Serious answer: Yes, the landmass that constitutes Brooklyn is large. The landscape of the main neighborhoods that have gentrified over the years are not so big. If you actually live there you know which parts I am talking about.
What are you talking about? By area, Brooklyn is more gentrified than not-gentrified.
That being said, I don’t want to raise my kids out there. I want my kids surrounded by many cultures, and to have access to the arts that NYC provides.
It just is a no brainer for me.
New York has incredibly low pollution compared to other cities of comparable size, especially in the US. As for "regulated and taxed on more things than you even thought possible"... are you sure you're not thinking of California?
Mind you, there's a lot of day-to-day variation.
I think the air quality in in the city is only good because it gets quickly blown out to sea.
When I say Pollution, I am not just saying air pollution. I physically felt dirty the minute I stepped out into the street after getting ready for work. I would wash my hair and it would streak of dirt. The subway is absolutely filthy. Bathrooms anywhere but expensive restaurants are filthy. Sidewalks were filthy. Streets are filthy. The water that pools up at the sides of crosswalks was everywhere -- and was filthy. It's the definition of a big dirty city.
As far as taxes and regulation goes, yes California is getting crazy too, but no I am thinking about New York. The contrast was stark, especially when you move anywhere south of NY, which I did land in D.C. for a bit, and even that was better.
When did you live in New York? This mostly reads like an outdated stereotype of the city from the 1980s. I grew up in Queens and lived in NYC until I was 18, and I never had to wash dirt out of my hair from pollution (unless I had been rolling around in a park as a little kid).
Hell, I was recently back in the city visiting family and was amazed at how much cleaner midtown has gotten over the past few years.
This doesn't change the impact of pollution on health and quality of life. There may be plenty of reasons to live in NYC, but it having lower pollution than similarly sized cities is not one of them.
I think California is also known for regulation and taxation.
Solid public and private school options. Lovely little towns every couple of miles.
The state really has it all. Expensive, but an excellent mix of suburbia, rural lands to the west and south, and (somewhat) easy access to one of the greatest cities in the world.
I grew up there, it definitely has it's downsides too. I'd choose it over California, for sure, but New Jersey is definitely not cheap.
Walking to my train station in NJ, door to door for me is 1hr 10min. Less than an hour if I drive to the station.
Westchester is a great place to raise kids, and the Metro North is fairly relaxing commute.