Same-Sex Marriage Bill REJECTED in New York State Senate
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Catholic League Pissed at PETA
Hamster Rides The 4 Train
Bouncer Beatdown at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club
A new report from the Center for an Urban Future (whose previous report, "Attack of the Chains," sparked a bidding war between Fox and Warner Bros.) confirms the obvious: the so-called middle class can no longer afford to live in New York and are relocating in large numbers to the exburbs or far-flung cities like Houston, where $50,000 a year gets you the same standard of living as a $123,322 salary does in Manhattan. Don't scoff; Space City has theater, opera, ballet, air-conditioned skywalks, a Holocaust Museum—even a lively local weblog, just like the one you enjoy here!
But if you're really determined to make a go of it here in New York, this report [PDF] is as sobering as it is unsurprising. Focusing on data primarily gathered before the economic deathspin went "full Bale," the study contends it's not just Manhattan that's cost-prohibitive to your average working stiff, but the boroughs as well: Queens is the fifth most expensive urban area in the U.S! Perhaps that's why twice as many New Yorkers relocated to Philadelphia ("the sixth borough!") in 2006 than in 2000. Or maybe they were just following orders from the Times Style section.
In all, 151,441 residents left the city in 2006, a 7% increase over 2002. (The overall population increased due to births and immigration.) And it's not just working class families; the number of New Yorkers with bachelor’s degrees who left the city rose to 29,370 in 2006, up 127% from a year earlier. The report says the problem is that while everything costs significantly more in NYC—home heating costs, for instance, have risen 125% in the past five years and are up 243% since 1998—wages have remained stagnant, even while Wall Street business was booming.
But Joe Salvo, director of the NYC Department of Planning’s population division, tells Crain's the study looked at too narrow a time period and didn't consider the people moving to New York. And speaking to reporters yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg seemed to shrug off the report, noting, "There is turnover all the time. That’s very healthy. We're doing fine." Then, perhaps realizing how that might sound coming from a gazillionaire, he added, "But it is very worrisome, the number of people who are losing their jobs."
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I don't care how rosy they make it sound, nothing is like living in NYC. Don't believe the hype. I know from first hand experience...the grass isn't greener. I came home after less than 5 years to regain my sanity.
Where did you move from?
Charlotte
Interesting. I've lived my entire life in NYC (Brooklyn) and although I love it, even I can note the growing disparity between have's and have not's in this city, and it's starting to really irk me. It may be time to become a B&T'er and move to Jersey (GASP!)
You'll be bored out of your mind in two weeks. That is, unless you like Walmart, TGI Friday's, strip malls with awful pizzerias, SuperCuts, bumper to bumper traffic, high property taxes, incompetent government (well, I guess that's not really a change) and the most obnoxious, insecure people in the country. The stereotypes are all true. TRUST ME. Hey, but you may get a "cookie cutter" backyard and the public schools are good.
"To each his own."
Chicago is nothing like that. Have you ever been here?
Also we have the best restaurants in the country right now and I have a enough money left over from my cheap rent that I can actually eat at them!
I spent a long summer weekend in Chicago and absolutely the people, bars, food, and of course, Wrigley Field. That said, I'm skeptical about the weather in Chicago the other 9 months of the year and I love living in NYC now (insert Gov Paterson joke about leaving NJ here).
*absolutely loved*
Yeah, Chicago is one of the very few places where I'd consider moving. It has a lot of the advantages of a major city without a lot of the disadvantages. It's clean, modern and decidedly affordable. And I love the views of Lake Michigan with the surf rolling in.
Factoid: Did you know that Chicago has the largest number of *public* marinas in the U.S.? Surprising for a landlocked state.
http://chicago.atnetworld.com/Portals/chicago/Chicago%20Beach%20overheaad.jpg
If you like diving, Chicago also has that too. There are dozens of shipwrecks to explore in Lake Michigan (but it's probably not a good idea to try that in the winter).
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.goworldtravel.com/aug04/Chicago7.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.goworldtravel.com/ex/aspx/articleGuid.9b7ffccf-7ca2-48c9-a761-e3698e2b530b/xe/print.htm&usg=__-yaoVV0AiWARf_aeb59CCwjNV3M=&h=238&w=340&sz=10&hl=en&start=79&um=1&tbnid=-LWBl2dW9L7ryM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=119&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlake%2Bmichigan%2B%2526%2Bchicago%26start%3D60%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
Interesting insight. Even in "progressive" areas like Montclair?
