The New American Dream

Real estate's latest amenity? Kindness.

- LAURA MILLAR

In a growing number of communities around the country, kindness isn’t just an admirable quality—it’s a way of life. From a West Coast city that bakes being nice into its traditions to a Southern town that has hospitality down to a science, residents everywhere are leaning into looking after their neighbors. Here, some of our favorite examples.

Murray, KY Voted the Friendliest Small Town in America

Some tourists are drawn to vacation spots for their natural beauty, food scene, or art. But Murray, KY, while certainly charming, attracts tourists through kindness.

“We are a tight-knit rural community focused on helping your neighbor. We all function with the mentality ‘We are better together,’ and that makes for a vibrant community in which we all want to live,” says Erin Carrico, executive director of Murray Convention & Visitors Bureau.

MAIN STREET MAGIC: Downtown Murray (near left) is a gathering place, a smallbusiness mecca, and the site of a community-painted mural (far left).

Named the friendliest small town in America by Rand McNally and USA Today a few years back, Murray stands out for its warm and collegial small-town charm. Its latest initiative: a Kindness Matters mural program. “An anonymous donor from our community approached the Murray Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Murray Main Street program with the task of creating three types of murals throughout downtown focused on creating kindness for others and fostering that foundation in children,” says Carrico.