In NY unfortunately one can live his life totally anonymously by floating from shul to shul each day and each Shabbos. One never has attachment to a Rav, and often not even to a kehilla and steady group of friends.
Out of town, one goes to the same shul every day, and gets to know each person in the shul. These become his friends and everybody shares in everybody’s simchas.
Out of town is usually much prettier than the frum neighborhoods of NY where you are usually so boxed in among tall buildings that you rarely see the sun or trees and grass. Parking is a nightmare, especially with alternate side of the street. Getting from one end of Boro Park to the other can be 45 minutes for about one mile, total. A person I know once used his GPS to plot a route, and it told him to go through BP, as it was a bit shorter. The delay was unbearable. (He should have gone on Ocean Pkwy to the Belt.)
The quality of life for a secular person is far better out of town than in most frum NY neighborhoods. We only put up with all this because of the shuls, yeshivas and restaurants.
One other thing is that OOT often there is only one school, and kids from all backgrounds learn achdus and become friends without labeling each group. They don’t even know the difference. The warmth is unbelievable.