Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Our back yard is fenced, as are all of the back yards in our neighborhood. There's a retaining wall at the back of my yard that's 4 feet high, with a six foot privacy fence on top of that. I like having the fence that tall, except when it's time to replace a board. The neighbor behind me has a dog that always has to pop one board off so he has a window to look into my yard, which I don't mind (I give him treats when I give my dogs treats) but my neighbor has a fit every time there's a board missing and won't admit that it's her dog causing the damage.
I remember when I was a kid that the back yards in my mom's neighborhood weren't fenced, so we had a huge open area to run and play. The idea of kids staying in their own yards wasn't something that crossed any kid's mind. Then people started putting up fences around their yards, maybe because they were tired of the kids running everywhere, or because they wanted to get a dog.
Pretty much a necessity in my area because it is REALLY, REALLY HARD to train the cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens to voluntarily stay in their own pastures. Some people do manage to keep their dogs in using "invisible fence".
I did see a lone young cow walking along the side of the road, headed in to town on the main road about a mile from the sole traffic light in our county a few weeks ago. Some folks stopped and tried to capture her and they were not having an easy time of it.
When it's a whole herd just about every stops their vehicles and gets out and helps round them up.
Here in SoCal fences are pretty much standard. In the typical developments block walls are very common, but other types of fences do exist. We live in a semi-rural community where there are larger properties, and block wall fencing is less common, but you still find fences since many people have animals. About 1/2 of our property is fenced, the rest is not.
We also have a home in north Idaho in a fairly rural area. Fences are not as common there, but some do have them. With a larger property there is more of a tendency to fence specific areas for certain purposes - vegetable gardens are all fenced to keep the deer out, pastures will be fenced for livestock. It's less common to fence your entire property.
I would put up a ten foot block wall around my house if I could. The backyard is fully fenced, but it's old and needs reinforcement in some spots to keep my beagle in. The fence is taller than six feet in some spots, but because the yard is tiered, at the back of the yard it's only about four feet tall. We just bought the house and eventually want to replace the fence. It will require some discussions with the neighbors. However, we don't currently have thousands of dollars burning a whole in our pockets so we will make do. LOL
I'm in Western South Dakota and fences are common. In my experience, it tends to depend on individual neighborhoods. A lot of HOA's don't allow fences or are very restrictive on type of fencing allowed. The newer, more exclusive (snooty) areas tend to look down on fences. They are not the areas for me, even if I could afford it.
In the city of Chicago fences in the front are very common but it seems to go block by block. One block will be all fenced in and another one will have little if any fencing. Black wrought-iron style fencing is most common. Almost every back yard is fenced.
All back yards are fenced in every area of SoCal I've ever lived in. My current house has a block wall at the back and wooden fences on both sides. The HOA is particular about the type of fencing which is allowed (i.e. no chain link or picket fences), but there absolutely has to be a fence.
It boggles my mind that in some places, suburban yards have no fences. I can't imagine raising little children or having dogs in a house with no fenced yard. It just seems completely impractical and even unsafe. We even have friends in another state who finally gave their dog away because there was no way to let it out of the house unless it was leashed.
It is hit and miss here in Miami, depends on the neighborhood.
I like fences, I want my house to be surrounded by an eight foot tall wall, like many of the higher price houses down here have.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
