The 25 Most Neighborly Cities in America

Think your city is a haven for happiness and charitable giving? Find out if it made the list of the country's most neighborly places.

By: Felicia Feaster

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25. Spokane

Self-storage company Neighbor has released its annual countdown of the 25 American cities that are the most neighborly. To determine neighborliness, they looked at factors like charitable giving, generosity and well-being. But in 2022 several cultural changes including the pandemic changed Neighbor.com's findings. Post-Covid factors like higher gas and airline prices mean people have tended to socialize with their neighbors more often. And with so many Americans still reeling from the economic effects of Covid, many are more anxious to help a neighbor in need or to support local businesses. And finally, despite news reports about America's political divisiveness, it turns out that neighbors in these 25 cities are more likely to forget political differences and take their fellow residents as they are.

Read on for Neighbor's ranking of the most neighborly cities in the country. We think you'll be very surprised by their findings.

Shown here: For brews, brats, and all things Bavaria, celebrate the season at Spokane Oktoberfest in Eastern Washington.

24. Allentown, Pennsylvania

Sure, Allentown is home to local oddities like a Mack Trucks Museum (temporarily closed, but scheduled to reopen in late 2022 or early 2023). But it's also a welcoming and warm city where volunteering rates are high and crime is relatively low.

23. Albany, New York

This New York city has one of the highest rates of charitable giving, which suggests to us that its residents care about their fellow man and woman.

22. Springfield, Massachusetts

If proximity to nature means greater happiness (and we think it does), then there is a reason Springfield, Massachusetts, made this list. It turns out 94% of people who call Springfield home are a 10-minute walk or less from a public park.

Shown here: The Big E Fair in Springfield, Massachusetts, which is actually New England's regional fair.

21. Toledo

Also known as the Glass City for the long history of glass production in Toledo, this Ohio city is home to a record number of nonprofits.

20. Honolulu

It would be hard not to be neighborly when you're living in paradise. The ninth happiest city in the US, Honolulu is also one of the most inclusive cities in the country.

From: Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers and Luxury Portfolio International®

19. Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was ranked as one of America's most neighborly cities for its high rates of charitable giving and neighborly acts. Adding to the spirit of goodwill, 71% of residents live near a public park.

Shown here: Agnes R. Katz Plaza is a creative collaboration between artist Louise Bourgeois, landscape architect Daniel Urban Kiley, architect Michael Graves and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. It is one of the city’s most recognizable and lovely sites.

18. Portland, Oregon

A consistent city on the most neighborly list since it started in 2019, Portland ranks high for neighborly acts and volunteering.

17. New Haven, Connecticut

In his poem Mending Wall, Robert Frost said, "good fences make good neighbors." But there seems to be more evidence that public parks make good neighbors. A majority of New Haven residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, which places them high on the neighborly rankings. In fact, this Connecticut city was home to the first public tree planting program in the US.

Shown here: Five Mile Point Lighthouse or Old New Haven Harbor Lighthouse, in New Haven, Connecticut, is on the harbor entrance to Long Island Sound.

16. Salt Lake City

Though it has a population of more than 1 million, Salt Lake City exhibits some features we often associate with small towns. The Utah city ranks fifth in the nation for both neighborly acts and volunteering.

Shown here: The snow-covered Wasatch Mountains.

15. Seattle

Seattle is the third happiest city in the US and ranks high for volunteering.

Shown here: Golden Gardens Park in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood features one of the city's largest sandy beaches, but what makes this beach so special is that bonfires are allowed at night. Making s'mores while watching the sunset is definitely the perfect way to end a day in Seattle.

14. Ogden, Utah

Ogden probably isn’t on the retirement radar for most, but this city of almost 90,000 is just a half hour north of Salt Lake City, and beckons with a high quality of life and low cost of living. WalletHub named Utah the happiest state in 2021, and there are many reasons to be happy in Ogden. For one: 50% of residents say they’ve dedicated time to volunteer for their community this year.

