We have a private Facebook page! I set it up with a neighbor. We all post and use it for everything. We post questions, weather, invites and anything at all. We love it.

www.nextdoor.com is wonderful check it out

There is only 4 of us on a private road. I have 2 of the neighbors email. It is just used for if something unusual happens or we notify the neighbor next door when we are going away on vacation. There is a facebook group for the area around us for local happenings.

We have a Facebook group that includes several nearby subdivisions. It is good for changes in trash pick up or activities at the pool and for lost dogs. But residents walk for exercise or walk their dogs; we often stop and chat. If you are out working in the yard, someone will stop and talk. Or the young couple pushing the baby carriage will go by on the sidewalk and stop to say hello. If you are working in the garage on a project you might get a visitor. Several of us use the same yard guy and we will collect money to pay him if someone is not going to be home on his day. Very friendly community of retirees and young working couples, some with small children.

My neighborhood is made up of mainly retirees who hang out together and gossip. Hard to join into the clique, not even sure I want to but don't want to appear snotty

We live in a neighborhood where at 78 I am the youngest male. My wife and I spend time visiting them, or helping the with small projects. When it snows, our oldest son comes to our area and cleans all three of our driveways.

We have two neighborhoods. Our main neighborhood is in farmland so we're spread out. My closest neighbors and I keep in touch using Facebook messenger and for the further out we use a Facebook group and www.nextdoor.com

Our vacation home is part of an association with over 400 vacation cabins. We have a monthly newsletter sent out by the office staff - just arrived in my inbox - and a private members-only Facebook page as well as a woman who is a retired newspaper reporter who writes a weekly e-mail. She also provides a phone list so we can call or text. While we're up there if we want to have conversation face-to-face all we need to do is be outside or out walking the dog. Everyone has something to share when you're out and about.

To Lisa Osborn. You should allow these people the pleasure of your company.

You might find out that actually have brains and have more to talk about than gossip.

My immediate neighbors are fantastic. We have group dinner, cook outs or brunches every three months to stay in touch. We help each other out if someone goes out of town. It is really one neighbor who organized all of this and I am blessed to be on this street. I currently live in Georgia.

The rest of my community is wonderful too, I live in a town with about 5000 residents. Perhaps because it has golf courses connected to it, it offers a way to meet and connect with others. Golf, Tennis, Bocce, fitness classes, walking groups, biking, boating (sailing) , kayaking, and fishing...I have only been in this new place for 6 months. But I am so fortunate to have found this treasure.

My last neighborhood was wonderful too but it was up north and very cold. (north of Boston) Cold weather keeps people inside and not as social until the snow melts. The community of neighbors up north was mostly connected through our children, sports, schools, church etc.. While it was not as social as where I live now, we had some lovely neighbors that we could rely on in a crisis. And they could rely on us too. Each neighborhood I have lived in, we made an effort to meet our neighbors and connect with them. Life can be tough (loss of loved ones, cancer, job stress, new baby,...) and when you have connections with your neighbors and friends it helps to tackle whatever comes your way. Sometimes all it takes is a knock on the door and a batch of cookies to say hi and make a start.

To mystifiedme: What makes you assume that Lisa Osborn has not tried to reach out to these people. Your statement presumes that Lisa is the one with the problem. Perhaps next time you could phase your statement more like: Lisa, have you tried diverting their attention to happy conversation, maybe they just need some good company to get them off the gossip. See how different that sounds.

Our mail person keeps us in touch with our neighbors. He is really bad at his job, so everyone gets mail for their neighbors. We then have to exchange the misdelivered Mail to neighbors.

Church every Sunday, Bone Builders twice a week, my coffee group once a week, my quilting group once a week, Senior Citizens Club, Meals on Wheels and texting or phone calls in between. We live in a tiny town, but it is easy to keep in touch if you want to.

Cocktails on the beach every Wednesday at 5!

