Lewiston and Pocatello, Idaho Are Among America's Kindest Cities

You don’t have to look far to find a friendly face in Idaho. Whether it’s one of the cashiers you always enjoy talking to at Albertsons, the barista who drew a smiley face on your chai latte cup or a neighbor you started chatting with at the pool, kindness seems to come naturally to most Idahoans.

With all the negativity you’re bombarded with in the news and on social media, it’s great to take time out to celebrate kindness. It’s even better when that kindness is happening here in the Gem State.

AMFM, a mental healthcare website, recently polled more than 3,000 locations to determine which cities in America were most likely to greet a stranger. They also took a deep dive into how these sorts of greetings make others feel.

Get our free mobile app

They found that 43% of people say greetings from strangers definitely improve their mood. An additional 47% say they do but only sometimes. When asked about what those sorts of interactions led to, 86% of people say that they’ve had a meaningful conversation with someone who initially greeted them as a stranger.

I’m not overly surprised by those findings. Usually by Friday, I’m mentally toast but it's the night that my husband and I meet up at our favorite neighborhood restaurant. I work closer to it, so I normally get there before him. If I’m lucky enough to find us seats at the bar, I’m usually having a full-blown conversation with a complete stranger next to me by the time he arrives and my spirits have been lifted even though my brain is mush.

America’s 10 Kindest Towns

Photo by Tani Eisenstein on Unsplash

Of course, everyone wants to know where their hometown ranks on the list. In the end, AMFM ranked 130 cities and these 10 locales came out on top.

#10: Morristown, Tennessee
#9: Thomasville, Georgia
#8: Columbia, Tennessee
#7: Rome, Georgia
#6: Aiken, South Carolina
#5: Sanford, North Carolina
#4: Temple, Texas
#3: Greer, South Carolina
#2: Conway, South Carolina
#1: Hilo, Hawaii

The 2 Idaho Towns That Made the National List

Photo by leah hetteberg on Unsplash

The restaurant where I experienced the kindness that I mentioned above is in Southeast Boise, but Idaho’s capital city was not on the list of the 130 kindest cities in the country. Although they were toward the bottom of the list, two Idaho cities did get recognized.

#127: Lewiston, Idaho
#116: Pocatello, Idaho

AMFM’s Executive Director wrapped up the findings by explaining:

What this survey shows is something many of us know intuitively – that the simple act of saying hello can change the tone of a day, or even spark a meaningful connection. In a world where digital interactions often dominate, these face-to-face moments are more valuable than ever.

You can see the complete list of the kindest towns in America HERE.