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7 ways to get to know your neighbors

July 20, 2011 by 256 Comments

A press release landed in my inbox last week: The majority of Americans know the names of their neighbor’s pets but not their neighbor’s kids. Crazy, right?

neighborhood 7 ways to get to know your neighbors

When we lived in Vail, we knew most of our neighbors…but not all of them. In fact, we had some regrets when we moved out because we wished we had made a greater effort to get to know the people around us.

Tim & I have made a commitment to be much more intentional about being neighborly wherever we end up after this year of traveling the country in an RV.

I did a bit of brainstorming and came up with 7 ways that you (and I) can get to know our neighbors better:

welcome to the neighborhood 7 ways to get to know your neighbors1. Give a “Welcome to the Neighborhood” gift when a new family moves in. Even a small gesture goes a long way. Perhaps homemade cookies? A pie? A bouquet of flowers or a few fresh tomatoes from your garden? Include a little tag with your name, e-mail address, or twitter handle (whatever you feel comfortable with). Check out this FREE Welcome to the Neighborhood printable.

2. Have an ice cream sundae party. Serving dinner to a group of strangers can be an intimidating and overwhelming prospect. Throw an ice cream party instead. Buy a few gallons, plastic bowls and spoons, and toppings (or you can have each guest bring a topping – M&Ms, cherries, whipped cream, bananas, strawberries, Reese’s, etc.).

3. Open your backyard. If you want to host a meal, you certainly don’t have to plan a formal dinner at your dining room table. Go outside and serve hamburgers, BBQ chicken, or stew from a Crock-Pot.

4. Keep popsicles in your freezer. As kids run about the neighborhood in the summer, it’s nice to be able to have a quick snack to offer. Popsicles are just the ticket – no preparation required!

5. Ask for an egg. If you’re baking cookies and you realize that you don’t have an ingredient, don’t jump in your car to go to the grocery store. Ask a neighbor.

6. Create a Facebook page for your neighborhood. Start up a page with your neighborhood’s name – “West Hills Neighborhood” or “Sunset Ridge Street.” Set up a few guidelines and invite your neighbors to join. Everyone can then post announcements, get-togethers, business ventures, etc.

7. Use WhitePages Neighbors to “cheat” when you forget someone’s name. WhitePages Neighbors is a new service that allows you to type in your address and find the names & contact info of people who live near you. It also allows you to organize a block party and send out postcards to your neighbors…FREE.

How many of your neighbors do you know? What do you do to get to know the people that live closest to you?

whitepages neighbors 7 ways to get to know your neighborsWIN IT! One winner will receive a $100 VISA gift card to plan a neighborhood meet-up of your own! To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Wednesday, July 27 at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!” or “Love it” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.

* WhitePages is compensating me for this post and is also providing the $100 Visa Card for the giveaway.

*UPDATE* The winner is #196 Sandy. Congratulations!

Filed Under: Miscellany
  • http://stuffparentsneed.blogspot.com Tiffany

    This might not seem like rocket science, but we have found in our new neighborhood that we are getting to know our neighbors much more for one simple reason: we spend more time outside! We hang out on our front porch, and here in the South people will stop to chat as they pass by. We also have a playground on our block, and that provides a great way to meet folks. Simply being present goes a long way toward developing relationships!

    • Stephanie

      You’re absolutely right, Tiffany! Getting outside is HUGE. We spent tons of time in our driveway back in Tucson…and that simple practice was the beginning of many friendships.

  • http://www.jinxyisms.com/ Christy

    I know our direct neighbor to the right, but I don’t know anyone else in the neighborhood. We are moving in a month, I hope to get to know our new neighbors better.

  • sara

    We just moved to a new neighborhood and are in the stages of meeting our neighbors. We do regret that we did not make better friends with our neighbors at our last home so that is definitely one of our goals for our new home. I grew up knowing all our neighbors and playing in the streets (remember those days?) I would love for my children to have a similar experience.

