself), "I'm tired of living in New York because it's ugly (if you felt that way), so I'm moving out to Vegas" you'd be running from.
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
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Yeah, so I would be running to it. I think most people move from their problems, but not all. My parents had to move to Florida for my dad's job. They both don't like it down there.
NYC is a complex region...like any major urban region...socio-economics often dictates where many move/relocate for their education and/or career opportunities....
Many in allegedly sophisticated regions like NYC are amusingly provincial and poorly informed about rest of NYC region, let alone rest of US....
Financial industry in NYC is perhaps a great place to gain some insights re: NYC's draw....
Many in investment banking/hedge funds/private equity are originally from suburban NYC or Chicago or LA....and occasionally even from Podunk towns...
Nearly all at the leading shops attended a few colleges like Wharton and Harvard; nearly all arrive in Manhattan immediately after college....many of the sharpest rapidly rise at shops in Manhattan; some migrate to shops in Greenwich (prob 40%+ of major hedge funds in NYC region are based in Greenwich; rest in MidtownManhattan)....
Early in their careers, many of the more performance car-oriented guys (and/or those who prefer CA weather/topography) migrate to hedge funds in SF/SiliconValley or BeverlyHills....
Part of what makes Manhattan (or Greenwich or SiliconValley or BevHills) so cosmopolitan and intellectually interesting is that these regions continually attract many very smart, ambitious guys....the sharpest guys in finance tend to pass through Manhattan early in their careers; perhaps 50% of the sharpest financiers have left Manhattan for other epicenters by time they are 30yo.....but most visit Midtown for various business meetings and dinners every quarter or so....(and it's awfully amusing to visit NYC after a few mths away to be reminded what a 3rdWorld town is Manhattan, even for the wealthy)
Manhattan is simply far less powerful as a financial center (and magnet for talent) than it was 10-20+yrs ago....places like Greenwich and SiliconValley arguably have equal or more IQ and wealth creation than Manhattan today....
In my experience, people who relocate to NYC who are running to the city for love, work, or another important life reason to have a more successful adaptation to life in NYC than those who are running from another place, person, or history, seeking something different in the city. Some run from other places hoping that New York will suddenly make things right in one's life, only to find that the same issues and problems tend to creep up on them, no matter the locale. Some run from other places to seek solace and anonymity in the city for a period of refreshment and it's not so much that the city wore them out, but the time for which it was appropriate in their life has passed. And, then others, who do not have a compelling reason or significant other to keep them in the city, it tends to be easier to leave, since it was not NYC with which they were enamored, it was an escapist thought.
Conversely, those hose who move because they enjoy the city, have a position, and a strong relationship with a significant other tend to assimilate into the culture of NYC and find a niche, even if it takes time to develop social connections. Such people have an inner drive that challenges them to become more involved with the city around them in order that they may fully enjoy all that it has to offer within the framework of that which keeps them in the city. For those people, it's not so much that the city is where they must live, but it's a place where they choose to live, and many grow to love.
If one moves for the right reasons, moving to a place such as NYC, they tend to make more of a successful move than those who might be more prone to dilettantism, seeking refuge in NYC without anything more compelling than a notion. Those who have logically decided to move to NYC tend to be more adaptable to whatever compromises need to be made, and react according to the convention of the city, as opposed to trying to reinvent the way things are done to suit a former way of life. It is not to say that one must compromise in principle as to what they want out of life, more that the means through which they have what they want and need in daily life might be scripted differently to coincide with the culture of the city, which is actually what makes New York unique.
As a native, I have seen many move with seemingly the right reasons, only to find happiness in another place over time, but for the time they lived in New York, even for one brief moment, it was the proper thing for them to do, no matter the motivation as to why they landed here in the first place. Life in New York is a relationship with the city around you, since you can seek anonymity in the crowds, or one can stand out in their own unique way, but it must be approached with a mindset not unlike a romantic relationship where there are good days and bad days. If it's the right move, the good will far outweigh the bad.
I've got other threads here now about moving to Manhattan and I'd like to hear from native New Yorkers on this one:
You read about how some obscene percentage of the people that move to NYC end up washing out in the first year and leaving. What percentage of THOSE people would you say are the sort of folks who move to NYC because they are running from something as opposed to the people who are running to something.
Let me explain.
When people move, it's almost always because of one of two things. They are either running from where ever they were or they are running to a specific destination. People who are running from something feel bored, unpopular, depressed, just got a divorce, hate their job, etc. They don't care really where they end up, just as long as "they get the hell out of here" (where ever here is).
People who are running to somewhere are usually looking at a job transfer that leads to promotion, moving to be with someone they love, can finally afford to live a dream, etc. It has nothing to do with how they feel about their current situation, but they know (or think anyway) that they can improve their situation by moving to a specific place.
An uncle of mine told me when I was 17 that whenever I felt like moving, I needed to ask myself whether I was running from something or to something. If it was from something, I should know that where ever I went, there I was. I'd be just as unhappy in LA as I was in Texas. But that if I was moving to run to some place, that was probably a better bet to work out.
NY and LA are probably the two places in America, more than any other cities, that are destinations for people who are running from something. It's easy to say "I'm bored here in <any city smaller than Philadelphia>, I'm moving to NY or LA and life will be better." More times than not, I think those people find out they're just as miserable (if not more so) once they make the move.
So again, this one for the natives that have watched countless people move to NY for both the right and wrong reasons...would you say the city chews up and spits out a majority of the people running from somewhere else or have you found that it really doesn't matter and that people from both categories wash out about the same?
Discuss.
To condense your prose and make it concise - the issue is whether "push" vs "pull" factors make a difference in a newcomer's assimilation into the city.
I've seen both categories succeed here and never leave, I've seen both leave in dismay and with their tails between their legs, muttering and cursing profusely on their way back to Podunk.
I think some people move to NYC because they think it's the "thing" to do when they are young. They see stuff on "Friends" or "Sex & The City" and they believe or try to live that life... whatever that is.
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