NJ Among 'Least Friendly' States In US: Travel Survey

Anyone who's driven the Garden State Parkway or the New Jersey Turnpike may think Jersey is full of rude people, but are we really unfriendly?

According to a new survey, New Jersey is the fifth-least friendly state in the United States. The listing, by Big 7 Travel, was based on a survey of the company's social audience of 1.5 million people that asked "what are the friendliest states in America?"

It's not clear if they had any parameters other than simple voting in the survey, which ranked Minnesota as the most friendly state in the country. (Minnesota? Yes, Minnesota. We can't believe it either.) "It’s called ‘Minnesota Nice’ for a reason – the atmosphere in the Twin Cities and beyond is hard to match, with a homey feel and locals who go the extra mile to welcome tourists," the company said.

Jersey got the thumbs-down from survey respondents because of our "Jersey attitude (which) can be perceived as just outright rudeness," the survey noted. "And in this survey, it seems as though that’s definitely the case. New Jerseyans are known for their in-your-face personalities. But hey, at least the (probably unfriendly) station attendant will pump your gas for you."

Our neighbors to the north, New York, received the indignity of being ranked least-friendly of all 50 states, apparently because people get annoyed when you block foot traffic by stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to take a photo (who knew?).

It's not the first time we've been dissed lately. Jersey also was considered the "least patriotic"state because we don't send enough people to volunteer for the Peace Corps.

We all know the Jersey wave is a constant on the highways, but we also know there are a lot of good people doing good things, kind things and friendly things in this state. Let's hear your examples of friendliness so we can show 'em what Jersey's really made of.

And word to the visitors from out-of-state: If you're judging us on our driving demeanor, you're missing out on a lot, just like the folks who judge the state based on the refineries near the New York area.

Email me at karen.wall@patch.com with your stories.