  • betsy

    We have a neighbor that does a neighborhood block party about every year. It has been an amazing way to meet all of our neighbors on all side of us. On our little block the families all get togother to do a joint easter egg hunt and several us mom’s do little treats like secret pumpkin. It’s always fun for my kids to leave a fun bag of goodies on another friends front step.

  • Katelyn

    We don’t know our immediate neighbors but we do know a few people on our street. I never really felt any huge inclination to “get out and meet my neighbors” before having my son, but I’m finding that changing now that he’s about to turn one. I am quite introverted and it takes a specific intentional action on my part to really meet people and interact socially. I don’t want my introversion to prevent my son from being social. We are moving soon (31 days and counting) and I intend to make a greater effort to get to know the people around us. I think spending time outside, especially at the local playgrounds will be a good way to meet people.

  • http://www.mamasparkles.blogspot.com Marissa

    I love the Facebook page idea! It’s a great way to keep the relationships going after you make the initial contact with new neighbors.

  • Becca

    I love your idea of a facebook page for the neighborhood. We have a pretty tech-savvy group on our street. (About a quarter of the adults work for HP, and there are several teens on the street too.) And in the 2.5 years we’ve lived here, we’ve seen the neighbors do a great job of looking out for one another. I think a FB page would go over well!

  • http://www.crunchybeachmama.com Crunchy Beach Mama

    FB group is an awesome idea. We have moved a few times over the past few years and I have to say the only people really we get to know are the ones who have kids that play with my kids.

    When I was a kid though we knew all of our neighbors and all kids played outside all the time. With computers and dvrs and smart phones I don’t think anyone spends as much time out getting to know one another anymore.

  • http://www.theopinionatedmama.com Janelle – The Opinionated Mama

    Thanks Stephanie! I am totally going to go make a FB group for our neighborhood! What a great idea…why didn’t I think of it! So smart!

    • Stephanie

      That idea just popped into my head when I was brainstorming ways to get to know neighbors better. I’m totally going to create one when we eventually settle down somewhere again!

      P.S. I just stopped over at your blog! I miss your words there.

  • http://jewelsandtreasures.blogspot.com/ Vanessa

    I think I know almost all of my neighbors! Actually our dearest neighbor friend just moved away and so now we have new neighbors! Your post came at the perfect time! I’m jotting some of these ideas down! :)

  • susanlanai

    We know just about everyone on our street. Just going outside and “talking story” is a great way to connect. Plus we share little goodies when we can. Nothing big but a little goes a long way!

  • Mami2jcn

    I went to the White Pages site and was able to learn some of my neighbors’ names. Some of the neighbors are just shyer than others. When we first moved in, one of the neighbors brought us brownies, which was really nice. The way we have gotten to know neighbors is by having our children playing together. I like the idea of a neighborhood Facebook page. It would be great to set up playgroups and a babysitting co-op!

  • http://crazydogslife.blogspot.com Jenn

    I think on my street I’m known as the crazy lady who wants to know everyone :)

    No seriously though – I do try to take cookies or homemade bread to the neighbors sometimes. When we first moved in we were able to meet and become friendly with most of our neighbors – they were mostly older, retired people who have since passed away or moved on to retirement communities and the younger people who have moved in aren’t friendly – we try, but I haven’t succeeded yet. That ice cream party idea though might just work!

  • http://mommyinggrace.wordpress.com/ Dayna

    Wow! These are some really great ideas! Perfect for this time and age.
    We love our neighborhood and are blessed to have some really friendly neighbors with similarly aged kids. I would have to say though that we have not reached out like we should. Some of your ideas are fantastic!
    I like the “effortless” entertaining you point to: ice cream sundaes, popcicles, even those printables seem far less intimidating and intrusive than ideas I have had (but never executed) in the past.
    Crazy how we live practically on top of each other here but don’t know most of each other’s phone #’s!

  • http://www.mamanash.com Jenny @ mamanash.com

    This is such an important topic, Stephanie! But I think most people overlook it. We know almost all of our neighbors very well. So well that I’d trust them to watch my kids in a pinch. (And they are first on our list when I go into labor with baby #3.)

