Do you know and like your neighbors?

[Chubroach]

I just read an interesting article about people (in live in houses) and their neighbors. It surveyed people about if they associated with their neighbors and what they thought about block parties and other social activities to bring people who live in a neighborhood or street together.

The article said according to surveys that the most neighborly people were in the midwest and the south and the people in the northeast had the least to do with their neighbors. Back in the 1960s and 70s when I grew up in Minnesota I lived on a "dead end street" with 14 houses and we knew all the neighbors by name and a good majority had been in our home for a friendly visit. We had two block parties at the end of our street every summer, almost everyone attended and enjoyed themselves.

Move ahead to the year 2004, and we live in Maryland in a street that has 13 houses on a dead end street and we do not know any of our neighbors other than one person. Our next door neighbor is quite outgoing and friendly and he tried to organize a block party and nearly everyone rejected the idea and it was cancelled. Waves and hellos to the neighbors are ignored.

Is it just me or is being friendly to the neighbors not important anymore?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Before I answer, am I talking to the DW (Mary) here, or the DH (Bruce)?

 

[browneyes]

I live surrounded by my SO's family. They're all pretty nosey and like to gossip.

 

[DisneyObsessed]

We are pretty friendly with our neighbors. We always wave or stop and say hello, however some of it is to just keep everything nice. We have a mother across the street who doesn't agree with our ways of parenting and we don't agree with hers. But we don't let it cause any problems. We have an older man across the street who knows everything about everyone, but we've learned not to let it bother us. I don't like confrontation, so I just be nice, and keep the peace.
________________
Dawn

 

[pammypooh]

We live in suburbia, PA and we know and like most of our neighbors. We are especially close to a couple families and go back and forth with them on a regular basis. We look out for each other and each other's kids. I would love to move into a bigger house...but I don't want to leave a neighborhood that I love and risk getting neighbors that are unneighborly. (is that a word?)

Pam

 

[Kimberle]

We have a condo in a small complex. We know several of them. Quite a few do move in/out every year or two.

We have the sweetest little old Jewish couple beneth us. Their son lives with them (abt 35, and a real sweetie and quite handsome, who I wish I had a friend for!!!). This year on Christmas morning, they left Brittany a Christmas gift. I though that was so sweet!!

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

We know and like most of our neighbors. We have lived on a circle for 15 years. Very few houses go on the market on our circle.

We have impromptu get togethers. I do the Halloween party. Our neighbor called NYE at 5:00 and said come on over we're having a block party. We crank up the ice cream makers in the summer. Bring an appetizer it's Friday night party. Our children all play together. We have young neighbors and some are in their 80's.

We've mourned deaths and celebrated births, graduations and marriages on our circle. To mark the 1 year anniversary of 911 our children presented a program in a neighbor's front yard. They wrote out each person's name who died on 911 and put them on poster boards that went completely around our circle. It was quite moving. People from our neighborhood drove or walked around the circle all week.

I think we have been blessed to have found such good neighbors.


Lori

 

[AmazingGrace]

And last time we had the neighbors from the very hot unpleasant place. This time though, we've been blessed with great neighbors. We're there for each other if needed. We're pleasant to each other, but no one is crawling up each other's butts and that's nice.
So, Yeah, I'll say we do get along with our neghbors.
Have a great day!!!

 

[onecoolmama]

Arlight..we get it. You all dont like the North Easterners.

No, I dont know my neighbors. As a matter of fact I live in a private community with a swimming pool and tennis courts and I still dont know my neighbors. I am 27 and they are all in their 40s.

The neighbors that I do know..while extrememly helpful, I find them annoying. They have to stop me everytime I leave my house to talk to me..and I dont wnat to be rude..so I try to show intrest..but I am leaving my house for a reason. I am on my way out. I dont have time to make small talk, I am on my way to pick up my kids or go to visit my grandfather and I am on a time constraint. Since you never know where you might hit traffic you take 15 minutes out of my day to talk to me about a snake in your house and my whole day is thrown off!

If I am not busy, I dont mind. They can even be interesting at times. But I only know those neighbors..and no we are not close.

 

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[Jeafl]

We live in a neighborhood of 40 houses and everybody knows everbody. For the most part, everyone is friendly with each other and we do have a block party and an Easter egg hunt every year. For us personally, we have 3 sets of neighbors that are very close friends and we do many things together, including going on short vacations at times.

