What Are the Friendliest U.S. Destinations?

Want to travel somewhere warm and welcoming? You might want to head to one of the United States’ friendliest destinations, as uncovered by a recent study from language learning platform Preply.

The survey looked at how residents ranked their cities’ own friendliness in the most-populated destinations throughout the United States. Austin, Texas, came out on top as the friendliest city of all, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; and El Paso, Texas. The destination at the bottom of the pack? Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The study also looked at how Americans determine friendliness, especially among strangers. It found certain actions are translated as “friendly,” including holding the door or elevator for someone, offering to take strangers’ photos, and providing directions or recommendations.

The study didn’t just examine how friendly cities were to people, though. It also looked at how pet-friendly these destinations can be. Still, Austin, Texas, ranked first, followed by Denver, Colorado; San Diego, California; Washington, D.C.; and Nashville, Tennessee. There was also significant overlap when the study looked at how friendly destinations were toward children, with El Paso, Texas, ranked most kid-friendly, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina; Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Nashville, Tennessee; and San Jose, California.