What Are The Most Unfriendly Cities In America?

There are a lot of things that go into making a city a good or bad place to live — the weather, the traffic, the cultural venues — but the other people who live there are one of the most important. From that perspective, you might want avoid moving to any of Travel + Leisure 's most unfriendly cities, because do you really want to be surrounded by rude and indifferent people all the time? It's worth thinking about.

The list from Travel + Leisure identifies 15 U.S. cities as the country's most unfriendly out of the 38 that they ranked. Unsurprisingly, most of the cities are large and bustling, which often comes with a sense that no one really cares about anyone else. After all, when you pass by thousands of people on a daily basis, it's not really practical to say hello to every one of them. You just don't have the energy, or the emotional resources. Plus who's to say the busy people rushing by even want you to acknowledge them while they're leading their own life? Sometimes it's just better for everyone if we all just try to have as little interaction with each other as possible.

Still, being large and busy doesn't automatically mean you have to be full of unfriendly people. Plenty of larger cities manage to avoid the trap.

So, what are the most unfriendly cities in the U.S.? Well, according to Travel + Leisure here are the worst 10:

10. Dallas

Texas pride itself on being big and independent, but it seems that isn't the most compatible with being friendly. According to Travel + Leisure, "Dallasites look fashionable while giving folks the brush-off, according to the survey." So much for Texas charm.

9. San Francisco

Despite its liberal reputation, it seems that San Franciscans aren't so much the happy, hippie types as the snobbish, standoffish types. Even the prices in San Fran are trying to drive people away.

8. Los Angeles

If the air quality doesn't get to you, chances are the people of Los Angeles will. I guess that's what happens when everyone is the gorgeous, Hollywood type? According to Travel + Leisure, "The SoCal denizens struck readers as hip, gorgeous, and kinda snooty."

7. Las Vegas

The mob might not run Vegas like they used to, but it still isn't the friendliest place. Turns out all the wild debauchery isn't conducive to being nice. Who knew?

6. Miami

Apparently, fun in the sun comes with a cost, and that cost is the people. Maybe it's the spring break crowd putting everyone off? Or maybe all that sunshine just makes people less interested in their fellow humans.

5. Boston

So much for New England charm. According to Travel + Leisure, "Beantown denizens put off readers with their Brahmin-like brains and their skillful backtalk." Though that might just be the accent — everything seems unfriendly when you have to work that hard to understand what someone's saying.

4. Washington, DC

The place is full of politicians, people who work for politicians, and lobbyists. This one explains itself.

3. Philadelphia

Philly is the fourth largest city in the U.S., so it makes sense it would wind up on the list somewhere, but still, being number three isn't the best look. So much for the "City of Brotherly Love."

2. Detroit

Detroit just can't seem to catch a break. But hey, if you'd been through this many upheavals and tough times, you might not be all that friendly, either. According to Travel + Leisure readers, "the city came off as noisy and, perhaps ironically, for having lousy drivers."

1. New York City

It's the city that never sleeps, and apparently that's affecting its mood. New York is the largest city in the U.S., and when you add to that the fact that it's also expensive, has less-than-ideal weather, and is generally pretty dirty, it's pretty clear how it wound up being ranked as the least friendly in the nation.

If you want to know about other unfriendly cities, or check out Travel + Leisure's recommendations for how to get the most out of these cities despite their less than hospitable rep, you can look at the full list on their website here.