Dennis RomeroSee also: L.A. Is a Top 10 “Unfriendly” City?
It was only a few weeks ago that L.A. was ranked as one of America's top 10 unfriendliest cities by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler. The tourists found Los Angeles to be “dirty and crowded,” the mag said.
Well, a study of the “Best Cities to Make Friends” by the credit card comparison site CreditDonkey found that our fair berg is a top 5 place for the pursuit of amigos:
What's the difference?
CreditDonkey says it looked at “philanthropic giving,” “walkability” and “stability of residents” (percentage of those at the same residence for at least five years):
… We evaluated how easy it is to meet your neighbors. For this, we looked at urban areas' 'Walk Score,' a measure of how close attractions like coffee shops and grocery stores are to most locals.
New York came out on top. Baltimore and Washington, D.C., came next. Then us. Wow. Here's what the site says about Los Angeles:
Credit: Friendly people by Nanette Gonzalez for LA Weekly
The big surprise about L.A. for many people who know it only by reputation is just how walkable it is. While you could easily spend hours in a car trying to get from one side of town to the other, lots of restaurants and shops are just a few blocks from many residents' doorsteps. The city also scores higher than average in terms of generosity and stability, which means it should be easy to find friends at that corner coffee place.
Philadephia came in fifth. Detroit (No. 8) even made the top 10. (See the whole list here.)
These are places where you will surely bump into others. But we're not so sure that means you'll make friends. It might just mean you'll get mugged.
What do you think: L.A. — friendly or not?
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