SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Spokane made it into the top 25 list of the most neighborly cities in the U.S.
According to a survey by the Neighbor Blog, three factors that put Spokane and other 24 cities on the list included the lack of traveling due to inflation, engaging with their community as a result of the pandemic and accepting their neighbors' political affiliations.
Each year, the survey analyzes a variety of publicly available data sets related to charitable giving, generosity, happiness, well-being of residents and other factors that contribute to a city’s overall neighborliness.
Nearly 30% of people said on the survey that they hang out with their neighbors and local friends more often due to the increase in gas prices and plane tickets. About 42.5% of people said they are more willing than before to help out a neighbor.
Despite a big and seemingly divisive election this year, 45% of people said in the survey that they recognize that their neighbors have different political affiliations than their own, but choose to be neighborly anyway.
The survey also asked participants what factors they think make communities most neighborly and found volunteering, charitable giving and neighborly acts were the top factors. These aspects were followed by nonprofits per capita, happiness and residents’ proximity to local parks.
The survey also asked participants what factors detract from a city’s neighborliness. Participants mostly cited crime, which carried negative weight. The cities that ranked highest in those categories moved lower on the overall list.
Spokane has been listed as one of America's most neighbor friendly cities for the second year in a row. It fell from number 19 in 2021 to number 25 this year.
The cities that made it into the top five list with the most neighborly neighborhoods are Rochester, New York, Madison Wisconsin, Provo, Utah, Oxnard, California and Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
Other cities in the list include Seattle, Toledo, Salk Lake City, Honolulu and Allentown.
In the survey, 41% of participants said it took a week to meet their neighbors and 74% answered they have done a favor to their neighbors in the past year.
In the survey, 52% of participants said with less travel due to the pandemic and inflation, they feel more connected to their neighborhood and their community. Also 43% participants said they’re more willing to help a neighbor out when they ask or need it most as a result of the pandemic.
According to the survey, Spokane residents have high rates of volunteering and 87% of them live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
Participants in the survey ranged from 16-54 years old. 43% were men and 57% were women.
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