I'm not disagreeing with you: I moved way the heck out to Bay Ridge for exactly the considerations you mention. That said, a lot of people move to New York for

I'm not disagreeing with you: I moved way the heck out to Bay Ridge for exactly the considerations you mention. That said, a lot of people move to New York for work, and care about one thing only: how long it takes to get to and from work. The supply of places 10-15 minutes from lower Manhattan is surprisingly limited, and downtown Brooklyn is likely to come up on any shortlist of places to look when searching for apartments.