Who Says New Yorkers Are Rude? Survey Shows Big Apple Is Friendliest City In Nation
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New York doesn't exactly have a reputation for congeniality. Eye contact is often considered rude, saying "hello" takes up precious spare time in a day, and knocking over someone's $1 cup of deli coffee is an unofficial crime.
A new report from StreetEasy and its sister brand Zillow, however, found that New York is in fact the friendliest city in the United States.
Nearly a third (31%) of New York City homeowners surveyed by the listings sites said they're close friends with some of their neighbors, compared to 27% of nationwide respondents, and another 53% said they occasionally chat with them. Renters are slightly less neighborly, with 24% saying that they're buddies with nearby residents, but that's compared to 21% nationally.
The report also found that in a city of 8 million people living on top of each other, a little space might be healthy. StreetEasy reported that 60% of homeowners in single-family homes and townhouses said they're close friends with their neighbors, versus 30% in large buildings.
That being said, existing in such close proximity to each other could be helping New Yorkers relate to each other, the report notes."Whether we like it or not, New Yorkers do our laundry together, ride the elevators together, get our mail together, and squeeze by each other in narrow staircases and hallways," it says. "It seems likely that all these opportunities for connection and interaction add up, making it easier for New Yorkers to bond with our neighbors than for Americans living elsewhere."
That's also not to say that the five boroughs don't have their fair share of grumps. Of the homeowners surveyed, 3% said they completely avoid their neighbors in New York, compared to 5% in the rest of the country.
And for renters, the amount of social interaction depends largely on how long someone has been living in their digs. One in 10 renters who have resided in their apartments for more than a year reported having no interaction with nearby residents, but that's still down from 14% nationwide.
Among the New York renters who have lived in their home for less than a year, 16% don't interact with neighbors, compared to 20% of that group nationally.
If you're wondering which is grouchiest city in the country, the StreetEasy/Zillow report doesn't answer that question, as it focuses only on New York data. On its 2016 "Rudest Cities in America" list, however, Travel and Leisure gave that title to Miami, and placed New York at third.
Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website. Heather SenisonAfter growing up in Queens and attending a performing arts high school on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, I started my journalism career as a political reporter in…Read MoreAfter growing up in Queens and attending a performing arts high school on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, I started my journalism career as a political reporter in Albany, New York. I later became an editor at amNewYork, New York City's daily commuter newspaper. My interest in real estate was first inspired by my grandfather, who built and rented out houses on the east end of Long Island. I now cover the tri-state area market, along with business, finance, tech and other trending topics, from the quiet of the woods north of the five boroughs.
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Meanwhile New York is still The Capital Of The World!
I put almost zero stock in stories that the people in a city or town are friendly or unfriendly. Peoples moods change day to day and even hour to hour. In order to accurately gauge how friendly or unfriendly the people in a location actually are you would need a tremendous amount of input and I dont think these internet surveys get that kind of input.
Morning..can honestly say I have not meet any people from New York or the USA that have been unfriendly...I worked for Alcoa for 20 years and worked with heaps of you mob...and only had a slight run in with one..
He referred to me as white trash...I don't care what colour you are, couldn't give a stuff l. So I let him have it with a few good Aussie expressions and loud enough so most of the office heard it...he was totally shocked and stunned at my response.
Never had anymore trouble after that..The other Americans thought it was hilarious and had been busting to say something to him but couldn't he was their boss...he wasn't mine...
He was sent back home soon after..
Lol .... a New Yorker trying to convince everyone else that New Yorker's aren't rude.
Fugetaboutit!
I took a trip to NYC my senior year in high school.
I thought it was a very friendly city and I never left Manhattan. There are cities in the south (Little Rock) that are decidedly unfriendly
I've taken my family on numerous trips to NYC ( my daughter loves Broadway). We've also taken urban vacations tp Philly, Chicago (mini-Broadway), Seattle, New Orleans and Nashville. We enjoyed all and I can't differentiate friendliest levels based on such a limited study. Perhaps part of the answer is based on the observers expectations and attitude.
I will be finding out myself next week. I am so excited.
I'm sure everyone can share a story, good or bad. To me, this is a good example.
Short version. Visited New York, spent the day seeing various sights, which exhausted my mom. In the process of heading down to the subway, my mom needs a break. So we are in the middle of the stairs...and the rush hits. A few hustle around us, as I am trying to help my mom down the stairs. A couple of guys stop, and start helping me, resulting in a blockage. All of the sudden, the stairwell is packed with people trying to get home, after a long day of work, and we are blocking traffic. One...one guy at the top of the stairs starts yelling. As soon as he starts, the rest of the crowd turns to him and lets him have it. Would have been easy and understandable for people to get frustrated. They didn't. Even the one dude that started yelling apologized on his way by.
I'll say this though. Took a cab the first night there. Didn't know it at the time, but I was literally a block away from the hotel. I think we drove 8 blocks...
When we got to NYC we took a cab from Penn Station to our hotel. I thought I was gonna die....