North Carolina home to one of ‘Nicest Places in America,’ report finds. Why it’s special
North Carolina is full of welcoming places — but where can you find the kindest people?
The Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic in the mountain town of Cashiers ranks among the top six “Nicest Places in America,” according to results Reader’s Digest published in late September.
The list — which “honors kind, inspiring people making a difference in their hometowns” — was created after readers told the magazine about places where people showed concern for others. Entries could consist of cities and towns as well as businesses and other locations.
“Reader’s Digest editors and a panel of judges carefully read through thousands of nominations submitted by readers across the country to identify the next ‘Nicest Place,’” a spokesperson told McClatchy News via email.
What makes the NC clinic special?
Cashiers is a small town with a population that balloons to more than 25,000 people during the peak season from spring to fall, according to the RomanticAsheville.com tourism website. The town, a roughly 60-mile drive southwest from Asheville, made a big mark nationwide when its clinic was recognized for efforts to provide dental services at no cost.
The Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic started after churches brought a temporary mobile clinic to the area in 2003. After seeing an ongoing need, volunteers joined forces to create an office that now serves hundreds of people, according to Reader’s Digest.
“Church volunteers who saw the good that accessible dental care could do raised funds to buy office space,” the magazine wrote in its report. “Dental practices donated chairs and equipment; a dentist and a hygienist donated their time; and the Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic was open. The pool of volunteers grows every year.”
“You don’t need to walk around feeling bad about yourself, because they can change your life for the better,” Elizabeth Hooper, who missed going to a reunion because fixing her teeth was too expensive, told the magazine. “I got the smile — I’m going to show it off!”
Though Cashiers is home to one of the “nicest” places in the United States, it missed out on another similar list this year. Instead, three other North Carolina destinations ranked among the friendliest small towns to visit in the South, McClatchy News reported in May.
The Reader’s Digest rankings were published Sept. 25, days before the deadly storm Hurricane Helene unleashed devastating flooding and wind damage on parts of Western North Carolina. Some landmarks remained closed as “natural areas” were open to visitors near Cashiers, a destination for viewing fall foliage, CharlotteFive reported in a story updated Oct. 23.
Overall, Reader’s Digest said the nation’s “nicest” place was the city of Provo, Utah, a roughly 45-mile drive southeast from Salt Lake City. Also joining the Cashiers clinic on the list of finalists:
- Manuel’s Bike Shed in Silver Spring, Maryland
- Butte, Montana
- Fort Greene in Brooklyn, New York
- Horseshoe Beach, Florida
In addition to Reader’s Digest workers, here are the judges who helped determine the winners:
- Mitch Albom, author
- Craig Elston, barbershop owner
- Mónica Guzmán, author and senior fellow
- Steven Petrow, journalist and author
- Al Roker, TV weatherman and anchor
