I'm a noob, and a lot of the people I see in the starting town I was in are noobs. There's actually a server set up for newer players (Stromm), so they can avoid some of the issues that come up when a majority of the players are in the end-game with at least one toon.
FYI: Evolution came out recently, that's what I bought. For $25 you get the original game and the first five expansions. I think that deal may be bringing more new players to Norrath.