I live in one of the most neighborly neighborhoods I’ve ever known. It consists of 63 homes on two intersecting streets in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Jennifer and I moved here in 2014 because we liked the house; we didn’t know anything about the neighborhood. But whenever we were outdoors during our first few days here, someone would come by, introduce themselves and welcome us. They never failed to declare what a great neighborhood it was.
Everyone was so nice that at one point I confessed to Jennifer that I was waiting for the other shoe to drop — I was afraid we might have moved to Stepford. But no. It’s just a bunch of nice people with a remarkable track record for being a community.
As the neighborhood was being built in the 1970s, the first residents formed a homeowners association to give them a collective voice in their dealings with the builder. Once the development was finished, the association shifted its focus to the communal and social aspects of the neighborhood, organizing activities and events that brought residents together. I served as the president of the association for a couple of years and Jennifer is currently the vice-president.
Over the years, the association has sponsored a range of activities, including a neighborhood watch, a fire safety education program, and a bowling group. Several endure to this day, including an annual progressive dinner in the winter, a cocktail party in the spring, and a big block party in the late summer. For the kids there’s an egg hunt in the spring, a Halloween party in the fall, and a holiday party in December. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic has put the kibosh on most of these celebrations this year, but we’ve continued to find ways of getting together, albeit outdoors and socially distanced.
And beyond the events sponsored by the neighborhood association, individual neighbors host additional activities, including a couple of book clubs, one fiction, one non-fiction (currently happening on Zoom); monthly happy hours (temporarily suspended); and a neighborhood-wide luminaria display on Christmas Eve.
Many neighborhood associations have some kind of statutory authority over residents, dictating where trash cans can be placed or which colors people can paint their houses. What makes the homeowners association in this neighborhood remarkable is that it has existed for 40 years with no such authority or mandate. It’s comprised of an ever-shifting group of neighbors who volunteer their time to make their neighborhood a fun and sociable place to live. There are voluntary dues of $25 per year per household, and almost everyone pays them.
I didn’t even know neighborhoods like this existed until I moved here, and from what I gather, they’re pretty darn rare. I’m counting my blessings.
You are lucky. Our neighbors are not unfriendly, but there are no neighborhood get togethers here like you describe. I suspect that most suburbs are less more “distant” than yours. I’m glad you get to enjoy it.