I guess we first have to talk about who are the rich. If they're people making from one hundred to two hundred thousand clams a year like libs believe the rich class starts at, then many average income people prosper from those "rich" people. Housing developments around the Twin Cities area, which is the closest big metro area to me, are exploding. Even into Wisconsin where I live because the well-off need space outside the environs of the Twin Cities. If you mean the superrich, the multi-millionaires and beyond, then I can't argue because I don't know any superrich people and what they buy.
Ha! We differed in definitions of the rich. Honest mistake.
The people buying the services and products from some of my friends probably have net worths of $10 mil and up. And there are more of them in NYC than you'd think. The problem with them -- economically - is that they spend their money inefficiently (to benefit the economy).
The people making a couple of hundred thousand a year in salary are solidly middleclass. And yes, I've seen the explosions of metro areas in other parts of the country, like Vegas and DC.