FROM CONDE NAST TRAVELER:
The world’s unfriendliest cities
20. Caracas, Venezuela
19. Bethlehem, Palestine
18. Casablanca, Morocco
17. Wilmington, Delaware
16. Moscow
15. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
14. Shenzhen, China
13. Albany, New York
12. Los Angeles
11. Guangzhou, China
10. Tangier, Morocco
9. Atlantic City, New Jersey
8. Detroit
7. New Haven, Connecticut
6. Lome, Togo
5. Kuwait City
4. Luanda, Angola
3. Oakland, California
2. Islamabad, Pakistan
1. Newark, New Jersey
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The world’s friendliest cities
20. Cork, Ireland
20. Asheville, North Carolina
18. Edinburgh, Scotland
16.Savannah, Georgia
16. Auckland, New Zealand
14. Victoria, British Columbia
14. Galena, Illinois
13. Dublin, Ireland
12. Christchurch, New Zealand
11. Chiang Mai, Thailand
9. Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
9. Kilkenny, Ireland
8. Mandalay, Myanmar
6. Margaret River, Australia
6. Paro, Bhutan
5. Charleston, South Carolina
4. Queenstown, New Zealand
3. Thimpu, Bhutan
2. Hobart, Tasmania
1. Florianopolis, Brazil
They’re right, Oakland is a dump. I’d have ranked it higher than Newark.
Very nice recognition for Galena Illinois, population 3,429 and the former home of President Ulysses S. Grant. At one time, Galena was larger than Chicago and the premier city in the area, too bad that is no longer the case.
The friendliest cities are out in the country where there aren’t so many people.
I agree with Detroit. Awful. I disagree with Newark. If you can find your way outside of the airport, there are some nice little pockets in the city. Personally, I hate downtown Atlanta with a passion. The only other place I have felt so threatened was in Detroit or Oakland. There was a reason Sherman burned Atlanta. When people tell me they love Atlanta, after further discussion you learn that the only area of Atlanta they’ve been in is Buckhead. Buckhead ain’t Atlanta. Would that it were.
Hey I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we make the mayor of Newark, NJ a U.S. Senator.
The mega-cities are a bust, crime and sin ridden, with increasing corruption every day. We need Repentance and Revival if we are not to see Sodom and Gomorrah in every one of them.
For some reason Calgary didn’t make the list, odd.
Bethlehem is in Israel.
There is no country of Palestine.
We were there last year, and they’re quite friendly.
WASHINGTON D.C. which has managed to pi$$ off several hundred million people and continues to do so daily.
I’d have put Charleston high on that list myself. Love the place, love the people.
Yay New Haven. We’re number 7!!!
We live in South Central Pennsylvania. We are bikers. We find that in restaurants, gas stations, etc. we are treated friendlier below the southern border of PA then above the Southern border of PA. At least up and down the East Coast. Have not done that much westward travel to make a judgement.
Chaing Mai, Thailand, is not only friendly, but a very pleasant place to visit. I had one of my best meals in years there for about two bucks - including a beer.
My daughter lives near Albany, NY, and the folks there are puzzled at how they got this designation. “But, we’re nice people” is the word heard on the street.
It's not a surprise that these countries are well represented on the "Friendliest Cities" list.