    Funny as it sounds I would add beer and s’mores to this list! That’s how we really got to know our neighbors when we first moved in. In fact I should write a post about it. No one was drunk, of course, but it was all the adults hovered around a bonfire enjoying a beer or two while the kids played nightgames and made s’mores. Two years later this is still a ritual in our neighborhood.

    • Stephanie

      Yes! You’re absolutely right! I should have added beer to my list. We’ve experienced the same thing.

      And S’mores bring people together, for sure!

  • Sarah

    We know one neighbor that lives directly next to us. The other houses have all been rent houses that have tenants rotating through on a pretty regular basis and seem to have crazy schedules. We also know our other neighbor, but she doesn’t come out much and she has lots of cats which totally annoys our dogs.

  • Kelli

    Thanks for the ideas. We are getting ready to move to TX and these will come in handy to meet some of our new neighbors!

    • Stephanie

      I didn’t know you were moving to Texas! What city?

  • Sarah R

    I think it’s funny that people don’t know their neighbors because in the midwest, it’s pretty common to know our neighbors (at least in my experience). We usually just meet people in casual ways just by being outside and saying hi as people walk by.

  • http://chrisandterri.com Terri Walsh

    We know a lot of our neighbors because our kids love to talk to people. Plus most of them have been around since we first started having our kids. We always just go up and say hi and introduce ourselves. I have also invited them to my kid’s birthday parties even if they don’t have kids. I have to say we have the most awesome neighbors!

  • Lisa S

    I love the “Welcome to the Neighborhood” package! We just moved into a new condo building and have met lots of the neighbors but haven’t received any “welcome gifts.” It’s not like I was expecting any and I’m happy to at least know most of the people on my floor, but if someone new moves in, I will most definitely be welcoming them to the building with a Welcome package!

    Sometimes its hard to have grown up in Virginia and Illinois with that southern hospitality and then now live in Massachusetts where its NEVER like that! I guess all we can do is just spread the love we have and hope its contagious!

  • Marilyn Wons

    On one of our moves a “Welcome Wagon” representative came to my door and gave me coupons, little gifts and got me acquainted with the surrounding area businesses. I really apprecaited that. That was the only time on our various moves that this happened.

  • http://tropicofmom.com Holly

    Great ideas! I like the welcome bag especially.

    I think people know the names of neighbors’ dogs because the neighbors have to walk them, so you see them — but kids often stay indoors.

  • Margaret Smith

    A few years back, our neighborhood had a block party and it was no enjoyable meeting many of our neighbors. I’d love for our neighborhood to have another one, especially since lots of new families have since moved in.
    Thanks so much.
    rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

  • Geoff K

    Luckily we live on a small street, so I have at least met most of my neighbors and I know several of them very well. We have a community organization that most of belong to, so we see each other at our monthly meetings and get-togethers. One thing I wish we did more was to have block parties and potlucks – it would be great to get to know each other on a casual basis over food, music, games, and fun!

  • Adrienne Gordon

    we have a facebook page for our street, we do a rib burn off every year.

  • http://pregnantkatiesmom.blogspot.com/ Susan C

    I live on a cul-de-sac with seven other families and I am ashamed to say I only know one neighbor. I met that neighbor when they held a garage sale, which is a great way to get to know your neighbors-you can invite them all to join in on the sale! By the way-I love your new header picture!
    smchester at gmail dot com

  • Ann F

    We got to know our neighbors by organizing a neighborhood yard sale.

  • Patricia

    Family are our nieghbors. The only problem is sometimes they think your garage is thiers and things come up missing!

  • jennifer

    Thanks for the reminder to be intentional about meeting new neighbors! As moving day gets closer, I put more thought into meeting the new neighbors and hoping that the area is as great as where we are now. Remember the block parties? And the playgroup? Yard sales and walks with the kids have definitely been the way we’ve met most of the neighbors. Oh! We also did a traveling halloween party one year when it was on a Saturday. A lot of houses hosted an activity for the kids to do and then all had a potluck dinner in the backyard of one person’s house. Good times.

