The South’s Friendliest Towns 2018

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

Southern Living

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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

Photo: Benjamin Callahan

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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
Dance halls are as classic Texas as pickup trucks, brisket, and big hair. Gruene Hall, halfway between San Antonio and Austin, holds the honor of being the oldest in the state. Built in 1878, it helped launch the careers of household names such as Lyle Lo

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17. Wimberley, Texas

Michael Hanson
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18. Bluffton, South Carolina

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Visitor & Convention Bureau

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19. Fredericksburg, Texas

Robbie Caponetto

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20. Senoia, Georgia

Robbie Caponetto
Downtown Senoia.
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