Nashville One Of America's 'Friendliest Cities': Travel & Leisure Magazine

NASHVILLE, TN — Tourism is big business in Nashville and with the influx of bachelorette parties and other celebratory visitors joining convention goers and music fans, it's only going to keep getting bigger. Being gracious — or at least benign — hosts is as much a part of the civic DNA as twang and meat-and-three.

As part of its annual America's Favorite Places survey, Travel & Leisure magazine released its list of America's Friendliest Cities and Nashville was rated as the country's seventh friendliest city.

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"[W]hen it came to general friendliness — not just hospitality toward tourists and neighborly love but also manners, politeness, and warm dispositions — there weren't too many surprises. This year's list was still dominated by cities in the American South and the Midwest, as well as destinations with year-round good weather and natural beauty (we're looking at you, Honolulu)," the magazine wrote.

That long-running association with tourism and the geographic advantage of being in the heart of the South gave Nashville an edge in the rankings.

"Southern manners are a point of pride to Nashville residents, who spoke fondly of the city's friendly banter and sense of camaraderie. Tourism is a major part of the industry, many T+L readers observed — meaning locals are well versed in hospitality," the magazine wrote.

The Top 10 friendliest cities are:

1. Buffalo, N.Y.
2. Norfolk, Va.
3. Greenville, S.C.
4. New Orleans
5. San Antonio
6. Indianapolis
7. Nashville
8. Louisville, Ky.
9. San Antonio
10. Milwaukee

Not in the Top 20? Memphis.

Photo via Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County