    I do love the facebook page idea.

  • http://www.adamshome.blogspot.com erin

    I like the idea of a fb page & have wanted to get something like that going. But, we have a very diverse (& not techy) crew on our street. I only know of one other neighbor who is on facebook.
    We know most of the people on our street. I know enough to know that the Whitepages Neighborhood is not updated for many of them! But, it is a cool resource, nonetheless.
    I like the little printable welcome tag. Cute! Thanks for the link!
    One of our neighbors has a fire pit & he is the guy who lives to be a perfect neighbor. So, we have get togethers on their front lawn some times.
    One of our neighbors, who is a 97 year old lady who lives on her own still, always opens her front door during the day, and sits in her recliner in front of the door. She’ll call out to us for a visit if we are walking by. She is so dear. I’m going to bring her some leftover carrot cake today.

  • robyn paris

    The topic I would bring up is to rally against the lighted basketball park the town is attempting to build in OUR Neighborhood.

  • alycep

    I checked out White pages and found the name of a couple 2 houses away that I had wondered about. I am going to reach out to her and see if she wants to join our feral cat program(-she has a cat).

  • paige chandler

    I am going tp use White Pages Neighbors to organize a crime watch for the block. What an awesome site.

  • Valerie C.

    We have a picnic every August and invite all the neighbors. There are only 8 houses, luckily :) This year another neighbor is hosting it with me…yay!

  • http://edgeofinsane.blogspot.com Angela Kinder

    We don’t know a lot of our neighbors, even if we wave to each other. But as times get hard, you still need to socialize, even if it is with your neighbors. Neighbors have been asking about neighborhood parties so I am seriously considering it!

  • Stacy

    As our children age and we become involved in different activities with them, it’s more difficult to get to know your neighbors! I’m fortunate that we have a friendly relationship with our immediate neighbors. Unfortunately my sister is dealing with a loud obnoxious neighbor that is making her summer miserable!
    nrdunningATgmailDOtcom

  • Crunchy Con Mommy

    What fun ideas! We’re getting ready to move into our first house in about 6 weeks, and it’d be so fun to incite neighbors over for a backyard rootbeer float party or something!

    PS this is Lindsay from “Maman A Droit” but I renamed my blog etc to be much easier to remember!

  • Kathleen Downes

    I think these are all great ideas. Unfortunately my neighbors are extremely loud and fight with each other all the time so I really don’t want to interact with them at all. I’m looking forward to moving and hopefully finding some nicer people to live next to.
    [email protected]

  • Stephanie V.

    Would love to meet more of my neighbors. The ones I do know are just lovely!

  • http://thriftysassymama.blogspot.com Sassy

    I just barely got to really know our neighbor from across the street this past weekend. I have lived here for two years! Pretty sad huh? I would love to throw a huge BBQ and get to know everyone in our area. I still hardly know anyone around me. I think that is pretty dang sad. My kids don’t go to the school that the other kids on our block go to. I need to really work on this.

    sassysasha817 at gmail dot com

  • Melissa B.

    We’ve taken vegetables from our garden over to our neighbors. It gives us the chance to talk — and get rid of our excess veggies.

  • Pat

    We have a Christmas party annually on our street. All new residents, former residents and of course, all other residents are invited. We all bring something for the treat table and spend a few hours renewing and establishing ties to our street.

  • Amanda S

    I love this idea! We only know a couple of our neighbors and I think this would be a great way to connect with them.thank you!

  • Judith

    Got a dog, walk and meet. My sister lives 2 doors away and has lived here 5 years and has made no friends ps she doesn’t have a dog. I meet people all the time. (I moved in 14 mos ago) I have made friends with several other ladies and know just about everyone around. Dogs and kids are the way to meet people.

  • Amber G

    This is such a neat idea and a great technological tool to advance face-to-face interaction. I really do feel like I don’t know most of my neighbors and that’s really sad. I wish we had a stronger community!