Upper Montclair is very nice (it has an old fashioned main street with a bunch of shops and cafes, an amazing golf course (and the train station to NYC), but other parts of Montclair are not recommended. If you really want to move to NJ AND don't have commute to NY for work, then go for the Jersey Shore (Monmouth and Ocean Counties). Certain areas of shore are obviously very crowded in the summer, but most of the town there (minus Neptune City and half of Asbury Park) are beautiful all year round and quick access to highways.
Manhattan is not NYC, last time I checked.
But when a lot of folks think NYC, they think Manhattan -- whether you like it or not.
Eep, still more expensive to live in Queens than Houston!
How come the list above doesn't have any statistics for the cost of living in Jersey City/Hudson County or Newark/Essex County?
You can have a nice apartment for 600 dollars in Jersey City only a ten minute PATH subway ride from Manhattan. Yet, people are willing to pay twice that amount and put up with an hour commute on the subway from the ends of Brooklyn or Queens? Jersey City has a brand new light rail system, you have walkable neighborhoods with victorian houses and brownstones, a great government supported Art scene, and it is just as diverse as New York.
This is a really interesting report, thanks for bringing it to our attention. I'm looking forward to paging through the rest of it.
Thank you Mayor Mike and scumbag developers/scumbags!
its all a matter of choice. i will certainly refer to this when i leave new york.
you sacrifice something anywhere you live. in new york you sacrifice time, money, and sanity. but you get a lot in return.
Jeez Bloomberg is really starting to irk me
I agree. He seems not to give a damn about anyone who doesn't reside outside of the best zip codes in Manhattan. He's a bit too aloof for my taste.
I wouldn't vote for him again, but what do you want him to do? He doesn't have the big federal money mayors had in the past to build huge housing projects. He cannot make more land for a very crowded city. The "best" he can do is screw up the city so badly the housing demand comes down. He'll have to import crackheads and junkies to do that.
Everyone else will make this same comment, but "standard of living" is not just about how much you can consume. It's about quality, opportunity, diversity and buzz - that intangible characteristic of a vibrant exciting place where anything can happen. Houston ain't got any of those, and you cannot put a price on them.
>>It's about quality, opportunity, diversity and buzz . . . Houston ain't got any of those"
Houston is actually quite a diverse city, with large black, Hispanic, East and South Asian communities, including one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the United States.
Houston is home to major employers in petrochemical industries, aerospace, medicine, and information technology. If the Houston area were a country, it would have the 29th largest GDP in the world. Houston had positive job growth in December 2008, for god's sake. So much for opportunity.
Quality is in the eye of the beholder. In Houston, you can send your kids to a public school and have a future. You can own a home without being rich. You can drive a car. You can go out on a weekend without spending $200. You get the point.
I'll give you buzz. Fortunately, that is not very important to most people.
Sorry, I've been to Houston.
I was not impressed and neither was my gf, who is Vietnamese.
Who said Houston was a nice place to visit? Does your Vietnamese girlfriend not liking it somehow prove that Vietnamese people don't live there?
and poopmast, am I to take you to mean that having a large Vietnamese population is a bad thing? How does that disprove my point? And if you don't want to live in a diverse community, how is New York better than anywhere?
You were implying that Houston was a nice, multi-cultured city to live in/visit. Or was I misinterpreting all your statistic throwing?
We were well aware that Houston had "the" largest Viet community, however we were overall disappointed that there was absolutely nothing there you can't already get in NYC.
The food was so-so.
Frankly, Houston was like Jersey except instead of minivans and SUVs, you've got pickups. And it was like the entire place was covered with highways and freeways.
[quote]including one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the United States.[/quote]
Umm how is this a good thing? I think most NYers remember BTK shooting up tourists in Chinatown every other week in the 80s.
houston is too hot but they do have honor the 2A
how's Seattle on the list?
this is not new, I was making 45k here and my brother making slightly less in charlotte. he's living high off the hog there on 45k. where a starter home is 100k or more.
what does the mayor have to say about this? not his 1 percent pays 44 percent of the taxes again?
John, there's just one b in weblog.
And, I'm a lot less interested in whether people are fleeing than in whether middle class people can afford to live here. Not afford to consume disposable crap, but pay rent and eat vegetables.
The report covers that.
According to these charts I'm might be considered middle class. But, I live in Queens and still have to rent. There's no way my wife and I can afford to buy a decent 2/3BDRM co-op or condo, which kind of sucks.
Also, these charts probably don't take into acount the cost of student loans and/or health care, which I'm betting many families have to pay for.
