Crime is a much bigger factor than the taxes, which in New York City have always been high. People with school age children are also leaving because of the schools. This was brought into high relief for parents during the last several years. Schools opened in Florida, they did not in New York. For those leaving recently it was the overall abysmal COVID response that caused people to decide once & for all to abandon the city. Except for the very rich, NYC apartments are tiny. Kitchens are either non-existent or a joke. NY'ers predominantly ate out, showered at the gym & spent very little time other than sleeping in their apartments. That all changed with the COVID response & it drove many former NYC boosters to seriously reconsider their life choices. They were stuck in tiny apartments with more people than the apartment could comfortably handle. Their 'I love NY' lifestyle crashed & burned. Now I don't think many of these people are landing in The Villages, but they are moving out of NY & yes, the effects are still being felt. For many of the non rich it takes several years to devote funds to a major relocation. Meanwhile the worsening crime on the city streets is strengthening their resolve to get out.
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