  • Allison Wilson

    I never thought about creating a Facebook page for my neighborhood, that is such a great idea!

  • soha molina

    It’s nice to know the names of the people in your neighborhood. I see the same people often but either don;t know or have forgotten their names.

  • Autumn B.

    as we bought our 1st house two years ago, it really does make a difference when neighbors take the lead in getting to know you – - we had one family that came up and introduced themselves and brought tamales (my favorite) up for us – it was so nice to see that they were excited to have us as their new neighbors…i have been trying to get our block together for a party, i love the ice-cream suggestion!

    autumn398 @ yahoo.com

  • Kelly Ann T.

    I live in an extremely small subdivision 1 street 5 homes. All of us get together a couple of times a year to socialize and to tackle issues such as street maintenace and what to do with our sign that got hit by a car. Its great to have neighbors that look out for one another.

  • http://itsmomtime.blogspot.com Tabathia B

    I like in an townhouse complex where I have several neighbors most of them elderly but their real quiet and I assume own their homes but I am a renter but I like most of my neighbors
    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

  • Rebecca Graham

    When the weather cools down here in the South, a neighborhood party sounds like it would be fun.

  • Jacob

    This is really a great idea. We have gotten a lot of new neighbors over the past year that we don’t really know. It would be great to met some of them on the block!

  • Tari L.

    I know 50+ neighbors. The neigbor women get together for 2-3 weekend getaways a year among other things.

  • brenda

    We give vegetables from our garden to our neighbors and always keep popsicles in the freezer for the children!

  • Susan Ladd

    We have about 6 neighbors that do look out for each other and they would be the ones the would have over for a big cook out. Hope to win and thank you for a great sweep :)

  • Kim

    Summertime allows time for us to all get together in the cool evenings & let all the kids play & wear themselves out! Thanks.

  • McKim

    We are very fortunate that probably 75% of the same people live in our neighborhood that were here when we moved in 30 years ago.

  • Linda

    This would be great, we just moved here and I’m slowly getting to know my neighbors, but to have a block party where everyone could get to know each other would be awesome.

  • courtney

    I just moved into my house yesterday, and I already know both my neighbors, they are very friendly. I hope to meet more though very soon!:) It’s always good to know the people that live around you, especially so you can watch out for each other.

  • sherri crawford

    i don’t really know my neighbors but i do know on one side is an older couple and on the other side is a husband and wife cop team so i feel i can depend on them in a real emergency

  • charline

    We know everyone in our nieghborhood. We are so fortunate to have great nieghbors and live in a quiet and nice place
    stanleybilly(at)bellsouth(dot)net

  • Lauren

    I’ve really found it beneficial to get to know my neighbors. We’re moving soon and I’ll be sure to make more of an effort to get to know the people in the new neighborhood.

  • http://gatheringmyroses.blogspot.com Terri P

    Living in an apartment setting makes meeting the neighbours quite easy and it’s the sitting outside in the evening, talking, playing guitars, that opens up conversations for us.

    outofthemist AT gmail DOT com

  • Lim

    If you are horrible with names (like I am) try drawing a map of the neighborhood and filling in who lives in each house. Fill in more details as you learn them. Pretty soon you’ll have the kids ages, the parents anniversary, etc on a visual reminder of who and where everyone is!

  • shirley fin

    this is a fantastic idea and perfect for summer!

  • Amber

    I love all of those ideas! The cute little Welcome to the Neighborhood package seems so great and really helpful. I’ll be moving sometime before the end of the year so I’ll use these tips in the future! Thanks :)

  • Ashley

    Hi Steph!

    We have lived in our neighborhood for almost 7 years. Many neighbors have come and gone, but I can honestly say that we have gotten to know most of them. When we first moved in…I met other SAHM while playing outside with our daughter. We all started walking together and even set-up coffee and lunch dates. Our kids have grown up together and are now in school. It was truly my saving grace while my husband was at work for 24 hours.

    When new neighbors move in we usually walk over when they are outside or even moving in, to say,”HI” and offer our pantry if they need an egg, sugar or milk!

