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.
I do not want to live in a place where the neighbors are into my business, but I also do not want to live on a street, like I currently do, that no one knows anyone and even a simple wave is ignored. There has to be something in between.
I lived in a town of 40,000 people in the Midwest when I was growing up and remember the street I lived on with fondness. I lived on a dead end street with 14 houses and knew everyone. Sure my parents liked some people more than others but they felt comfortable with everyone. Twice each summer we all met in a big picnic at the end of the street and sat, ate and talked for hours. We also had a number of informal conversations with our neighbors on a regular basis. Though we still had our privacy.
Now I live in a suburban area in the Northeast and also on a dead end street about the same size but no one talks. Attempts at pleasant greetings have been met by stares and angry looks.
Is there anyplace left like my street I grew up on anymore? Or did that die with disco?
Now I live in a suburban area in the Northeast and also on a dead end street about the same size but no one talks. Attempts at pleasant greetings have been met by stares and angry looks.
Dead end, suburban, Northeast here and we're a very friendly bunch - we hang out and I know everyone. I've found that since we all moved in at the same time it was more condusive to meeting the neighbors, especially since MOST of us had children around the same age. Children are a great tool for meeting people ...
I grew up in a very urban area - houses on top of one another, and I could maybe name 4 families on the block - no-one really knew or tried to know each other, so that's what I was familiar with. Knowing and being friendly with my neighbors was a bit unnerving at first, quite frankly.
The key to finding a friendly, community-esque neighborhood is to find an area that excels in all the components of civil society: voters, home owners, church-goers, families. The problem is the region in which you live. Too many singles, too many renters, too many secular folks, etc. Come to the midwest or south and I think you're whole disposition--and lifestyle--will change favorably. I love Denver so much because it has a very high rate of home ownership--you can be sure that your neighbors won't change from month to month. It also hase a very family-friendly atmosphere that encourages marriage and child-bearing and the rest of it. And it also has one of the highest church-going rates in the country. And, not surprisingly, I find most neighborhoods tremendously friendly no matter the socio-economic status.
Sorry...but you are in the Northeast...going to be hard pressed to find a neighborhood like that. Sure there are some, but they are few and far between. Most people like to keep to themselves. I left the northeast with my family to find that kind of place you are talking about. I found it in the south. We are having a neighborhood BBQ this weekend! I cannot wait. I wish you luck with your neighbors and hope they come around for you!
The neighborhood we moved out of in Palm Desert, CA was very nice. pretty much all of the neighbors were friends and everyone threw parties and invited everyone else. We also had what we called the Dinner Club, where every month a different neighbor would plan a dinner at a restaurant. We would first meet at that neighbors' house and have cocktails and appetizers and then head out to the restaurant, which would be kept a secret until it was time to leave.
We moved out of state and now we are moving back to Palm Desert - next week, as a matter of fact! We have remained in contact with our neighbors and we consider them to be among our dearest friends.
We were crazy to have ever moved from there in the first place, but we are SO glad to be moving back!!!
Champaign, IL was probably the least friendly town I have ever lived in. Even when we lived in an area with more 'townies', people were not very friendly.
Of the four neighborhoods in the Denver area, the one I am in now is the friendliest. The 'hood in Lafayette was the worst. We went to one church here where NO ONE spoke to us after the service. We never went back.
Albany NY was a very friendly place. Friendly neighborhood, generally friendly area.
So I don't think it's the part of the country. It's just serendipity whether you wind up in a friendly or unfriendly neighborhood.
My neighborhood is pretty friendly.
We have our own neighborhood watch and try to take care of each other.
There have been times when I needed help moving something and the ladies of the neighborhood have always been the ones to send their husband over...like right before Hurricane Charlie, my neighbor sent her husband over to help me with whatever I needed.
Its a nice neighborhood for children to play in as well, cul de sacs in places where they are safer to play.
I don't know that people are close enough to be up in your business though...
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.
...
