New York City

New York City.  The Big Apple, The City the Never Sleeps, A City so Nice, They Named it Twice.  But is the Capital of the World actually that nice?  Most people would agree that it is or must be a pretty nice place judging by the cultural diversity, famous landmarks such as the Empire State Building, and its ability to produce some of America’s most successful artists and musicians like: Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and Tom Cruise.  It is nice place to live or visit if you discount some parts such as cost of living, crime rate, homelessness, traffic, safety, and the consumption of resources.

In Manhattan alone, the average house price is around $1.3 million.  The national average home price is around $272,900.  That is a 76% difference and doesn’t sound too attractive to homebuyers.

New York City has a relatively high crime rate compared to the U.S. national average.  However, that is a common characteristic in big cities due to many factors such as homelessness, and the high cost of living, and the effectiveness of the police force.

Homelessness is another big problem the city faces.  There are roughly over 50,000 individuals who rely on public shelter in New York City according to the Coalition for the Homeless and that does not include the many thousands that sleep on the streets at night.  So don’t expect to see just a few homeless people when going to New York.  It’s likely you will see even more if you plan on living there in the future.

Big cities, especially one as big as The Big Apple will face tremendous traffic problems.  Even with its famous network of subway stations and trains it cannot prevent the many problems pedestrians and drivers face on the streets of New York.

Safety and the consumption of resources are other dilemmas faced by New York City and big cities in general.  It can be very hard to maintain the peace and bring in enough resources when there are millions of people that need them.

As you can see New York is obviously not the nicest place.  Whether it be living there or visiting there you will face more risks than visiting or living in a smaller city.