the way it was explained to me by A Chassidic Rav: EY has kedusha on its own, other places do not. So, in EY, you benefit from it but also may get in trouble. Chutz – you need to make an effort to create your own kedusha. I am sure, for many people, Brooklyn made this hishatdlus.
In American polity, NYC is an island of arrivals from abroad that eventually learn/earn enough to move to the continent itself.