Traub on NYC's Head-Scratching Magnetism

Two posts up I place a link to this James Traub article amid my pro-PT Cruiser screed; the article is worth reading even if you do not share my enthusiasm for the PT.

Traub's (unanswered) question is why so many people are willing to sacrifice amenities (living space, a backyard) and endure daily frustrations (jammed subways, super-rich neighbors) in order to live in New York City. It's no moot question given that, according to a NYT poll he cites, almost half of New Yorkers believe the city is not "worth what it costs."

Though the poll data accompanying the article is somewhat uninformative (7 percent of residents list "Having no money" as their reason for feeling poor in New York City), Traub's discussion resonated with me because he contrasts NYC with Portland, Oregon, which he calls a "normally priced 'quality of life' capital." This comparison resonated with me because I just returned to NYC after three marvelous years in Portland. Though as a student living in school housing I had the usual isolation from city life, I can verify Traub's comment that Portland's lack of super-rich elite does not keep it from having "a progressive arts scene, excellent ethnic restaurants, a lively downtown, good schools." The ability of Portlanders to live comfortably on normal salaries and the general absence of a mega-successful sub-class to be envious off also seem to boost happiness in the Rose City.

Traub is correct to point out the public benefits of private riches (more tax dollars to fund public services, extraordinary funding for cultural institutions), but I think these salutary consequences go so far in explaining why New Yorkers who stay put choose to do so. I imagine few people forgo a move to Portland simply because some roads in Southeast are unpaved or because the Oregon Symphony doesn't open its season with Yo-Yo Ma. If pressed for a single reason, I would say that smart, ambitious people come to New York to be around other smart, ambitious people. This is what attracts them here and - even as the cost-of-living headaches mount - this is what keeps them here.

The desire to live amid (or think you live amid) and forge connections with talented people drives people to live in New York just as it drives people to pursue Ivy League admission even when lesser-known schools provide equally strong academics and higher rates of student satisfaction. Even in a recreational sense, check out the list of speakers coming to the 92nd Street Y (I saw Clarence Thomas last month and am seeing Tommy Lasorda and Bob Costas this month). No institution in Portland can consistently book such heavyweights.

Traub declines to emphasize these network externalities; this strikes me as odd given that for a journalist I imagine the professional benefits of being in New York to be enormous. As much as I respect the Willamette Weekly, the range of opportunities available to an aspiring journalist in New York City must overwhelm those available in Portland. The global headquarters of Dow Jones, New York Times, Bloomberg, et al. - these are unique assets. Following James Suroweicki's lead, media industries probably have a high "location quotient" (value added from place-based specialization) - and they happen to have clustered in New York.

The city's economic clusters given journalists, artists, and musicians a major reason to live in New York - to make the connections that will allow their work to advance. Bright as Traub is, he is somewhat ill-suited to address the paradox of New York. I would prefer to hear from people in professions where "who you know" is relatively unimportant - perhaps teachers or engineers - explain why they choose to live in New York. Such testimonials would provide a non-career specific context in which to evaluate my hypothesis that people choose New York in part to live among "quality people." Put crudely, do people perceive a trade-off between "quality of life" and "quality of friends?"

I just hope to visit Portland often enough to be able to inform my fellow New Yorkers that their perceptions are bogus. Not too often, however; Yo-Yo Ma returns to the Philharmonic next month and I can't miss it!