Well at least there's a Houstonist
i've lived in houston, and it's like comparing apples to oranges to try to compare it to new york - the tex-mex there is infinitely better than it is here, but the lifestyles there are very different (not necessarily any "better" or "worse"). it's important to keep in mind that new york isn't the ideal for everybody and that people can and do make happy, productive and enjoyable lives all over the country. the argument is never about where the grass is greener, but about what shade of green you like best.
Agreed about comparing apples to oranges. For me the NYC buzz is far from being matched anywhere in North America. Honorable mentions to San Francisco, Chicago and Montreal but still nowhere near NYC. Thats important to me and I understand the huge cost premium associated.
Also to many people living in NYC (albeit not all) the earning potential is much greater in the city then anywhere else. In my business (architectural products) the most important decision makers are all in Manhattan and there are very little in Houston; so yes I pay more here but I also earn much more.
But if the city means nothing to you and your earning potential isint better in NYC, then sure much better places for you.
The number of Bible thumping crazies goes up logarithmically the further from the city you are (at least until you get to the west coast or south to Key West).
You can't put a dollar value on that.
Wow. Way to sound as xenophobic, single minded, and ignorant as the people you're singling out!
Perhaps, but having lived in 'southern flyover' before, the stereotype of the pickup driving, racist, creationist is as about as accurate as the NYer as the 'left-wing, communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers' , and by that I mean only slightly exaggerated.
It does exist, yes. But to imply that it exponentially propagates itself anywhere in the US outside of the places you mentioned seems to take it beyond reasonable belief.
We are talking about the country that elected Obama.
I think there are some people who should go back and look at the margins that he lost by in some 'red' states.
I know that Texas was only lost by a ten percent margin. That doesn't sound whole heartedly bible thumping to me. Point is, it's not all bad.
Ha, ha... so tell me, how in tha hell are you going to see a good theater play in Houston, Texas, how are you going to see a Brooklyn band or a Romanian film? How are you going to dine in a different, cheap but good, ethnic restaurant every night, in the company of all the coolest, most accomplished and famous people in the world? This is how: by getting on a fuckin' plane and flying to NYC!
Did they count that into the cost of living in Houston?
Didn't think so. Therefore: this crap report is completely useless.
This is from a native new yorker:
1) I barely go to the theater, it's too f'n expensive.
2) I could care less about "Brooklyn bands."
3) Romanian film? Please.
4) Cool and famous people? Who cares.
I'll give you the restaurants tho, I'm gathering the pickings are rather slim for good, cheap eats in other cities, and certainly no good asian food other than San Fran and pockets of Virginia.
One thing that you didn't mention that keeps me here, the general artistic and creative pulse the city provides. That's tough to find in most other towns, unless you really look hard.
There is good theater in this city for 15 bucks. Whatever the taste in music and film you have, NYC is sure to have it. Houston - not quite so sure, right?
The point is - this city is much bigger, and not merely by the size of the population, but by it's diversity and also by the diversity of things they have to offer, and that those who come here to perform and sell have to offer.
There is no way to say "the same thing costs much less in Houston", simply because Houston does NOT HAVE that same thing!
I agree with many of your points. Part of why I stayed in New York is the variety of interesting things to take advantage of. But I've been realizing recently that it's not the place itself that creates this quality of life, it's the people you spend time around and the things you yourself are willing to create and accomplish.
If all these ideas and all this drive are moving to Charlotte for instance, then Charlotte will gradually become, not the place to be, but certainly a rewarding place to live.
You make your own luck, Hugo.
This was in response to Rocknrope's points.
Houston actually has a great local arts/theater community, not to mention a killer symphony, orchestra, ballet, etc., etc. And it's generally accessible and affordable. It also has museums for both fine and contemporary arts, natural science, craft, not to mention the Menil Collection, which is honestly one of the most amazing institutions in the country.
In terms of music, yeah, it's a small scene. Tiny. But not irrelevant. There's plenty of variety, and if a good band actually makes it to town, I guarantee you that you're not stuck standing behind a gaggle of trust fund groupies spending more time looking their iPhones than actually enjoying the show.
I'm not saying it's easy to live in Houston: summers suck and you're generally useless without a car unless you live by downtown, but that just means you have to put some effort. Cool things take a little bit of effort.
And holy crap, the Tex Mex and barbecue is fucking king.
Except that all the fun, affordable and unique venues, stores and restaurants in NYC are being priced out and closed, only to be replaced by Duane Reades and banks.
