How many acres would one have to own for NOT to be impolite not to know your neighbors? (apartments, houses)

[surfer778]

36? 80? 100? 1,000?


Submit your answer below! May the odds ever be in your favour.

[jakabedy]

I live in a neighborhood that is heavily wooded, and everyone has 3-5 acres. Driveways are long, and some houses (mine included) can't be seen from the street. There also don't seem to be a lot of folks with school-age kids in the area. We've been here almost six years and I have not met any of the four neighbors contiguous to our property. I have met the neighbor across the street, and three other random people in the neighborhood.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

If it is about knowing neighbors (guessing?), I had 240 acres and knew all my neighbors. The cattle ranchers out east of here with 10,000 acre ranches know all their neighbors.

I suspect it is in the very crowded houses, like apartments in the big cities, where people don't know their neighbors.

[chris410]

Originally Posted by jakabedy

I live in a neighborhood that is heavily wooded, and everyone has 3-5 acres. Driveways are long, and some houses (mine included) can't be seen from the street. There also don't seem to be a lot of folks with school-age kids in the area. We've been here almost six years and I have not met any of the four neighbors contiguous to our property. I have met the neighbor across the street, and three other random people in the neighborhood.

We live in a very similiar type neighborhood and have only been there for a year and a half and made it our goal to meet as many of the neighbors as possible. Is it harder then a conventional neighborhood, sure is. But taking the dog for the walk around the neighborhood on nice days and your bound to meet someone.

[jtur88]

In Texas, ranchers who own many thousands of acres absolutely know the owners of their adjacent lands, very well, sometimes better than they want to. But in my apartment building of eight units, I don't know the last names of anybody else who lives in my building, and the first names of only a few, and half of them I don't even recognize on sight.

[Toxic Toast]

I live in an urban neighborhood on the near east side of Indianapolis, and I know most of my neighbors. I even know the guy across the alley from me.

[Randomstudent]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

I suspect it is in the very crowded houses, like apartments in the big cities, where people don't know their neighbors.

That would be correct. It is also the fact that in apartments people tend to come and go a lot so there is rarely a permanent connection to the community. I don't have a clue about most of the folks who live in my apartment building.

[SonySegaTendo617]

I only know the people who live directly east and west of my apartment building, and one person across the alley from my building is in, due to the fact I repeatedly see him from time to time when going to my car. Also, I once helped shovel right outside of his driveway and the path right by his garbage cans to the alley during the February 2011 Chicago blizzard(since I needed a place to dump the snow into, and I was struggling to find a place to dump the snow into. and his garage is directly across the alley from my garage), and I've gotten on good terms with him since. Live on the far north side of Chicago, btw.

[eschaton]

What do you define as knowing your neighbors?

I might be biased, because I grew up in New England, but I don't think you're required to know neighbors no matter how little property you have. You're required to not act as if they don't exist if you see them, maybe smile and nod, but that's about it. You certainly never have to invite them over or anything.

[tahiti]

I grew up in an "Archie Bunker" type neighborhood (in other words, you can reach out your window and touch the house next door) and I didn't know some of my neighbors and I lived there 18 years. Now I have much more land and know everyone. shrug.