When trying to get a job in the US, during this past Century (the 20th) there has existed a quantifiable advantage for individuals who are - all other things being equal - from "out of town".
This is clearly a subjective, psychological advantage assigned to persons of lesser known origins by the thought processes of the hiring agency. It is possible that the description of this situation may be constrained to the decision-making individual on the hiring side of the employment transaction.
Whether or not this bias in the system is a function of so-called "human-nature" or a derivation of "sociological precepts" is a matter that remains open for conjecture.
