You sure got that right oldtrader.
Moving into a new neighborhood/ community/rural road and being immediately suspicious of your neighbors and their intentions is perfectly normal in a city where that mindset and attitude are endemic. I've never been so isolated as I was living with thousands of people around me in a city. No community, no trust, everyone suspicious of everyone else, phony smiles and bon homme only if they want something from you.
Folks that have always lived like that can't understand there are still genuinely good people out there. People that care about those around them and whose friendship doesn't come with a price tag.
I'd always planned on moving to such a community for retirement because I'd been raised in a rural environment and wanted that again. The area I'd planned on moving to was a dream for several years, I looked for land, took trips there and spent vacation time there.
Then while hunting last year in a different area I stumbled on a little pace that perfectly met my needs, and was in my price range.
I went to lunch at the local cafe after inspecting the property, turned into a 3 hour visit with the locals. They were open, friendly and welcoming. We just sat there and chatted having coffee. Some left to go back to work, others came in and took their place.
It was like talking to old friends I'd never met.
I walked out into the parking lot and called my broker to make an offer.
I'm in the process of moving in now. I took a load down a and spent the night. We went back to that cafe for breakfast and by the time we left, we'd met several of the locals, been invited to a potluck, had offers of help with moving, met 2 of the largest ranchers in the area and was offered the opportunity to hunt on 15000 acres of private land.
I've lived at my current place for 26 years. I can't tell you the name of the guy that lives just 2 doors down. I've only seen his wife twice, both times as she was driving by.
I served on the local fire department here for 12 years, worked with city planning, went to commission meetings and testified on several issues. I worked with volunteer's sandbagging for floods, searched for lost kids, but as far as friends? I have a lot, but only 1 within city limits.
When I moved in my next door neighbors and I would have bbqs, talk over the fence, I helped them several times when their car wouldn't start or digging out their sidewalks after a storm. They were older folks, and now have died or been moved into nursing homes. The new crop are just as described earlier in this thread. They're " very private" so they want nothing to do with you unless you have something. The one neighbor's son came by to meet us about 2 months after he inherited their house. Yeah he was friendly, because he wanted to buy my house. It seems he wants a bigger yard because his place only has one city lot, mine has 2. Bigger lawn, more prestige.
I really don't care. Washing my hands of this place, but he's going to have to increase his landscaping budget. I'll just be happy to see this town in my rear view mirror.
I'm going back to a community. A place where people care about each other. A simple place where folks take care of each other, work with each other, and actually know their neighbors names.
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.
