>yeah but hang on.. New Yorkers!

New England too. At best only a minority of people use snow tires here.

Which should beg the question if these things are as magical as the internet cheerleaders say they are then why doesn't everyone in these sorts of states have them.

Winter tires are one of those things that are very poorly marketed for some reason. Magical? No, but very, very good. I drive a RWD car through Minnesota winters and I was completely blown away by the difference the first time I got a set of winter tires. That said, you really only notice the difference if the roads haven't been plowed yet.

Because if you believe you can get by without them, why shell out the money? And you generally can get by without them if you live relatively close to an urban area.