    We love our neighborhood and make sure to wave when we drive by. It truly creates a loving place to live and we always have friends to call for a backyard bbq or game night.

  • Sammi

    I like the suggestion of filling in a map with names – I am horrible at remembering people, so that’s probably the only way I’d keep my neighbors straight in my head

  • Marsha

    Our neighborhood has a yearly block party. We send out the information on our facebook page as well as use the teenage energy to place notes on the doors. A point is also made to encourage the newest neighbors to join us.

  • andrea d

    what a great idea.. thanks for the info..I live in a horrible crime filled neighborhood but am planning on moving soon thank goodness..I remember block parties when I was younger..miss those days

  • http://www.discoverystreet.blogspot.com ruthy

    awesome! my husband and I are moving next month and love neighborly opportunities!!

    • Stephanie

      Where to?

  • Jessie C.

    I love Whitepages neighbors, very interesting and great chance meeting our neighbors. I’m thinking a block party would be wonderful this Summer.

  • Crystal F

    We know all of our closest neighbors enough to say hello to them. I wish we could get to know a few of them a little more but for some reason we don’t. Maybe we are antisocial. lol thank you!

  • Kyl Neusch

    we have yearly block parties to get to know all.

  • Suzanne K

    I really like the White pages – neighbors page! It’s great for getting to know your neighbors but I think it is also awesome in times of emergency/natural disaster (assuming you can still access and haven’t printed out). I see using it as a phone tree in case of fire (we live in high fire danger area).

  • http://www.thriftymaven.com catherine copeland

    One thing that we have done to help the new neighbors feel welcome to our neighborhood is to give them a welcome to the neighborhood swagbag with some gift cards contributed by the neighbors for local restaurants, information about the local schools, and information about things to do with the kids.

    Everyone contributes as a way of saying welcome we’re glad you are part of our neighborhood

    • Stephanie

      Such a wonderful idea!

  • Katherine

    We live in a very small community and know all of our neighbors and even some that are on the other side of town` Always meet someone you know to encourage or they encourage you~

  • mickeyfan

    Just last night, we were talking with one of our neighbors about having a block party in late August!

  • Barbara M

    I like the concept of welcoming your neighbors.
    Great to have a feeling of community.
    Thank you.
    barbara dot montyj at gmail.com

  • http://www.justthetwoofusanddeals.com Kathleen

    I think this is great! I don’t know many of my neighbors by name and this would help. Would be great to organize a neighborhood event.

    kport207 at gmail dot com

  • Suzy

    I think that getting to know your neighbors is a great idea! You’ll make friends but also you can help eachother out. The White Pages neighbors site is neat. I’d love to have a big bbq and just invite all my neighbors over. In our neighborhood all the houses are close together but no one really hangs outside very much. Most of the time our neighborhood looks like a ghost town! I’d like to make it a more friendly place. Thanks for the chance.

    [email protected]

  • jennymm

    we do a block party in our neighborhood. being on the planning committee is a great way to meet everyone.

  • Carole Spring

    We don’t know very many of our neighbors – only the ones that are right next to us and directly across the street from us. I think organizing a block party would be a great way of getting the neighbors together so that we can at least learn each others names and learn who lives in which house on the block. I had not heard of WhitePages Neighbors until I read your post.
    blondie_31971(at)yahoo(dot)com

  • Shilo Beedy

    I live in a apartment building and know a few of the people here but not many.

  • Heather S

    I am bad about not getting to know my neighbors so I like your ideas. I should get to know them better.

  • joni

    I got some awesome neighbors but we have one really nasty couple that never gets invited to any block party. They have sued all the neighbors, but us, for stupid little petty things.
    dolniaks[at]consolidated[dot]net

  • http://www.ayearwithmomanddad.com JulieK

    What a great post – I need to do better about this… I am way too shy and feel dumb going up to people’s houses… But these are great ideas! I will have to keep them in mind! Thank you!

