The South’s Friendliest Towns 2018

By Southern Living
Credit: 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.
Start Slideshow

1 of 21

See The Winners

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 21

1. Aiken, South Carolina

Credit: Peter Frank Edwards/Redux

3 of 21

2. Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina

Credit: Robbie Caponetto
Advertisement

4 of 21

3. Taylor, Mississippi

Credit: Caroline Hewitt

5 of 21

4. Madison, Georgia

Credit: Courtesy of Madison CVB

6 of 21

5. Southport, North Carolina

Credit: Danita Delimont/Getty Images
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 21

6. Convent, Louisiana

Credit: Owaki/Kulla/Getty Images

8 of 21

7. Fairhope, Alabama

Credit: Photo: Benjamin Callahan

9 of 21

8. Oxford, Mississippi

Credit: Southern Living
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 21

9. Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee

Credit: Tec Petaja

11 of 21

10. Comfort, Texas

Credit: Wynn Myers

12 of 21

11. Hendersonville, North Carolina

Credit: Wolfgang Kaehler/Getty Images
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 21

12. Key West, Florida

Credit: Robbie Caponetto

14 of 21

13. Franklin, Tennessee

Credit: Courtesy Universal Images Group/Getty Images

15 of 21

14. Charlottesville, Virginia

Credit: Peter Frank Edwards/Redux
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 21

15. Beaufort, South Carolina

Credit: Robbie Caponetto

17 of 21

16. Gruene, Texas

Credit: Robbie Caponetto

18 of 21

17. Wimberley, Texas

Credit: Michael Hanson
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 21

18. Bluffton, South Carolina

Credit: Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Visitor & Convention Bureau

20 of 21

19. Fredericksburg, Texas

Credit: Robbie Caponetto

21 of 21

20. Senoia, Georgia

Credit: Robbie Caponetto
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

By Southern Living