The South’s Friendliest Towns 2018

By Southern Living
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.
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1. Aiken, South Carolina

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2. Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina

Robbie Caponetto
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3. Taylor, Mississippi

Caroline Hewitt

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4. Madison, Georgia

Courtesy of Madison CVB

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5. Southport, North Carolina

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6. Convent, Louisiana

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7. Fairhope, Alabama

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8. Oxford, Mississippi

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9. Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee

Tec Petaja

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10. Comfort, Texas

Wynn Myers

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11. Hendersonville, North Carolina

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12. Key West, Florida

Robbie Caponetto

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13. Franklin, Tennessee

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14. Charlottesville, Virginia

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15. Beaufort, South Carolina

Robbie Caponetto

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16. Gruene, Texas

Robbie Caponetto

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17. Wimberley, Texas

Michael Hanson
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18. Bluffton, South Carolina

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19. Fredericksburg, Texas

Robbie Caponetto

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20. Senoia, Georgia

Robbie Caponetto
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