13. Minneapolis

Minneapolis has been adding residents drawn in by an urban lifestyle with Midwestern values. Though the weather can be brutal, 99% of Minneapolis residents do live within 10 minutes' walking distance of a public park, which means lots of opportunities to meet new people and say hello on your daily stroll.

12. Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs is growing, so much so that this city of 470,000 residents may even overtake Denver in size by 2050, according to Colorado’s State Demography Office. Colorado Springs is growing in other ways too: It jumped from #21 to #12 on this year's Most Neighborly Cities list.

11. San Jose, California

What more could you ask for? San Jose boasts beautiful weather all year round and it's also the happiest city in the country. Add in low crime rates, and there's a reason residents are in such a good mood.

10. Des Moines

With a population of just 215,408, Des Moines is a place where you may have more opportunities to meet your fellow residents. This Iowa city also supports a host of local nonprofits, with 13 local organizations for every 10,000 residents.

Shown here: The public beach at Gray's Lake in Des Moines, Iowa.

9. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

The state capital of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg climbed in this year's rankings. This modestly sized Pennsylvania city with a population of just 49,247 features a number of locally focused nonprofits, with 13.1 nonprofits per 10,000 residents.

Shown here: The Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg.

8. Poughkeepsie, New York

Though a little less than two hours outside Manhattan, Poughkeepsie offers a very different way of life. In terms of neighborliness, Poughkeepsie has high rates of charitable giving (15th in the nation overall) and happiness (13th in the US).

Shown here: Walkway Over the Hudson opened in 1889 as a railroad bridge to Poughkeepsie. It was rebuilt and reopened in 2009 as a state historic park and walkway — and spanning the Hudson at a dizzying height of 212 feet, it now offers one-of-a-kind views all the way from the Catskills to the Hudson Highlands.

7. Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the #1 city for neighborly acts. That means it ranks high for the number of neighbors doing favors for their neighbors and other members of the community.

6. Raleigh, North Carolina

Considering its reputation as a friendly region, some may be surprised to see so few Southern cities in the rankings. One Southern city that did make the cut, Raleigh, North Carolina, ranks second in the nation for neighborly acts.

Shown here: An acorn designed by David Benson is the focal point among midnight revelers attending First Night Raleigh in North Carolina. The 1,250-pound sculpture is made of copper and is 250 times bigger than an actual acorn, according to North Carolina State University.

5. Grand Rapids

This Michigan city ranks high for charitable giving, neighborly acts, volunteering and proximity to public parks.

4. Oxnard, California

Can a clutter-free landscape make you a better neighbor? The seaside city of Oxnard, California, west of Los Angeles, has more than 20 miles of picturesque coastline and, interestingly enough, relatively few rocks or pieces of driftwood. Perhaps that detritus-free coastline played a part in making Oxnard the fifth happiest place in the US to live?

Shown here: Mandalay Beach, Oxnard Shores.

3. Provo, Utah

Provo, Utah, climbed from its #23 slot in 2021 to #3 in 2022 in Neighbor's ranking of the Most Neighborly Cities in the US. Provo has the highest rate of charitable giving and the highest number of residents who report volunteering for local organizations in the entire nation.

Shown here: Brigham Young University in Provo is America’s largest religious university.

2. Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is widely considered one of the most walkable, bike-friendly and greenest cities in the US. No wonder, then, that it ranked as the second happiest city in the US according to Neighbor, and also boasts the most local nonprofits per capita.

1. Rochester, New York

Rochester was the number two most neighborly city in the US last year and in 2022 claims the top slot on Neighbor's rundown of the most neighborly places. Or as Don Jeffries, the president and CEO of Visit Rochester notes, “one of the things we often hear from visitors is how welcoming and friendly Rochesterians are." The city earned great marks for neighborly acts, volunteering, charitable giving and happiness, too.

As an aside, Rochester, New York, is also ranked as #3 in the nation for having the most incentives and policies supporting renewables and energy efficiency.