Cities are the powerhouses driving an economy and it has been that way for four or five millennia. Like it or not that is where civilization originates.
The nature of American cities has changed dramatically in the last half century. How do the cities of NJ drive our economy? Most have few good jobs anymore, and instead are financial drains on an economy. While Jersey City has attracted some jobs from NYC, that is the exception rather than the rule (Newark, Paterson, Trenton, Camden, Atlantic City).