Travel Souths Best The South's Friendliest Towns 2018 By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on May 13, 2019 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Owaki/Kulla/Getty Images According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word 'friendly' is defined as "showing kindly interest and goodwill, cheerful, and comforting"—which is exactly the quality we were looking for when we asked our readers to name the absolute friendliest towns in the South. It was quite a search. Every town has pockets of friendliness, of course, but we were looking for the places in which friendliness is the most important quality and generosity is an everyday occurrence. What resulted is a list of towns so friendly that the people who live there never want to leave. These communities are tight-knit, but they're also always open to newcomers, and visitors are welcomed in with open arms. They're the sorts of places where new neighbors are greeted with big smiles and dishes upon dishes of welcome-to-the-neighborhood casseroles. In these towns, the quality of hospitality is palpable. Warmth and kindness are always on the menu, and even on cloudy days, these friendly towns are filled with sunshine. From Aiken, South Carolina, to Taylor, Mississippi, these are the towns you've named the friendliest. 01 of 21 See The Winners 02 of 21 1. Aiken, South Carolina Peter Frank Edwards/Redux 03 of 21 2. Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina Robbie Caponetto 04 of 21 3. Taylor, Mississippi Caroline Hewitt 05 of 21 4. Madison, Georgia Courtesy of Madison CVB 06 of 21 5. Southport, North Carolina Danita Delimont/Getty Images 07 of 21 6. Convent, Louisiana Owaki/Kulla/Getty Images 08 of 21 7. Fairhope, Alabama Photo: Benjamin Callahan 09 of 21 8. Oxford, Mississippi Southern Living 10 of 21 9. Leiper's Fork, Tennessee Tec Petaja 11 of 21 10. Comfort, Texas Wynn Myers 12 of 21 11. Hendersonville, North Carolina Wolfgang Kaehler/Getty Images 13 of 21 12. Key West, Florida Robbie Caponetto 14 of 21 13. Franklin, Tennessee Courtesy Universal Images Group/Getty Images 15 of 21 14. Charlottesville, Virginia Peter Frank Edwards/Redux 16 of 21 15. Beaufort, South Carolina Robbie Caponetto 17 of 21 16. Gruene, Texas Robbie Caponetto 18 of 21 17. Wimberley, Texas Michael Hanson 19 of 21 18. Bluffton, South Carolina Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Visitor & Convention Bureau 20 of 21 19. Fredericksburg, Texas Robbie Caponetto 21 of 21 20. Senoia, Georgia Robbie Caponetto Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit