The Friendliest States & the Least Friendliest States... How did your state rank?

[AnnieBearJamboree]

Like lots of other posters have said re: New York, I think the author of the list was off-base. Real “upstate” (like, Poughkeepsie is not upstate...) locals are super-friendly. I grew up in a small town in central New York, went to college in the Finger Lakes, and moved to Rochester as an adult and I made friends really easily.

I’ve recently moved to Pittsburgh and have found to be the locals pretty unfriendly. Pittsburgh driver’s are honestly pretty aggressive and rude, in my opinion.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

Florida depends on where.

South Florida is basically where old pissy New Yorkers go to die mixed with a lot of Hispanic culture. Makes for strange bed fellows.

Cental Florida is basically tourists, people who work in hospitality, or migrant workers.

And north Florida is basically south Alabama / Georgia.

 

[fly girl]

Well, I don't agree with 50. I am not from NY, nor ever lived there, but I have always found NY'ers to be friendly. Not overly so, but I have never had issue with them. I have seen them tell people straight up when they are a bother. Common sense and you'll be fine. I like the realness of NY.

I have found Georgia to be quite rude. They are 50 on my list. That southern hospitality can turn mighty fake rather quickly. Granted, it is not ALL of Georgia, just what I have experienced. (Please take no offense if you are from there.)

AZ, pretty accurate. They will engage in limited small talk, with indifference.
OH, yep. Nice folks here.
MI, should be higher. They are friendlier than being #28 imho.

 

[fly girl]

Like lots of other posters have said re: New York, I think the author of the list was off-base. Real “upstate” (like, Poughkeepsie is not upstate...) locals are super-friendly. I grew up in a small town in central New York, went to college in the Finger Lakes, and moved to Rochester as an adult and I made friends really easily.

I’ve recently moved to Pittsburgh and have found to be the locals pretty unfriendly. Pittsburgh driver’s are honestly pretty aggressive and rude, in my opinion.

Pittsburgh driving is a PITA. You can't avoid a tunnel so get ready for a slow crawl. And the Pittsburgh left is insanely stupid. I almost got in a crash because I didn't let that first car turn left. I had no idea! I had the green, so I went. Hate that unwritten rule!

But as for the people, I have found them quite friendly. Even though they make fun of my Michigan accent.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well, I don't agree with 50. I am not from NY, nor ever lived there, but I have always found NY'ers to be friendly. Not overly so, but I have never had issue with them. I have seen them tell people straight up when they are a bother. Common sense and you'll be fine. I like the realness of NY.

I have found Georgia to be quite rude. They are 50 on my list. That southern hospitality can turn mighty fake rather quickly. Granted, it is not ALL of Georgia, just what I have experienced. (Please take no offense if you are from there.)

AZ, pretty accurate. They will engage in limited small talk, with indifference.
OH, yep. Nice folks here.
MI, should be higher. They are friendlier than being #28 imho.

I agree with others about NY.

My experience is limited to Ithaca and NYC but there was a difference between the two.

In NYC our experience was you really don't talk to random people and tend to avoid a lot of eye contact and just really go about their business, people are often in a hurry and tourists may not know social protocol like stepping to the right on the escalator when there's even just a bit of room for another person to walk up the stairs, etc. We didn't really have rude or mean people perse but there was not the same welcoming feeling I've gotten from elsewhere.

That said my husband's uncle has been in the NYC for many years working both on Broadway and off Broadway though he has mainly lived in West New York,NJ. He's originally from MN, moved to STL when he was a slightly older kid, went to college in MO and then off to NYC and he has adapted to certain NYC behaviors--in a hurry is a big big one lordy we had blisters on our feet just trying to keep up with him (no joke) lol. He keeps to himself in terms of transit and other things but has maintained a very welcoming feel with big hugs all around and could talk your ear off with rapid fire conversations lol.

 

[indimom]

I think it can be over generalized, a lot of it depends on what part of a state or which city you are in. I live in IN which is #6. I guess overall we are pretty friendly, but it varies by location. I lived in IL for a long time, it varies a lot by location. I have also lived in SD, which rated further down the list, but seems much friendlier than most of IL.

Another Hoosier here. While I do think overall people are friendly in a surface way: we hold doors for everyone, greet people when we pass on the sidewalk or drive by them on a country road (just a flick of the fingers off the steering wheel, but its a thing), chatting in line or with a cashier is so common it's noticeable and awkward if the other person isn't talking to you. And we apologize for any perceived inconvience. "Ope, scuse me, gonna sneak by you," when you need to squeeze past someone in a theatre or store is a common occurrence.

But, I do think it's primarily a surface friendliness. People will help you out, chat with you, make nice, but our family and community bonds are well established, and I've known transplants who felt it was hard to fit in.

I'm a nurse and make home visits. Just about the first thing families do when I have a new patient, is try to figure out who I am: who I belong to? what church do I go to? what corner of the county did I grow up in? who were my grandparents or parents? where did I graduate? am I related to "Joe" with the same last name? Even if they can't "place me", they are still friendly and polite, but people do seem to have a need to identify how /where I belong... so I'm sure transplants feel a bit isolated by this behavior.