Mutants in New York
New York City is home to the largest mutant population in the world. Estimates suggest that nearly 1/3 of the United State's 3,000 self-identified mutants live in the vicinity, with foreign mutants adding still more to the number. Many mutants come to New York because of the draw of the community - Xavier's School is a resource many are eager to take advantage of, and there's a thriving subculture that includes theatre, dance, clubs, active mutant rights groups, and a general sense of tolerance.
The city government – and sometimes that of the State – is generally one of the most benevolent in terms of mutant politics. It is reluctant to label or track mutants, and the influence of the Hellfire Club helps this along. When it was illegal to be an unregistered mutant, HFC pressure helped make sure that New York City was dishing out the minimum punishment. Legally, New York City is the best place in the United States - if not the world - for a mutant to live.
That's not to say that all of New York is happy to be the Mecca of mutants. While there is certainly an accepting subculture for mutantkind, and while the average person living in New York is far more likely to personally know a mutant – or even several – there is also a greater concentration of those who resent and even hate mutants. Since Magneto and his Brotherhood created terror at Liberty Island, New York has suffered greatly for welcoming mutants into its community. Rallies have turned to riots, violence has exploded in the streets, terrorists have targeted the city at large, and there is a clear sense that living in New York carries a risk far larger than muggers in Central Park. Recently, the NYPD has introduced Sentinel body armor in an effort to better police their mutant-filled streets.
In the last several years, property prices in New York have declined sharply (making rent far more affordable), several large companies have begun to shift their headquarters to other cities, and tourism has dropped. Colleges in the area suffer from declining admissions. New York's population has been slowly but steadily decreasing. Whether the vast mutant community that exists is something that benefits New York or hurts it is a hot topic of debate, and you'll find New Yorkers on both sides of it - and a huge percentage of long-term residents who really just wish it weren't even an issue at all.
In New York, there are some neighborhoods where it is safer to be publicly mutant than others. The Village is known as the center of mutant-friendly activity, while Midtown and the Financial District are less forgiving of what mutantkind has done to its city. Bad neighborhoods tend to care more about how well you can take care of yourself (or look like you can) than whether you've got an X-Factor.