We live deep in the woods. Our neighbors are mostly birds and squirrels, with the occasional herd of white tail deer and the very rare appearance of a cute little fox. I have some Facebook friends and we also keep in touch via email. We have house guests a few times a year to stay in touch with close friends and family. In summer we drive 10 miles to the beach and the bustling boardwalk. We are actually very busy still finishing our house. A few interior doors to hang, a banquette to build and faux beams for the great room for starters. Overall we are happy with our new downsized, 1 level 3200 sf home.

Almost everyone in our rural subdivision (lots of 1 to 15 acres) have dogs. No leash laws here and everyone walks their dog(s) at least once a day. It's very hard not to run into several neighbors every day.

We use nextdoor.com also! I live in a rather large subdivision. It's an older neighborhood (70's) so not too many kids. I am planning a small gathering for families with younger kids so our kids get to know one another!

In another neighborhood years ago, we started a wine club for the ladies. We rotate as hosts, and once a month we brought food and drinks to each other's house. The men got to babysit that night. Some of the men with older kids got together that night also while the kids played in the other room. (We had a homeowner association with board members who wouldn't do anything. We spent one wine-club night thinking up ways to take over, successfully, the association.)

I live in a small subdivision which is laid out oddly so its actually hard to see our neighbors so we have a 'homeowners association' which is actually a social group, they plan monthly get togethers at residents houses and group garage sales every year and a big Christmas party. Its pretty cool.

Well, it is a bit old fashion but we walk across the street and talk,, rake leaves or shovel snow ,chain saw fallen trees, or pick produce...we have fire pit parties, share our yards for weddings, or events..closing the street. Random parties and get togethers.. many generations ,, 20 or more years and many generations. Blessed..

Usually through email or texting, plus casual chats when we pass by dog walking

Since the last time I responded to this thread a couple of us on our local Facebook group decided to start a monthly meet and greet at our only eating/drinking establishment in our zip code. So, the first Saturday of every month we all get together and this past Saturday we had 5 times the amount of people that we had the first two times. Now, since the bar is starting to have horseshoe tournaments two neighbors who have farms are inviting us to their yards and we're going to bring food to share.

That’s wonderful . Congratulations on the effort you and your friends have made to make your community a friendlier and happier place.

A neighbor just posted on nextdoor a regular Sunday night Passeggiatta in a central park. I can't wait to stroll and chat with the neighbors.

I live in a small suburb approx 70 homes. 1 third are acreage blocks on the opposite side of the road and my home looks over them, awesome. I have the beauty and tranquillity without the work. I and my family don't socialise much with our very very odd neighbours, we just don't seem to 'fit'. I love the area so I'm staying put. At 65 and 3 country moves Im done moving. Born in Rhodesia - now Zimbabwe, moved to South Africa -Govt change again - moved to Queensland Australia. I'm sure we are not the only ones who have done this journey.

I started a book club several years ago with the neighbours on the street. It is a huge hit if I say so myself. We now share a common history of the 50 plus books we have read. Lots of inside jokes.

it snows on everyone's property at the same time, and our town has a bylaw that we have 8 hours to clear snow from the sidewalks. we tend to all be outside right after.

everyone has leaves, no bylaw on them so its a mixed bag.

everyone has to mow their lawn SO WE HAVE TO TALK REALLY LOUD TO VISIT THEN.

the dog owners are well known, and if you stare them down they clean up the poop their dog just left in the grass strip between the sidewalk and street. then and only then do they get a smile and a wave.

our street used to have a block party each september but the family who organized it every year moved back to Canada.

mostly all the single family houses know each other, and the duplex/condo-ized houses don't. no idea why that is. they are all owners.

