How Has Your Street Changed In The Last Ten Years? (Springfield: cul-de-sac, HOA)

[Caladium]

For those of you who have lived on the same street (or neighborhood) for ten or more years--what changes have you seen since 2001 (if any)?

Just a few changes (maybe 2-3 houses painted a different color, or a fence put up). Or, something bigger like sidewalks being added, new stores arriving, or maybe a new house being built?

Or.... something dramatically different?

[CAVA1990]

More small kids now in my neighborhood. A lot of older folks have moved to retirement homes and passed their homes to kids with grandkids.

[Caladium]

I haven't actually lived on my street for ten years yet, but I've always had a few friends here so I've been around more than ten years--certainly long enough to see some changes.

The big change is the landscaping! The trees have grown an incredible amount. I was looking at photos from 2001 this morning (that's what inspired this thread) and it's hard to believe that the big trees we have now were once these skinny saplings. Holly bushes that are now two stories high were once 2 feet high. Etc.

Over the last decade the houses haven't changed much, although a few decks have gone up. Ten years ago there were a couple of outdoor hot tubs that have since been removed.

A few blocks down the street, a large cell phone tower was built. It looks kind of dorky in this photo but from the walkway in front of the 55+ condos across the street I think it looks cool.



Our shopping plaza bucked tradition and actually gained a few mom-and-pop businesses when some chain stores closed. Mokomandy, a Korean-Cajun restaurant, is my new favorite spot.

Ten years ago we had quite a few Indian families and babies. It seemed like every month there was another baby shower. Now three of the Indian families have moved out and two Eastern European families have moved in, as well as a couple from Moscow. The babies are now starting to become young teens. So, scooters have disappeared and we have lots of football and soccer games in the street.

[Kembek]

In the last 10 years my neighbor two doors down still has not mowed his back yard, so I guess there's been no change. It astonishes me.

[Pandoras]

Originally Posted by Caladium

For those of you who have lived on the same street (or neighborhood) for ten or more years--what changes have you seen since 2001 (if any)?

Just a few changes (maybe 2-3 houses painted a different color, or a fence put up). Or, something bigger like sidewalks being added, new stores arriving, or maybe a new house being built?

Or.... something dramatically different?

I have seen a sharp increase in children, dogs, and tasteful concrete statuary. Many of the garden gnomes have been replaced with concrete pineapples. The home colors have not changed at all, and we are all stuck in colonial revival due to the strict HOA rules. Many of the original home owners have sold their homes and retired. Many of my infamous neighbors have moved out, which saddens me because I think they livened up the neighborhood and gave it some character.

Basically, less garden gnomes means less fun.

[tgbwc]

Our houses were all built around 1969 (W. Springfield). We have been here a little more than 2 years, but from what I understand the street now has many more younger families and there are a lot more kids running around. A good number of houses have been update in the past few years.

[michgc]

In the exactly 10 1/2 years that I have lived on my street, no one has moved! We have the exact same residents as when we moved in here except for my three kids who were not yet born. There are only 5 houses on my small cul-de-sac so it's easy for there not to be much change. We got our street paved and a new fire hydrant put in. The trees have grown taller and a few have fallen down. Two neighbors added sheds to their yards. Other than those small changes, it looks pretty much exactly the same as the day we moved in.

ETA: I forgot about our animal friends. Our dog died two years ago, so it's a bit quieter in the neighborhood. Our neighbors got a dog. There may be a new cat or two - I cannot keep track of them.

[IndiaLimaDelta]

The most noticeable are: more kids, more neighbors of South Asian origin, fewer and slower turnovers among home owners. Sorry, I haven't lived at the same place quite ten years, but getting close.

[normie]

Ten years ago my neighborhood had fewer homes and was more of a middle class area. As the years have passed we've gone upscale. The homes have gotten bigger and pricier (my neighbors would scream if they knew how little we paid for our house way back when ). A few years ago Donald Trump bought the golf course and "fancied it up" quite a bit. I'm not quite sure what that means (if anything).

There are fewer cars on the street. Ten years ago we had a lot of Hummers parked on the street (they were too big for garage stalls, I guess). These days the few that you see are more likely to be BMWs or Hybrids.

We had our first big crime a few years ago (not quite in our neighborhood but close enough to affect us. It was a huge deal in an area that's considered low to no crime). Some teens had a party when the parents were out of town, a fight broke out and a kid got shot. It was quite shocking. Then, during Snowmaggedon, a neighbor was out of town and a tree fell into his garage. Nobody knew how to contact him.

As a result of these two events we're chummier. By which I mean we've made a point of getting to know each other better. Before, I knew 3-4 of the neighbors but didn't know others. Now we do more neighborhood get togethers and send neighborhood e-mails. I hope the trend continues, but we'll see. Sometimes these things die down over time.

We have more parents who work from home now, which also leads to more neighborhood activities I guess. When we moved in there was a neighborhood book club, a monthly mom's night out, and a Bible study. Ten years later, and the Bible study has disappeared. The mom's night out has become a wine tasting party in each others' homes. We've added a neighborhood jam session and a crafts group. Only the book club remains unchanged. I guess we're becoming artsier as time is passing.

[SallyField]

Our neighborhood has really changed in the past 10 years. A lot of turnover and it is mostly young families moving in and replacing elderly long-time and original owners.

When we moved in, a little less than 10 years ago, there were 5 kids in our cul-de-sac. We didn't have any kids ourselves. Now there are 19(!) kids in our cul-de-sac, several of them ours . Most arrived by moving. Ours arrived by making. Lots of little ones -- all but 2 on our street are under 8 years old.

And the rest of the neighborhood has seen a similar shift. It has really changed the dynamic of the neighborhood parties, and for the more fun, I think. Moon bounces are a huge hit.