neighbors

[forgotten_aria]

For the purpose of this poll, I'm assuming your neighbors were strangers when you moved in. If you have multiple neighbors, take an average.

[Poll #1726541]

Comments

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

For me "almost none" is an improvement over the relationship I had with the next door neighbors when we first moved in. I could consider that "actively hide from them"

[crs.livejournal.com]

I've probably only met my neighbors because of a shared interest in the permit some developer is trying to get for developing something in all our shared backyards...

[frolain.livejournal.com]

The neighbors we share the driveway with welcomed us with a pie when we moved in and they have a snow blower which is awesome for less shoveling. The neighbors on the other side are closer to the barely level, and their in laws who live with them are not so friendly.

[eub.livejournal.com]

I would say (d) but we haven't invited each other over per se. The swing in our cherry tree is very effective at giving us a chance to catch up with the neighbors who have kids!

[cos]

Hmm, depends on the neighbor, but leaving aside the ones I don't know at all and the ones I know socially for reasons other than being neighbors, most of them fall in between two of your categories. "keep civil" seems a bit too cold to describe it. For one thing, I own a unit in a condo-ized three family house, so one set of neighbors are the owners of another unit who I'm in a condo association with, and another set are tenants of the owners of the other unit. Our neighbor relations include condo association stuff, and house stuff sometimes. Also, the tenants, who I have much less of a business relationship with since they're not owners, aren't at the "invite over on occasion" level, but we've given each other baked goods and such, so it's at least a little bit socially friendly. In the next house over is a woman who co-runs the local neighborhood association, which I've been to a bunch of meetings of, so we've discussed neighborhood issues. A couple of doors down on the other side is the woman I rent my garage from. And I've gone canvassing door to door for political candidates in this neighborhood too; with people I don't know, that doesn't form any actual social ties, but for people I recognize who recognize me, it does. So the middle category doesn't quite seem right for a bunch of these neighbors, even though we're not inviting each other over (well, except that the neighborhood association woman has hosted a few neighborhood picnics).

[warlord-mit.livejournal.com]

It has definitely varied. Up in Somerville I really only knew the people living in the other side of my house, and even then it was at most "inviting them over on occation[sic]". For everyone else around it was generally awkward waves or smiles or going over to knock if there's something very wrong.

Here at the condo it's pretty much the awkward waves, except for a few people for whom it's the know them by name and keep civil.

At the new house, where we haven't even moved in yet!!! It's already the "know them by name", and I expect it to quickly get to the "invite them over on occation". It's hard to say at this stage if it'll get to the "have become my friends" stage. Ask me again in about 2 years.

[mathhobbit.livejournal.com]

One of my upstairs neighbors is a roller derby queen by night and a science librarian by day. I've gotten to know both residents of that apartment better while planning a trip to see her compete.

[katybeth]

We haven't really invited our current neighbors over socially, but we chat outside and exchange neighborly favors with several of them.

[blk]

It varies. Two of my neighbors (behind me and next door) who have kids about the age of mine are people I enjoy being around, have their phone number/email, have invited over to my house, and on summer nights have sat around on a deck drinking wine and talking. A couple other neighbors (across the street, and the other side) I have had friendly conversations with over yardwork or so, but nothing else. Other neighbors (behind, diagonal, across the street) I have pretty much no contact with and probably don't even recognize them.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

K plays with the 2 boys across the street and we chat while they're playing, and even exchange holiday cards and stuff.

We've had a joint BBQ rib thing with the neighbors 2 doors down, plus K adores .

We are civil with the neighbors to our back (and have learned their name after 5+ years of calling him "Mr. Tomato Man", even) and to either side. Actually, make that "usually civil"; one of those sets have dogs who go leashless and poop on things, but when we haven't recently dealt with the poop we can be civil.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

er, K adores their teenage daughter.

[cfox.livejournal.com]

You don't have a category for "has used loud conversation with demented and hard-of-hearing mother to hint that he should be more discrete about the drug dealing, but avoids contact otherwise."

[cfox.livejournal.com]

It's hard to average "they moved away but I still have their kids over for playdates" with "occasionally requires me to ponder my moral obligations with respect to reporting crimes." I suspect the professional polls ask about your relationship with your friendliest neighbor for this reason.

[binkbink.livejournal.com]

Would like to have been able to choose all that apply.
- Almost none. We give awkward waves or smiles if we happen to be getting our mail at the same time.
- Know eachother barely. Will go over to knock if there's something very wrong.
- Know them by name, and keep civil, but don't really make and effort to be social.

all apply. Also, I bet there are some who would like to select:
- Openly hostile.
- Having an affair with his wife.
- My neighbor practically lives in my kitchen.
- We double date.
- Our kids play together.
- The last place we lived it was great, but here, we never see them.

I was very close to my neighbours in Canada, but haven't been able to establish the same rapport here.