Our faux historic development (we abut a true 1880's National Registry Historic neighborhood) is a brightly colored (no houses painted the same) and part of the inner city of Tucson. Within two walking miles we can reach dozens of restaurants, most of the museums and art galleries, and the University campus, plus theaters and concert halls. Our neighborhood has its own listserv, with about 96% participation and the historic neighborhood has its own listserv. Both are extremely active. Not a day goes by that we aren't aware that a coyote is walking the streets or someone's packages were stolen off the porches or someone is having a porch party or the annual home show is happening. Often there will be a msg offering up garden produce or asking to borrow a tool or someone needs a ride or packing boxes, whatever. People walk their pets, ride their bikes, walk to the electric street car or meet up for yoga or a coffee. Pretty terrific. In my specific development (all solar houses) the inner roads are actually alleys with the homes facing each other with sidewalks in between - meant to encourage neighbors interacting and they do. We have two pot luck in the park parties (one central lot was left sans house to create a small gathering space) each year and a cookie-exchange at a neighbor's house during the holidays. I know there are many smaller gatherings within the area. Downside? For me the freight trains that rumble by on their way to Mexico. They are required to sound their horn at each crossing...being an inner city, that means every block for about a mile. I hear one now as I type....two blasts since the beginning of this sentence. We sometimes have to stop conversations if the engineer thinks its advantageous for him to just blast through without letting up. Tracks are two blocks away. You can check out Armory Park and Armory Park del Sol, Tucson, AZ for photos.

There's online groups to discuss issues, crime, water/electricity, road issues and the like. But we're also close to some neighbours, watch each others houses, get together meals. We have some great neighbours. And then there's the neighbour we get in touch with to inform their pets are being a nuisance in our yard, again.

I really like the idea of a local email connection for the block or for a small neighborhood. It makes communication so easy: a strange person loitering in the area, a missing pet, a block party idea or invitation, getting recommendations for a good painter or other craftsman. You can still email or text specific neighbors/friends privately, but having quick access to all the neighbors is great in case of emergency.

Beeg R - I'd love to chat with you about how you took over your HO association. I'm about to move into a new home in a newly developed community, and have been active with the existing association. There are a lot of issues (inactivity) that need to be addressed, and I'd like to learn from you how you approached it. Maybe you could share some ideas on how to proceed?

All of our neighbors are on "what's up " for emergencies . Our phones are always near us ...so besides calling each other if someone needs help to tipping each other's off to report someone snooping in the neighborhood ...it's a great way of communicating quickly and effectively . All of our concerns are strangers that maybe lurking to rob or talking to our children who play in the streets in our quiet neighborhood ....
It's good to introduce yourself to the neighbors ...and to get their phone numbers ...one does not have to socialize ..just be on an "emergency only friend/neighbor " and let them know you care if they ever have an emergency !

Being expats we thought we would make many friends when we left our mother land. No such luck, the neighbours are so stuck up (minus 2) who we are very friendly with. Some are even slightly aggressive, so we keep to ourselves. But we still think after 10 years it's very sad.

Before I got fed up with fb I ran a group for our small (19 small acreage lots) country neighborhood. I offered to start one on MeWe where there's none of the junk you get on fb, but no one wanted to leave. If they only knew how much better MeWe was they'd all come.
Now we just keep in touch via email, HOA meetings, holiday gatherings, or calling to one another when outside. It's a great group of neighbors.

Our neighborhood uses Nextdoor.com and Facebook primarily. We have a significant number of seniors so we're adapting to their use or non-use of the internet. Hispanics comprise about 1/4 or more of our residents so we're beginning to look at being bilingual in our communicate.

When we bought our house before we got married, the first thing we did was put up a 6ft wood privacy fence around the backyard and plant thorny bushes around the perimeter of the front.

However, my gramma lives around the corner, lifelong family friend's (my "in town" parents-I grew up in the country) live next door to gramma.

We actually never met most of them until we bought a small dog that likes to be walked multiple times daily. Now we know everyone!

