Dwellers fleeing New York due to high cost

People are leaving for lower-cost states including Florida and North Carolina

New York has long called itself the first city of banking, fashion, advertising, publishing and the arts. It also may become the leader in a field no city wants to claim: The largest number of residents leaving for a better life elsewhere.

High taxes, poor public schools, crumbling infrastructure and an anti-business climate underscored by Amazon's decision in February not to locate its second headquarters in the city after strong political opposition, have combined to create an atmosphere where a growing number of residents, though small, are leaving for lower-cost states, including Florida, Texas and North Carolina, according to the US Census Bureau.