Being Neighborly?

[K9karen]

I think that's sad. You don't have to live at a neighbor's house, but an acknowledgement with a wave or hello, isn't too much to ask.

I've lived here for over 35 years so the area changed a lot. Now with a younger crowd, racially mixed (I think that's a factor with friendliness... IMO.. that nobody is better than anyone else) my block is awesome. All single homes, so you're not on top of each other, but you can easilly walk onto someone else's yard. The kids are respectful. They help some elderly couples with snow shoveling, planting etc. We, and others also shovel the whole block if we start first. Someone else may follow up. We may not know everyone's name, but a car honk hello and a wave is constant. I am super friendly with my one neighbor and we borrow things, go out, take each other to doctor appointments, etc. We also have a gay couple, mixed race, newly married, LOTS of dogs. Even the folks who live on another block or around the corner and walk their dogs, stop and say hello if I'm outside.

I didn't mean to go on and on. I really think I'm blessed. I don't know how much longer I'll be here, whatever the reason, but this little 'ole block, rocks!

[k9krazee]

We live between a rental house and an apartment complex, so our neighbors are always changing. Before the house became a rental we were really close with them, and still get together with that family from time to time. Over the years we've had a few really cool neighbors and a few bad.

We live in a small town though and my Dad usually goes all out with the Halloween and Christmas decorations, but has been slacking the last year or two. We were downtown the other day getting ice cream and some lady asked why our house wasn't decorated like usual. We had no idea who she is, but people in town seem to know us.

At the cabin where I stayed the last two summers it's crazy neighbor friendly. The neighbors have been the same since my Grandpa built the cabin though and their kids grew up with my Dad and his siblings. They'd invite me for dinner every Sunday and a few of their grandkids would visit and hang out with me. Even walking around the lake everybody will say hello and want to chat.

[Scooter's Mom]

Growing up I knew all the neighbors for about 40 houses down either side of the road... which ended up being about the whole block! I loved that street. I still talk to most of them on Facebook. Where I live now, I talk to three of the neighbors and do waves and head nods at the rest.

Where my first husband and I lived, we knew just about all the neighbors. It was so friendly... but that is one huge difference between Texas and Arizona. Texas folk are friendlier.

[Catherinedana]

I don't know any of my neighbors. We live in a small city with a street full of houses but do not interact with anyone. We used to speak with the man across the street and his family (my husband did, mostly) but he had to move when the house he rented went into foreclosure. I've tried being friendly, but most folks are non-responsive. My next door neighbors are a bit reclusive and look horrified if I speak to them. The house on the other side of us has been vacant for 4 years (some sort of nasty divorce thing). Many of the people on our block are renters and do not care to interact with the homeowners - don't seem to have much in common with my neighbors as well. I'm not super-friendly, but I do like to chat from time to time and wave hello, but this is not the place for it, it seems. I do my socializing off my block and in some ways thats ok, but I always have concern that if we needed help quickly we would have nowhere to turn. I grew up in a big city and the people were friendlier there than they are here (in NYC, as a matter of fact). We even had a sense of community on the express bus that I rode in to work when I lived on Staten Island. You saw the same people every day and inevitably made certain friendships. So much for nasty NY'ers!

[popcornbird]

I think apartment living vs. house living has a lot to do with how well you know your neighbors. My parents live in a lovely neighborhood, and we know ALL of the neighbors on that street. Most of them are very friendly, and everyone knows each other at a personal level. Its really nice.

I was used to being close to neighbors growing up, and it was a big shock to me when I got married and moved into an apartment. Its really hard to see the neighbors in an apartment complex because there are no garages and no front yards to sit in and relax. We never see anyone, and its incredibly hard to have any idea who your neighbors are. I guess everyone just opens their front door when they want to go out, and you just never get to see them or get to know them. I really miss the friendly neighborhood environment, and still enjoy meeting the neighbors when I go to my parents' place. Close neighborhoods are nice, and generally feel safe because you know there's always someone out there looking out for you and your home.