L.A., Anaheim, Oakland, Sacramento? Travelers say you’re not nice
Dirty. Dangerous. Dingy. Those were some of the insults leveled at L.A., Oakland, Sacramento and Anaheim in Condé Nast’s least friendly cities list.
Southern charm, it appears, beat out California cool in that Readers’ Choice Survey, which also includes a listing of the nation’s friendliest cities.
Of Los Angeles, which ranked sixth in the travel magazine’s list, readers said: “Too busy and too many cars. Don’t like it.”
Anaheim, at No. 9, is described as “dirty,” “rough” and “a dangerous place for Mickey Mouse to hang out.”
Oakland (also described as “dirty”) comes in second in the unfriendly category, and Sacramento (called “disappointing”) comes in 10th.
Newark, N.J., takes the top spot for unfriendly. “A lot of rude people there,” one respondent said.
On the friendly scale, Charleston, S.C., a most “gracious and beautiful” city, ranks No. 1, followed by Gallena, Ill. (one-time home of Ulysses S. Grant) and Savannah, Ga.
The lone California city to hang with the 10 friendliest is Sonoma at No. 9, billed as a “down-to-earth alternative to Napa.”
As for the friendliest/unfriendliest cities in the world, it’s hard to believe Newark remains at No. 1 over Islamabad, Pakistan (No. 2); Luanda, Angola (No. 4); and Kuwait City, Kuwait (No. 5). Oakland is No. 3.
Among the 10 friendliest cities in the world, Florianopolis, Brazil, an island city in the southern part of the country, comes in at No. 1 with Hobart, Tasmania, in second place, followed by Thimpu, Bhutan; Queenstown, New Zealand; and Charleston, S.C.
The Readers Choice Survey is compiled annually by the travel magazine. Check out the entire survey.
Mary.Forgione@latimes.com
Follow us on Twitter @latimestravel, like us on Facebook @Los Angeles Times Travel.
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
