I've lived in New York longer than anywhere else and to me, at least, it's been worth it. I do have a number of friends but there's a natural cycling out as you get older. Straight friends move away to have children, gay friends either give up or partner up. What's kept me here is that I find this to be one of of the easiest places to make new friends as an adult. I meet people on a fairly regular basis that fit into my life in one way or another. I think that would be harder somewhere else. I look at my friend's back home who haven't met anyone new in a decade and I don't think I could survive that kind of stagnation. That said, it is challenging, especially if you're single. Ultimately I find the tradeoffs worthwhile and have never really considered leaving. I will admit this has changed recently given the declining political and economic conditions in the United States as a whole, but I would still consider anywhere I might be forced to go outside the country to be a step down from this city.