A lakeside village in central New York has been named the nicest place in America.<\/p>\n
Each year, Reader\u2019s Digest <\/a>invites readers to nominate towns and cities where people really lean into their neighborliness, coming together to affect positive change \u2014 and Liverpool, NY, anchored on the shores of Onondaga Lake, took the gold for goodwill.<\/p>\n The list, now in its tenth year, specifically seeks to \u201cuncover places where stories of kindness, respect, and community shine bright.\u201d<\/p>\n Liverpool, home to 2,242 residents, took first place based on its civic spirit of volunteerism, philanthropy, and generosity. <\/p>\n \u201cResidents of Liverpool are united by a common understanding that small change brings big impact and that helping others \u2013 without motive or promise of reward \u2013 is the ultimate expression of human connection,\u201d Leigh Belz Ray, Editor-in-Chief of Reader\u2019s Digest, told The Post. <\/p>\n Reader\u2019s Digest highlighted Liverpool locals like Ralph Rotella,<\/a> a celebrated cobbler who has donated more than 300,000 pairs of refurbished shoes to those in need over the years.<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as my hands work and I can walk and dance, we\u2019ll do it,\u201d Rotella told Reader\u2019s Digest. <\/p>\n \u201cAs long as my hands work and I can walk and dance, we\u2019ll do it,\u201d Rotella told Reader\u2019s Digest. Discount Shoe Repair\/Facebook<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been in Liverpool since 1995, and anyplace I go, in the grocery store or Home Depot, they say, \u2018Ralph, I got some shoes for you, can I bring them down?’\u201d<\/p>\n The publication also shines a light on Operation Northern Comfort,<\/a> a volunteer organization formed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that now mobilizes closer to home, offering repairs, assistance, and all other manner of help. <\/p>\n \u2018What made Liverpool stand out is that there wasn\u2019t just\u00a0one\u00a0central aspect of community support and togetherness \u2013 it was happening all over the small village: from neighbor-to-neighbor care to bigger programs across the area, like Operation Northern Comfort and In My Father\u2019s Kitchen<\/a>,\u201d said Ray. <\/p>\n According to Ray, Liverpool\u2019s neighborliness makes residents want to live there, and visitors linger. Village of Liverpool<\/p>\n The latter organization offers non-denominational and non-discriminatory assistance to unhoused people through direct street outreach, providing food and other necessities. <\/p>\n According to Ray, Liverpool\u2019s neighborliness makes residents want to live there, and visitors linger. <\/p>\n \u201cOur creative team was in Liverpool for almost a week,\u00a0and each and every person\u00a0told me they wish they could have stayed even longer to report on even more of the truly soul-lifting work being done by the residents there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n A view from the Onondaga Lake West Trail is seen in Geddes, New York. debra \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Per Reader\u2019s Digest, the legacy of benevolence in Liverpool extends back generations, as the shores of Onondaga Lake were the site of a peace treaty between the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga \u201cI do think there\u2019s a spirit of volunteerism in Liverpool,\u201d Liverpool mayor Stacey Finney told Reader\u2019s Digest. \u201cBecause people love the area they live in, they want to enhance it. You\u2019ve got to love where you live, and invest your time where you live.\u201d<\/p>\n This year\u2019s panel of judges included Today Show co-host Craig Melvin, bestselling author Mitch Albom, and Molly Irani, author and restaurateur from last year\u2019s winning place, Asheville, NC.<\/p>\n Liverpool, home to 2,242 residents, took first place based on its civic spirit of volunteerism, philanthropy, and generosity. Village of Liverpool<\/p>\n Previous winners include Asheville, NC (2025); Provo, UT (2024), and Buffalo, NY (2023).<\/p>\n The 2026 finalists also included Portland, Oregon; Charleston, Arkansas; and Swanville, Minnesota as places of apex nicety. <\/p>\n
and Seneca peoples. <\/p>\n