Palm Springs named 4th friendliest small city in the country
A real estate research site has compiled a list of the friendliest small cities in the country, and Palm Springs ranks among the top.
The list was created by Movato, an online real estate brokerage based in San Mateo, CA. It looked at 100 cities with under 50,000 in population and ranked them based on crime, charity, gift stores, Facebook likes, etc.
According to Movato’s list, Palm Springs is ranked as the 4th friendliest small city in the country.
Randy Nelson is a content editor for Movato and wrote:
Having been born and raised in Palm Springs, I can personally attest to its friendliness. In fact, this city has managed to retain its small town atmosphere even as the world outside the Coachella Valley has become more and more cynical.
Every trip back home is like a journey through time to a place where the locals all know each other and the dispositions are as sunny as the sky is year-round. Palm Springs is also renowned for its LGBT-friendliness, something that has no doubt helped residents (including yours truly) of this small town have a distinctly 21st century world view when it comes to equality.
Top Ten List:
San Luis Obispo, CA
Charlottesville, VA
Olympia, WA
Palm Springs, CA
Harrisburg, PA
Littleton, CO
Joplin, MO
Grapevine, TX
Galveston, TX
Coral Gables, FL
Movato looked at seven measurable criteria to build its list:
Violent crime rate (friendlier residents = less stabbing)
Percent of income given to charity (friendly folks spread the wealth around)
Flower & gift stores per capita (more stores = more demand for gifts)
Card & stationery stores per capita (ditto)
Bars per capita (the classic socializing spot – Palm Springs took first in this category, one bar for every 792 residents)
Farmers’ markets per capita (a great place for residents to interact)
Religious organizations per capita (being nice to your neighbors is kind of a big deal in all religions)
Facebook Likes (friendly places make more digital friends)
