Daniel Island takes the top spot as friendliest place

The rankings for the Friendliest Neighborhoods in South Carolina are based on how South Carolina residents actually interact with one another on the Nextdoor platform – and Daniel Island landed in the top spot. 

Nextdoor Holdings, the essential neighborhood network used by more than 105 million neighbors to connect with those nearby, has released its 2026 rankings of friendliest cities, spotlighting the South Carolina cities where neighbors are most engaged, supportive, and welcoming.

The data captures everything from neighbors helping each other out to how they share resources and build community connections. 

The top five friendliest cities in South Carolina are:

- Daniel Island

- Belvedere

- Isle Of Palms

- Port Royal

- Beaufort

"Rankings like these are a reflection of something that can't be manufactured: the everyday choices neighbors make to show up for each other," said Kelsey Grady, chief global communications officer at Nextdoor. "From a welcome post for someone new on the block to sharing a recommendation or lending a hand, those small moments add up to something real. Daniel Island exemplifies what it looks like when a community genuinely takes care of its own."

Methodology

The Nextdoor Friendliness Score ranks cities based on positive community interactions. It works like an index: one city in South Carolina gets a top score of 100, and others are ranked in relation to it. Several factors go into the calculation:

- Posts with positive or negative tone

- Fulfilled neighbor requests for help or recommendations

- Posts expressing neighborhood pride or dissatisfaction

- Number of free items shared in For Sale & Free

- Welcome posts that receive responses from neighbors

- Neighbors promoting or recommending local businesses

You can see the complete friendliest cities list online and navigate to each city to learn more about what makes that community so friendly. These rankings give prospective residents, real estate professionals, and current South Carolina residents a data-driven look at where community connection flourishes across the state.