For White, that quality of life consists of a lot of little things. He likes the charm of Concord, where he bought a house. He likes the fact that New Englanders aren't showy about their wealth. In California, I just shopped in a megastore,'' he says. Charles Polachi once took a job candidate to Fenway Park, and the man immediately decided to move to Boston.
Quality of life is a big sell for people coming from New York.
And then there is commuting. We may think our trips to work are awful, but other places have it much worse. New York commutes are endless. In sunny, sprawling Atlanta, people spend so much time in their cars that they could watch all of Gone With the Wind on their way to work. Boston is familiar turf.