 

[tkd lisa]

We live in rural MD, on a street with 5 houses. We all know each other in a friendly type manner. Some of us are closer than others, but when we had our open house, we invited everyone and they all came by, at least for a bit. We bring in mail/papers and take care of pets when we're gone. It's not quite like when I was growing up in Indiana 30 years ago. Then you'd just walk right in to your neighbor's house, and if you were bad, those parents would spank you, just as easily as your own would! But I don't think it's that way anywhere now.

There is a neighborhood of 20 houses across the main road from us, and they have 2 block parties a year. Our street are "honorary" members and get invited too. It's pretty nice.

 

[Big V]

I walk the dog three times a day around a two block area of my house and sometimes it takes me an hour just to walk those two blocks because everyone likes to chit chat! I'd really hate to move.

 

[holycow]

I only know 1 neighbor and it is because she has a granddaughter that comes to visit and she and my DD have a great time...other than that...my neighbor is a macho jerk on the one side I've personally had him speak to me 2 times since living here 3 years now...1 time to tell me there were copper head snakes in our back yard and not to let our children play out there...(I've yet to see any snakes) and also to have him tell me that he caught a dog on his property and if I heard a gun shot it was him killing the dog!...I was so shocked I couldn't say anything! I wanted to go and untie the dog but he did yard work all day until the animal services came...

Oh, and hey we live in the south!...I've met people who said hi who were more friendly than some of those people I have to associate with in other aspects of my life!

Holycow

(who wants to move real bad!)

 

[monkeyboy]

Know and like my neighbors

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

I know and like my neighbors (and I live in the Northeast.) When we first moved in we didn't really know anyone. Our neighbors across the street brought us a box of cookies from an area bakery to welcome us to the neighborhood.

We were the ones to initiate a neighborhood block party. Now I know all of the people on my street. We hang out with a whole bunch of them. We have porch parties at one neighbor's house when the weather is nice. We go out to dinner together and we have girl's night out for the ladies.

New Year's day we had a brunch in our house. A whole bunch of the people in attendance were our neighbors.

These are people I could count on in emergencies. If one of us is stuck we know that we could call each other to watch our kids. We have done that upon occasion when we are not able to get home in time to meet the school bus.

I would hate to leave this neighborhood.

 

[aprilgail2]

All my neighbors are great...the ones right next door have come over every day to see my daughter from the day she was born...the other side is a very nice couple who moved in a year ago, people across the street really nice...all the type that we exchange house keys with in case of emergancys. We have a block party every year....I live in NY

 

[mickeyboat]

I also know and like my neighbors. We have get-togethers several times per year, we take care of one another's children and buy Christmas presents for each other's children. Everyone leads busy lives and it requires a lot of time to foster good relationships with neighbors. But it is worth it in the long run to come home to a place where you enjoy spendng time with those around you.

Denae

 

[chager]

When I was growing up there used to be block parties and all the neighbors were very friendly. Cards were passed for births,deaths, hospital stays, etc. Well my parents still live in the same house and the street has changed over the last several years. Due to death and divorce several people have left and the new folks just aren't that nice . Gone are the days of watching out for each other and get togethers. My family lives about 3 miles away and for the most part we don't know alot of our neighbors. I am friends with about 3 people on our street and know abut 4 others but not well enough to call them friends. Our little group of moms get together about every other Saturday for a Bible study and sometimes during the week to chat. I am really close to one of them becuase we have alot in common. Unfortunately Nick is the oldest of the children by 5 years and the kids closest to his age are all 4-5 year old girls! My husband will not associate with any of the neighbors though He isn't comfortable around anyone he doesn't know. (Yes, I have tried to explain that if you don't meet them then you will never know them and he could be missing out.) He would just as well live in the middle of nowhere without any neighbors
Oh, I am in Central Ohio.

 

[kasar]

We live in the perfect neighborhood for us. Having grown up in a large, neighborhood and experiencing all the good and bad that goes with that (yes, fun parties and friendly neighbors but also overbearing, gossipy types too) I knew that a big neighborhood wasn't for me. We live on a small, 8 house cul-de-sac where the folks are friendly and polite, we share keys and cups of sugar, we get together every once in a while but, for the most part, keep to ourselves and our busy lives. It's the best of both worlds - friends you can rely on but some family privacy as well.