Having lived in my home nearly 30 yrs, many neighbors have come & gone. It's always my policy to be polite & cordial to everyone, & to welcome anyone new if the opportunity arises but I don't go knocking on their door with a plate of cookies. If I see anyone outside on my street I always acknowledge them even if I don't know their name (except the one who has vicious dogs). Folks here are generally friendly but don't really socialize; I respect their privacy & expect the same. I'm a reasonable person, but don't appreciate those who party outside after midnight with fireworks (or even gunshots - it's semi-rural here) & the assumption everybody in a 2-block radius likes their music. But this neighborhood has suffered a major natural disaster in the past, so there's a support system among long-term residents. We've exchanged phone numbers in case of emergencies. When one is on vacation, we keep an eye on their property, feed animals & water plants if asked. We can depend on each other for help whether it's borrowing a tool or checking in if someone is having a medical issue. We also try to keep each other informed if there are any irregularities, i.e. strange cars or people roaming around.

My goal is to move from here within 3 yrs or less & buy rural acreage where I don't have to see or hear any neighbors.

We text to see if they're available then just walk over to their house. We also go to dinner with them twice a month and plan get togethers.

Wish we had the neighbors I'm reading about We're much like midnight rose. Most might get a wave if that. Lived here for 19 years only know two neighbors names. Hesitate to knock on doors. Most people like to keep to themselves, unfortunate..jean

We moved from the beach suburb south of Sydney, Australia to a small country town 300 kms south-west from the coast in late 2017 and we cannot believe how much happier and more relaxed we both feel! We are both 62 and retired. Our neighbours are lovely. They are friendly and helpful and range in ages of 30's to 80's. I have 2 new friends aged 45 and 82 and I love their company. We do not feel isolated or abandoned in any way and I am receiving more attention and assistance from the local medical centre and small country hospital than I ever did while living near several large hospitals and specialists for any ailment! We have exchanged mobile phone numbers with 3 neighbours and they have cared for our 4 cats when we visit the coast every now and then, although the traffic up there is VERY stressful so we have asked several family and friends to come and experience the country at our house. With 2 spare bedrooms we are even considering Airbnb. We also enjoy regular coffee and cake mornings with the sprightly 82 year old. Moving to a small country town was the best decision we ever made.

I think neighbors should be seen and not heard.

We moved into a very small suburb and thought we would have great neighbors sadly it hasn't happened. They are a very closed group and are not keen on new faces. We have now been in our home 20 years with no changes sadly---that's life we are the foreigners.

I was blessed to find a small rescue dog that loves to ride in the car and go for several walks each day. As a result, I've met a lot of people in my subdivision who are also walking their dogs. The strange thing is: We all know the names of the dogs.....each other's names not so much!

My neighbor across the street and I enjoy wine and conversation in her front yard a couple times a week.

I have a question that maybe the group can help me deal with. Bought a new home last September, nice area. Neighbors appeared to be friendly. Next door neighbor is awesome, she's disable so she doesn't get out much. The neighbor on the other side is much like the Gladys Cravats on Bewitched, extremely noisy. In Oct a neighbor further up the street was walking behind our home on private property with her dog and he got loose and attached my 2 yr old dachshund who was on a leach. She had to have surgery and she didn't end up making it through. Heart broken. They ended up paying for the surgery and vet bills after several months of asking. But now they still have the nerve to walk behind our house and with that same dog. I don't know how to get beyond a neighbor that killed our dog and shows no remorse other wise why would they continue to walk on private property? I want to enjoy my neighbor hood but it's been hard. Between noisy and dog killer I tent to back off. What would you do?

Linda do you own the private property? If not and the owner of the property permits the dog walking, there is unfortunately nothing you can do about it except fence in your property to ward off anymore dog attacks. The only way you can guarantee quiet neighbors is to buy a home on a lot of acreage.

I would suggest checking the leash laws in your town....AND put in a complaint with whatever agency tracks vicious dogs....I would back it up "for the record" with any documentation you have such as vet bills or deposit verification of what the dog owner paid you. Perhaps then the vicious dog agency will "suggest" that they find other places to walk. I believe just about ALL jurisdictions have leash laws.