Being Neighborly?

[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.