So when you think of the friendliest cities in the US, which ones come to mind? Certainly not anything in the Northeast. The closest they came was Pittsburgh (#7), to which I was a bit surprised having spent a great deal of time there… but this is an entirely subjective contest, to be fair.
I mean, I know articles like these are largely link bait but they’re fun, right?
So while Nashville took home top honors in their rankings, here in Louisville, we have plenty to be proud of. Working with clients who are relocating to Louisville, I’m constantly hearing them say people in town are so much friendlier than whatever city it was they came from.
Let’s see what the fine folks at Travel+Leisure had to say about our favorite city:
As the home of its own Urban Bourbon Trail, the Kentucky city has a festive mindset: it also won the No. 5 position for unique festivals, like spring’s Kentucky Derby Festival, September’s Bluegrass and Bourbon Experience and summer’s original Lebowski Fest, dedicated to the 1998 Coen brothers film. For a year-round quirky diversion, check out WHY Louisville in the NuLu area—a gift shop and roadside attraction with a wax statue of Colonel Sanders and the Kentucky Rushmore mural (which also depicts Sanders, as well as other native sons Muhammad Ali, Abraham Lincoln, and Secretariat). Louisvillians are not all kitsch, though: the city ranked in the top 10 for its notable restaurants, like Seviche. Helmed by a three-time James Beard Award nominee, it combines Latin flavor with Kentucky flair by way of local-bison empanadas, or avocado ice cream topped with a bourbon-chocolate shell.
So, combine the festive mindset with bourbon and great food… and viola, there you go! Makes sense to me. Heck, who isn’t friendlier after a couple of drinks? *wink*
Ok, here’s their full list of the top 15 friendliest cities in the US. But for the record, how is Kansas City not in Kansas?! I mean, c’mon.
1 Nashville, TN
2 Salt Lake City, UT
3 Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
4 Kansas City, MO
5 Oklahoma, OK
6 Charleston, SC
7 Pittsburgh, PA
8 New Orleans, LA
9 Albuquerque, NM
10 Austin, TX
11 Houston, TX
12 Honolulu, HI
13 Louisville, KY
14 Portland, OR
15 Atlanta, GA
Stay tuned for more Louisville praise in the coming months. Bookmark this site, check back, and share with your friends. After all… isn’t that the friendly thing to do?
