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Old 02-29-2016, 03:14 PM
 
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I've lived all over the country and in most places, you can't sell a house without a fence. In most subdivisions, the builder puts them in before the homes are sold. But in Minnesota, fences are considered somehow offensive. And I've found that many homeowner's associations put severe restrictions on fencing. Why is this? Does it have something to do with snow buildup?
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Old 02-29-2016, 03:56 PM
 
Location: MN
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It has less to do with snow build up and more to do with how the neighbors "feel." I remember as a kid my parents wanted some backyard privacy and when they put up the fence all the neighbors congregated, watched, and whispered amongst themselves like a bunch of middle school gossipers. Then they snubbed us (eye roll).

People can get overly sensitive about the slightest things with houses and backyard in Minnesota. I also think it's weird, especially since kids often cut across other people's backyards to get home faster from the bus stop. Sometimes neighbors dislike it, and then remark on the goodness of their grass and I think "why don't you put up a fence?" It's weird.

We do have people who call the cops on you if you have a bird feeder the neighbors don't like. I've also heard of neighbors cutting other people's vines growing in their yards, but were "concerned" about it invading their space. LOL. Sometimes, you just gotta laugh at the absurdity of it all. Everything I mentioned has happened.
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Old 02-29-2016, 05:19 PM
 
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it's funny. i moved from MN to a place where everyone has fences, 6ft high fences, vinyl or cinder block and i think that is odd. guess it's just a regional thing. as far as the HOA, the one i'm in now requires a fence if you don't landscape your back yard (and many don't landscape their back yard, which i find really odd).
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Old 02-29-2016, 05:49 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by old fed View Post
it's funny. i moved from MN to a place where everyone has fences, 6ft high fences, vinyl or cinder block and i think that is odd. guess it's just a regional thing. as far as the HOA, the one i'm in now requires a fence if you don't landscape your back yard (and many don't landscape their back yard, which i find really odd).
I think it's a cultural thing. Minnesotans are in tune with nature. Fences represent the greediness of man, staking claim to his land. At least, that's how I used to think, growing up there. Now I rather like having a fence (living outside of MN)!
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Old 02-29-2016, 06:35 PM
 
Location: Bel Air, California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Campeador View Post
I think it's a cultural thing. Minnesotans are in tune with nature. Fences represent the greediness of man, staking claim to his land. At least, that's how I used to think, growing up there. Now I rather like having a fence (living outside of MN)!
weird, I put one up to keep my dogs in the yard
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Old 02-29-2016, 07:04 PM
 
Location: Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne
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I find that fences symbolize people wanting to watch my beer gut jiggle as I mow the lawn in my underwear.

But seriously, the notion that Minnesotans don't like fences because they are more in tune with nature is tosh.

Also. Minnesota is far from the only place where unfenced yards are common. It is largely a midwest thing, in general (it is the norm in Ohio, for example, and common as far east as Pennsylvania and western New York) though you also find it in places with large properties where sheer acreage obviates the necessity of barriers for the sake of privacy.
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Old 02-29-2016, 08:52 PM
 
Location: Twin Cities
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It's a suburban thing where they want to feel like they're out in the country. We have fences in the city.
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Old 02-29-2016, 09:58 PM
 
Location: MSP
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I've lived in Minnesota, North Dakota, Indiana and Michigan. Fences weren't the norm in any of those places. Though, since we have dogs, we've always had fences.

There are areas in neighborhoods closer to the downtown areas where fences are absolutely the norm — but I think in the suburbs since most of the development was focused on fast and cheap (the same reason so many homes in new developments have sliding-glass doors leading to where a deck will be built "eventually") the builders just haven't done it. My wife and I built our fence (we live in Blaine, but not in one of the developments) after we bought the home, because the inventory of homes with fences was very limited, and some of the HOAs only allowed 4-foot fences. A fence is a must for us because we have two very large (but very well behaved) dogs.
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Old 02-29-2016, 10:23 PM
 
Location: I am right here.
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Very few have fences in my neighborhood. I do not. The reason is my house is next to a pond. If I put up a fence, it would block the neighbors' view of the pond. Plus, it was GREAT having wide open spaces in the back yards when the kids were younger...all the kids could go from yard to yard playing.
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Old 02-29-2016, 11:02 PM
 
429 posts, read 1,144,990 times
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Thanks everyone! Good thoughts all around.
Before I started this thread I asked a few friends the same question. One said it was because fences don't hold up well in Minnesota because of the weather and they can look shabby after a few years. Another said it was because the snow melts and can puddle up against a fence, causing a problem for a next door neighbor that's a bit uphill from you. Does that ring a bell with anyone? I guess I'm wondering if there's a practical reason for the HOA rules that limit fences.
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