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Nope. Just an oasis of paradise between those two armpits of cities.

You make it sound like NJ is the "taint" of the area!

The main reason to allow dough to rise is to develop the gluten. Gluten is what makes dough stretch. It's present in flour but needs mechanical forces to develop. Some of the development occurs as you knead the dough, but a lot more develops with the micro action of the yeast. That's why recipes ask you to flatten a risen dough; it's not the air you want, it's the developed gluten. It's important to knead the dough to develop some of the gluten first. Without this kneading action the yeast would simply create air that would scape without being trapped within the dough and allowing further expansion and further development of the gluten. I'm not sure if there is any way to skip this and still get a good crust. If u find it, let us know.