When we published the 2026 Nextdoor Friendliest Neighborhoods in America, we knew the data told a compelling story. What we didn't fully anticipate was just how much it would resonate — with local newsrooms, broadcast anchors, radio hosts, and neighbors themselves from coast to coast.
As it turns out, people really want to know if their neighborhood is one of the friendliest in America. And news outlets were eager to tell them.
Here's a look at how the story traveled.
A National Story Told Locally
The campaign launched on February 16 with a splash: USA Today named it first, highlighting Nextdoor's rankings of the friendliest places to live in California. Within days, the story had taken on a life of its own — not as a single national feature, but as dozens of hyper-local conversations happening simultaneously in markets across the country.
That's the thing about a list like this. A ranking of the friendliest neighborhoods in Indianapolis means something very specific to someone who lives in Broad Ripple or Meridian-Kessler. A nod to Gulf Gate in Sarasota isn't only a data point; it's a point of neighborhood pride. That local resonance is exactly what drove more than 150 stories across online, broadcast, and social platforms in the week following our launch.
Coast to Coast Coverage
The geographic reach of the coverage was remarkable. By the end of the first full week, outlets in more than 20 markets had picked up the story.
On the West Coast, Los Angeles dominated early. KTLA-TV asked viewers whether their neighborhood made the cut, and the story was subsequently picked up by Yahoo and MSN. The New York Post followed with its own take on L.A.'s friendliest neighborhoods. Meanwhile, KTXL FOX Sacramento revealed the capital city's top neighborhood, and KREM-TV in Spokane highlighted the results for the Pacific Northwest. San Diego had not one but four broadcast segments — across KSWB FOX and KUSI — plus radio coverage on KOGO-AM and KPCC-FM.
In the Southwest, AZ Big Media broke down Phoenix's 20 friendliest neighborhoods, and KTVK/KPHO-TV brought the story to broadcast audiences across the metro. Las Vegas got its moment too, with KLAS-TV reporting that Rhodes Ranch topped the city's list.
Across the Midwest, the response was enthusiastic. Axios Indianapolis and The Indianapolis Star both covered the Indiana rankings, while WLW-AM in Cincinnati had listeners tuning in across two separate radio segments. WDAF FOX Kansas City and Talk 980 KMBZ brought the story to Missouri audiences, with the Kansas City Star following up with its own feature on how the city's neighborhoods stacked up. In Michigan, Grand Rapids Magazine called it "a little friendly neighborhood competition," and WXMI FOX brought the story to broadcast. NBC Chicago aired the story across WMAQ during both the afternoon and evening newscasts, reaching one of the country's largest media markets.
In the South, Nashville was a standout. The Tennessean covered the city's rankings, as did WSMV-TV NBC Nashville — which ran multiple broadcast segments — and WKRN-TV. Tennessee's results also earned pickup from outlets in Memphis and Knoxville. Atlanta generated coverage from both WSB-TV and WAGA-TV, while Secret Atlanta highlighted the city's top neighborhood, known for its annual Porchfest and farmers markets. In Texas, CultureMap San Antonio, KSAT-TV, and the San Antonio Express-News all weighed in, with the Express-News digging into which West Side neighborhood claimed the top spot. Louisiana First News reported on Baton Rouge's friendliest communities.
On the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic, WUSA in Washington, D.C. aired the story on its 9am broadcast and published it online. Philadelphia's WTXF-TV picked it up. In Pennsylvania, coverage came from both WHP-TV in Harrisburg and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, with the Pittsburgh story earning a pickup from MSN. WTKR in Norfolk, Virginia covered Hampton Roads' friendliest neighborhoods across both Instagram and Facebook.
In Florida, Sarasota Magazine celebrated Gulf Gate's top ranking, while hyperlocal outlets Coral Springs Talk and Lakeland Today made sure their communities knew where they stood.
In Hawaii, KITV-TV and KHON-TV both covered the Honolulu rankings, with KHON's story earning pickups from both MSN and Yahoo.
In the Pacific Northwest and beyond, KOIN-TV in Portland covered Oregon's friendliest neighborhoods, and a Spectrum News segment in Milwaukee highlighted Wisconsin's top community.
The story didn't just live online. More than 50 TV and radio segments aired during the campaign's first two weeks — from early-morning news hits to prime-time broadcasts.
The Social Amplification
Local news organizations didn't just write about the list — they shared it. Dozens of social posts across X, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok extended the story's reach further still.
Some highlights: KREM2 in Spokane turned the story into a TikTok, an Instagram Reel, and a Facebook video. KTLA posted across both X and Instagram. Elliot in the Morning, a nationally syndicated radio show, shared the story to its audience on X. The Tennessean drove Facebook engagement with a post that invited followers to check whether their neighborhood made the list.
What This Tells Us
The 2026 Friendliest Neighborhoods list worked because it did what only Nextdoor can do: it turned real neighbor behavior into a story that felt personal to millions of people at once. The coverage wasn't just broad — it was meaningful, driving quality placements in marquee outlets while also landing in the neighborhood-level publications that matter most to the people who actually live there.
We're proud of the communities that earned top rankings this year. And we're even more proud of the everyday moments — the welcome messages, the free items shared, the requests for help answered — that made those rankings possible.
After all, friendliness isn't a metric. It's a practice. And America's neighbors are very good at it.
Want to see how your neighborhood ranked? View the 2026 Nextdoor Friendliest Neighborhoods lists.
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