Except that the people who would create the art, music and theatre pieces to fill those fun, eclectic venues can't afford to actually live here, and are thus taking their creativity elsewhere.
Except that the city's museums charge $25 for admission so New Yorkers can't afford to visit them that often.
Except that given the cost of living here, unless you're rich or you've living on Mommy and Daddy's charity, you can't afford to do much of anything.
I'm a native New Yorker and I'm hanging in, but it's only a matter of time before I'm priced out too.
Ahhhh... somewhere a Bloomberg is smiling.
Well that's going to drive even more people away. When your average 1 BR is 2500, what do you think eats away at the income?
I've lived in Annapolis, upstate NY, Philly, Laramie (WY), Port Angeles (WA), and I'll tell you what-- it is great to be back home in NYC. There is nothing like it. I would prefer to be middleclass here than rich elsewhere.
Next month I have a ticket to see the Metropolitan Opera. I will be taking the subway. Suck on that, Houston!
What do you expect from a city that mispronounces their city name?
The last chart is rather disappointing.
From this morning's interview with Elisabeth Moss, when comparing NY to LA:
"I just love New York; the architecture, the streets. There’s so much more to do and it’s so much easier to get around and it takes no time to get anywhere. And the culture and the arts in New York is much stronger. I love doing theater and that’s where it is."
I moved to Brooklyn from Raleigh 2 years ago and im glad I made the move. I got a job I wanted and rent cheap enough to have fun. Also my car payments and gas were killing me in Raleigh.
Beyond the cheap rent, job and car and gas payments, what was life like in Raleigh compared to Brooklyn?
The fifth chart, showing average monthly rents, is misleading because it only includes apartment complexes with 40 units or more. That may be the norm in San Jose, but who the hell lives in that kind of place here? Avalon may think people should pay $2,800/month to rent in Long Island City but that doesn't mean anyone but brainless trustafarians actually DOES THAT.
Interesting stuff. But I do question some of the stats. Do you really know anyone who can commute to work in 30 minutes in Los Angeles?
So Queens is more expensive than Brooklyn? Maybe the fact that Queens is more overall middle class while Brooklyn has several very gentrified areas as well as very poor ones raises its average.
And, as others have stated, Manhattan is not New York. I don't see Magnificent Mile, or Beacon Hill, or Center City on this chart.
Also, wow, Houstonist is super-boring.
Their most popular story now? A whopping 9 comments!
And I bet they don't even have a babyhitler.
hahaha
Guys, I moved back to Chapel Hill, NC about a month ago (I still check this board for the sheer number of crazy people, it's hilarious). I have to say that after five years in New York, the pace of life is supremely better here. I live somewhere twice the size and I'm sorry to say to the haters above, I've found a vietnamese restaurant, a thai restaurant, and a French restaurant(La residance, look it up, founded by the famous Bill Neal)just as good or better than any I ate at in NYC just in the town limits (and adjoining Durham).
While I agree the theater scene is lacking here, I can see any arthouse film at a variety of theaters here, at Duke, and in nearby towns. Just because it's not Manhattan doesn't mean the world doesn't exist here. You have to realize small town America has 'grown up' since the 90's and you can find good, cheap ethnic food in a lot of places. An emphasis on eating well has grown up throughout the states. NC went blue this year thanks to areas like Asheville and Chapel Hill (and many many others) that aren't as insular and backward as you might think.
Of course, those of you who think Manhattan is the center of the universe will probably go on thinking that, but there are areas that are just as fun, exciting, and lovely to live in. I gave NYC a try for a long time, but a cultured, small-town life is for me in places of the cultured, big city life. I don't think that makes me any less cool or interesting than you ixvnyc.
Yep. Many people here on Gothamist *gasp* think the world revolves around New York City. NYC is a wonderful place with many things to do, but there are many other wonderful places in the world with just the same amount to do as New York City.
There is some hostility towards Jersey, Long Island, and suburbia on here.
Ok, just explain something to me:
Why are you here commenting on Gothamist, and I am not there, commenting on ChapelHillIst?
Stop lying to yourself and come back.
You KNOW you can't live without us! :)
NO you have to understand. All of the artists who can't afford NYC have spread out around the country and turned small-town American into mini Soho's. And that's circa 1993 Soho not the current spoiled little rich kid iteration. I can rattle off countless names in flyover country that you have probably written off as borning without actually visiting: Columbus, OH; the above mentioned Durham, NC; Albuqueque; Provo in *gasp* Utah. I'm talking acutal f*ckin' Utah.
the theatre and art "scene" may be lacking in the triangle
but not the music scene. you'll still see your major acts
and indie acts at the cat's cradle or the rbc center.
and most importantly to me, Carolina BBQ. east or west, I'm OK with.
get used to the slow pace, people wait and don't complain.
unless it's traffic on the beltway.
i moved here from Houston in July '07 and believe it or not its very true.
