What are the friendliest neighborhoods in America?
If you’ve ever had to stop to ask for directions while on vacation, you know how helpful it can be to travel places where residents are generally friendly and helpful.
A new study from All Star Home aims to make it easier to identify those kinds of places by naming the friendliest neighborhoods in America.
Seattle’s Magnolia area came out on top in All Star Home’s list, and Houston’s Kingwood neighborhood was close behind. Six of the 10 friendliest neighborhoods are in Western states, and San Diego and Tucson both boast two neighborhoods in the top 10.
Although the study did not use a wide range of factors to determine a neighborhood’s overall friendliness, its results were fairly consistent, as neighborhoods within the same city generally received similar ratings.
If you’re looking for a warm-weather getaway full of friendly people for your winter vacation, this list is a great place to start.
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What makes a neighborhood friendly?
The study’s researchers began by compiling a list of 200 of Zillow’s most-viewed neighborhoods in larger cities, meaning that small towns far from urban areas were not considered for the project. Several states, including Utah, are not represented on the study because they do not have neighborhoods in Zillow’s top 200 most-viewed list.
Researchers then looked at more than 150,000 Google reviews written in the past year for businesses in those 200 neighborhoods. They then searched those reviews for uses of the term “friendly” to determine which and ranked each neighborhood accordingly.
The survey also includes findings about the businesses that were rated as being the friendliest, including small local businesses and larger chains like Trader Joe’s.
The friendliest neighborhoods in the country
The No. 1 friendliest neighborhood in the U.S., per All Star Home, is Magnolia, located in northwestern Seattle, Washington.
According to Compass, Magnolia is a peaceful, beautiful peninsula with opportunities for waterfront recreation. It’s home to the 534-acre Discovery Park and a host of charming, friendly small businesses, including Magnolia’s Bookstore, Petit Pierre Bakery and the Magnolia Farmers Market.
According to the study, the U.S.’s top 10 friendliest neighborhoods are:
1. Magnolia, Seattle, Washington.
2. Kingwood, Houston, Texas.
3. Highland, Saint Paul, Minnesota.
4. Rancho Bernardo, San Diego, California.
5. South Boulevard-Park Row Historic, Dallas, Texas.
6. Casas Adobes, Tucson, Arizona.
7. Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon.
8. Catalina Foothills, Tucson, Arizona.
9. Rancho Penasquitos, San Diego, California.
10. East Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The survey includes ratings for each of the 200 neighborhoods on the list, including the three least friendly neighborhoods: North Dallas (Dallas), Ansley Park (Atlanta) and South Dorchester (Boston).
The three friendliest small businesses in the study were not located in cities listed in the top 10. Prestige Cleaners, Inc., is in Phoenix, Drip-Thru Coffee is in Atlanta and Morgan’s Pharmacy is in Washington, D.C.
However, the three highest-rated chain businesses — Trader Joe’s, The UPS Store and Great Clips — each have locations in or near those cities.
