As southeast Minnesotans, we know that our area of the state is pretty awesome. But there's a study that proves that we've got some of the best and most friendly towns in the entire state.

Southeast Minnesota's Top 'Up-and-Coming' Small City

Not only that, but we also have one that's being called an 'up-and-coming small city'. That's according to a study done by Real Estate Witch, where they list the small towns and small cities across the US that are "most likely to attract Americans in 2025".

They looked at "housing prices, population age, educational attainment, unemployment, and more" to determine the rankings. Based on the study, one of the top up-and-coming small cities in the US is none other than Rochester!

READ MORE: Two Minnesota Cities Among Best 'Up-And-Coming' US Cities

Rochester, however, did not make Nextdoor's list of the top 10 friendliest places in Minnesota.

Most Friendly Towns in Southeast Minnesota

It appears that these rankings from Nextdoor are based on Nextdoor reviews. Based on all of the reviews, they compiled their final list of the friendliest places to live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Let's start at the southeast Minnesota town that comes in at number 9. That would be Stewartville.

Nextdoor ranked Stewartville's friendliness at 95/100. They say that Stewartville is a "peaceful, family-friendly town known for its clean environment and welcoming community." They also write:

It's a safe place where Nextdoor Neighbors appreciate the quiet atmosphere and dog-friendly parks. It's a pleasant place to live, loved for its neighborly spirit.

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Up next, we're jumping all the way up to the 2nd most friendly town in Minnesota, which is Dodge Center.

Nextdoor ranked the town's friendliness at 98/100 and said that Dodge Center is a "peaceful, rural town known for its friendly atmosphere and family-oriented community." They also write:

Nextdoor Neighbors appreciate the town's safety and the abundant wildlife, making it a charming place to live.

And finally, ranking as the number one most friendly place to live in Minnesota is Austin!

They got a perfect score of 100/100 on the friendliness scale. Nextdoor writes that Austin is a "friendly, community-oriented town known for being the home of Hormel Foods." They also write:

Nextdoor Neighbors appreciate its peaceful atmosphere and family-friendly parks. It's a safe place where people look out for each other and dogs are welcome.