I miss my 1200 sqfoot 2bd apt for $900....
But I don't miss stripmall city Houston....at all.
After Bloombucks third term, mission accomplished.
Hey, let's pick the crappiest most backwards gross city in the South, and compare it to the most cosmopolitan city on the continent. What could go wrong?
A much better comparison is NY + Chicago, which are a lot closer in terms of culture and vibe. And people actually travel from other places to live in Chicago, while the number of people who say "I dream of living in Houston some day" is close to null. You could just as easily replace Houston with Traverse City, Michigan or Butte, Montana.
backwards, relative to what?
To each his/her own. I love NY but its not the center of the universe for everyone.
backwards, relative to what?
To each his/her own. I love NY but its not the center of the universe for everyone.
Every city/town/village in America has their own unique flavor. Some people may not like the fast place/buildings/no nature to be found in a city like NYC while some people love it.
Each to their own.
I meant backwards in terms of "likelihood of getting shot in the face," which I understand is quite high in H-town.
This post struck a chord with me as I'm about to leave NYC for Chicago after four years here. I absolutely love the lifestyle but ultimately I can't justify the price premium any longer. We can still have the things that are important to us (car-free living, good eats, good street life, diversity) but at about 2/3 our current cost. I will miss the bagels and 1010 WINS.
Chicago is the best value in the country. It's cheap as shit out here and I am never, ever, ever bored.
Despite the weather it's a great city to live in.
Houston is an absolute shit-hole. You get what you pay for!
Most of New Yorkers are considered poor. In order to be get ahead in NYC you will need to make $125K a year. Otherwise most decent housing opportunities are unattainable. Housing is what it's all about.
Double that salary and you're in the ballpark.
First of all these urban pundits should just index these stats by zip code or census tract and end the whole "all of NYC is overpriced and all of Houston is a steal" conclusions people are making.
i'll be another voice to add that nothing compares to nyc. having lived in san francisco, atlanta, and new york on about the same (poor by new york standards, middle class by atlanta's) salary, new york gives you WAY more back in return on the positive/negative ratio. seriously, no comparison.
Wow, even SanFran? Not starting an argument. I just assumed that it would at least come close, given the comparable price of living.
Just my opinion, but I lived in SF for five years and I would say it got boring pretty quickly. The homeless problem there is really bad (and they're WAY more aggressive than in NY), mass transit sucks, everything closes early, and I could go on but it's pointless. After NYC, SF looks like a tiny little village with relatively little to offer for close to the same price. The weather is better, except even in the summer it's usually more comfortable to eat indoors than out at night. There are positives and negatives everywhere, but I found the ratio to be much higher in NY, all things considered.
I just moved to New York after some years in Chicago, and at least from the "bang for the buck" perspective, I miss the shit out of Chicago. I got a raise to move out here, but man, not enough.
I lived well, had a 10 minute commute, and money to enjoy most of what non-self-absorbed people want to enjoy...but after moving to NYC and even after my raise, I'm only slightly above living paycheck to paycheck, with a 35 minute commute.
I like it here, but damn.
houston sucks
I've grown up in Houston all my life, but have been living in New York for the last 5 years and have loved it here. There's no question about it that there really is no place like New York city- but that's why you "sacrafice" the finances to live here. I have to say though that Houston in MUCH more diverse and cultured than most people here even know. It has gotten its compliments, but the truth is, unless you grew up in Houston, you're not going to appreciate it. Also unless you leave Houston for a city like New York, you're not going to appreciate its convienences. Houston has the second largest Theater district outside of New York. It has incredible museums, and amazing ethnic food. The chinatown, bellair houston area for asian food is ridiculous, and there's no place like seafood, cajun, tex-mex, and bbq like you have in houston. And of course there is good cheap eats all over houston. If live music is what you're looking for, Austin is only a 2 hour drive away for some of the best live bands in the country. Houston only lacks a really good nightlife area. Again though, Austin is only a short drive away, which is here I would actually recommend living.
All that said, I still love new york. Eventhough I lost my job here in such a terrible economic time, and my mom would love it if I moved back home and worked in Houston (because there actually are jobs there), I'm still hungry for a city like New York, and San Franscico and then be able to come home to a laid back open city like Houston.
my motto:
If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere...
