Miami doesn’t exactly have the best rep as one of the friendliest cities. In fact, the city was officially deemed the rudest in all of the U.S. back in 2024. Well, with a new study identifying the friendliest neighborhoods for newcomers in the country, Miami’s financial district (yes, Brickell) has found its way into the Top 10.
Using data from the U.S. Census, Zillow and the FBI, the research from home decor store Hastha Kalalu compared the most-searched neighborhoods across a number of key standards. This includes population density, number of family households, median income, house value, violent crime rates per 1,000 residents and cost of living. With that, they were able to rank the neighborhoods from most to least friendly.
At the very top of the list is Omaha, Nebraska’s Elkhorn neighborhood, with a friendliness score of 79.9. Its low crime, high safety and a low cost of living are reasons for it being named #1. Coming in at number 7 is Miami’s Brickell, with a 59.1 friendliness score and high safety rating.
A spokesperson from Hastha Kalalu, who conducted the study, stated:
Friendly neighborhoods need more than just nice people – they emerge from a connection of affordability, safety, and community rather than just social factors alone. While most friendly neighborhoods tend to be suburban, New York’s Upper West Side proves that even expensive city areas can build strong communities when other factors line up right.
The top 10 friendliest neighborhoods in the U.S. for newcomers are as follows:
- Elkhorn in Omaha, Nebraska
- Kingwood in Houston, Texas
- South Side in Corpus Christi, Texas
- Northwest in El Paso, Texas
- Deer Valley in Phoenix, Arizona
- Highland in Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Brickell in Miami, Florida
- Upper West Side in New York, New York
- Maryvale in Phoenix, Arizona
- Chevy Chase in Lexington, Kentucky