Good fences, good neighbors?

Now that Seattle weather is warming up,  people in our neighborhood are starting to "come out" again.  It's nice to see folks, but a just couple of houses down, they are complete strangers.

We've lived in this same house for over 35 years, but we only know a sprinkling of our next door neighbors.  And by saying "know,"  that just means first names and we wave occasionally.  In all those years, I've never set foot in a neighbor's house!  That strikes me as odd, and rather sad.  It's enough to make a person paranoid.   

But it isn't unusual. According to a Pew Research study, only 43 percent of Americans “know most or all of their neighbors.” Meanwhile, 29 percent said they know just some of their neighbors by name. And 28 percent said they know “none.”

With all the new high rise apartments buildings springing up and thousands of people moving to West Seattle, I suppose the anonymity and isolation will only increase.  It's going to be like living in Manhattan, but without the perks.

Las Vegas has endless suburbs with tract houses that stretch across the desert in every direction.  My sister has a nice house in one of these developments, and when we were visiting we took a walk through her neighborhood.  I was pleasantly surprised that she knew everyone on her street, and even people beyond her immediate neighbors. Not just names, but where they worked and what they did and other interesting stuff.  Of course Marji is a friendly, outgoing person and she makes friends easily.

I've never been a fan of suburbia, but there is something nice about that cul de sac lifestyle. It seems to bring people together more naturally than our fenced-in rows of city houses.

Or maybe it just appeals to that Gladys Kravitz in me. Ha!

Well, the big West Seattle annual community yard sale is coming up on Saturday and I always look forward to it.  There are over 350 separate sales within a mile or so. 

No, I don't need a thing. I always come back with fun stuff anyway, and happy from a day of wandering around chatting with the nice people who live nearby.  Under all those roofs and behind all those fences, we really are pretty much the same.