Sure- I don't know the exact numbers but I heard it before. I'm sure there are a lot of great cities out there that has great theater and culture. The point is, Houston isn't has bad as people say it is here and indeed there are cultural things to see. They do get a lot of broadway shows that most cities don't which is a big deal if you like that stuff.
One thing I admit, downtown Houston becomes an absolute ghosttown once the workday/work week is over. It's sad for those of us who crave an urban space. My parents moved from the suburbs into the downtown lofts when everything was getting renovated, but it really can't measure up to a buzzing city like New York. It's a young sprawling city and needs to take its course. You move to houston for the space, the schools, the suburbs and good food.
There's a good video on you tube that captures Houston's culture. Of course you can't do all of this in a day as it implies because you still have to drive everywhere...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s056tSc0zz8&feature=related
I remember in the early Eighties when Houston was supposed to be the next Great World City. Kinda sucks what's happened since but it's a town that just keeps growin' and will someday stand with the best of them. Yahoo!
It's called Enron. Take a lesson from history. NYC just lost Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanly, and Goldman Sachs are now banks. AIG is circling the drain and so is every major bank: BofA, Citi, Wamu, Wachovia and more...
Do you really think the music is just going to keep playing? Theater, indie, and restaurants are all just a side show to the money machine that just blew up. Sure there's magic in NYC it's called MONEY.
It's called Enron. Take a lesson from history. NYC just lost Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanly, and Goldman Sachs are now banks. AIG is circling the drain and so is every major bank: BofA, Citi, Wamu, Wachovia and more...
Do you really think the music is just going to keep playing? Theater, indie, and restaurants are all just a side show to the money machine that just blew up. Sure there's magic in NYC it's called MONEY.
Yeah, Enron hurt them but it really was the oil bust in 1983 that took the steam out of Houston. They had their own "Lost Decade" but it lasted 20 years. NYC may have the same future but unlike Houston, there's no alternative to NY. The money and the power have to be here regardless of the economy.
Houston rocks, the best place to live is in West Houston or Katy.
I still think New York is a city to love. When i make it,i wouldnt mind spending money on a place in manhattan which is like the center of the world
blog by 2 Columbia Students:
http://theyounganddisenchanted.wordpress.com/
Part of this is because NYC and NYS tax and fee the hell out of everything from housing, transportation, goods, payroll, etc. Texas doesn't even have a state income tax, but has most of the services (unless you are a welfare case - which in NYC are the only people beside the super wealthy who can afford to live here). We are screwed in NY be decades of corrupt and inept leadership and even during a time when things are falling apart, our local geniuses are busy raising taxes again, even as Obama tries to lower them to keep things afloat. Imagine keeping an extra 3rd of your income! I wish people would wake up and vote out all incumbents in this state!
No income tax, but Texas has a comparable sales tax.
NYC 8.375% (.375% of that is for the MTA)
Texas 8.25% (In Houston)
Technically, you could say Texas' is actually higher.
Oh please! Houston is great (I'm a native and am still here) but those comparisons would more likely have you end up 30 miles outside of Houston proper, surrounded by strip malls and an hour drive to anywhere interesting mentioned..
I live in Manhattan and make about 45K. I thought I was middle class until I read this! I'd feel like a crazy rich person if I made $125K, not middle class!
Hold on, think about the cost of having a car in Manhattan vs. having one in Houston. That's the big metric driving this cost comparison. Otherwise, since many NY'ers don't have a car, the real issue is housing and we all knew that.
as a native Houstonian living in New York/Brooklyn for going on five years, I stand in equal footing for both cities. i went to high school in montrose and was completely submerged in the houston art world (which is actually one of the largest art scenes in the country). the food: super cheap and fantastic and you can eat any cuisine in the world just like here. the weather can can terribly hot, but honestly a hot summer beats the frigid winter for a multitude of reasons...anyways, it seems that the ignorants writing about houston have only been to the suburbs- its kind of like reviewing New York but writing about Jersey or CT; let's get it straight: both cities are extremely cosmopolitan (believe it or not Houston is the least segregated city in the US and has the third largest gay population in the US and is chock full of activities and festivals (Houston's got the second largest theatre district after New York in the US)
i could go on and on. I love New York. Alot. I love Houston. Alot.
inform yourself.
What is very interesting about this whole thread and also from my everyday observations is that anyone who loves living in a city outside of NY is generally not a native NYer.