  • Kristen M

    I frequently walk and run in my neighborhood and find that it’s an easy way to get to know who my neighbors are. When the couple across the street moved in, I baked a loaf of cinnamon bread on a whim – mostly as an excuse to meet them. I’m so glad that I did because we have become good friends. I’m not as good with getting to know long time residents. A friend held a backyard fire pit s’mores & wine party last night to meet their neighbors. I thought that was a great idea.

  • http://thespanglyprincess.blogspot.com/ Lynda Del

    I don’t do anything special to get to know my neighbors, however, I do know several of them well because my next door neighbor holds all the neighbor crime watch meetings or a social at her house.

  • Amy Brewer

    I think summer is a great time to get to know your neighbors. I really need to have a bonfire (with hot dogs and smores). I don’t have a big grill but we have the bonfire forks to roast the food with. Put some music in there and some sodas and we would be ready to go.

  • Patty

    I have met a lot of our neighbors in or walks around the block. But I think the ice cream party would be a nice way of getting everyone together to get to know them better, mostly on these hot nights during the summer!

  • Lisa Foster

    We know most of our close neighbors and we all keep a watch out when someone is out of town. I would love to have a small party and make my grandmother’s homemade ice cream for everyone and hang out on the back porch–maybe even fire the grill up for some hotdogs!!

  • Mellissa C

    We always have Block parties and Ice cream socials in my neighborhood. I live in a Homeowners Association which makes getting to know your neighbors easier.

  • tracy davis

    I would love to meet my neighbors with a neighborhood party

  • chris burd

    I like the idea of giving a welcome basket to new neighbors.. When we moved in one neighbor gave us a bottle of wine to celebrate.. That was so nice.

  • Alicia Webster
  • Kristen

    We know a fair amount of our neighbors…but would like to meet more. Most of them I’ve met when out walking my dog.

  • Jimmy

    WhitePages Neighbors seems like a great tool for helping to get to know your neighbors

  • ky2here

    WE’ve lived here 15 years this November so we know all our neighbors. We’re not on speaking terms with one neighbor who traps stray cats and sends them to the pound to be killed. OTher than that, we know and really like everyone. It’s important to look out for each other.

    ky2here at msn dot com

  • Deborah Wellenstein

    We do know most of our neighbors, because we sit outside on our porch when the weather is nice. We emjoy chatting up the neighbors.

    dwellenstein at cox dot net

  • Lo

    I live in a large building, so I have lots of neighbors to get to know!

  • Betsy Hoff

    We just moved into a new house and I think a get together with the neighborhood would be a great idea! I would totally like to put this towards food for a huge neighborhood grill out! Thanks for the chance!

  • Debbie R

    I live in a farm community. In April we were hit by 4 tornadoes. In the fall we always have a cook out and hayride with three or 4 wagons full of families. This year will be special. It will say to everyone that life goes on and and I hope it will set and example for the youngsters to show how life has up and downs.

  • Sarah L

    We have an annual neighborhood garage sale.
    Thanks for the contest.

  • Janna Johnson
  • Laura O

    I like your suggestions about welcoming neighbors, especially to have popsicles on hand!

  • Steve W.

    I do know the neighbors on both sides of my house but that’s it.

  • Claire

    We’ve lived in the neighborhood for nearly 20 years, so we know pretty much everyone by now ;) These are good ideas though!

  • Kristie

    I like your idea of having an ice cream sundae social. That is a great idea. I also found that when you have a dog and walk it in your neighborhood it is a great way to meet the neighbors.

  • Sarah Clarke

    We have lived in a condo building with 12 units for almost 5 years….just in the past year, we have made friends with all of the owners on our floor and a new couple that just moved in! We had a Memorial Day cookout this year and it was a great time. I love the neighborhood White Pages idea!

    [I must admit that our friendship with the neighbors started when I flooded our condo (and the 2 below us) and had to run to my neighbor for help shutting the water off!]

  • katfam

    Our welcome to the neighborhood was the guy across the street screaming at us the day we moved in for parking our cars on his side of the street. DH put the cars their so the truck could get in. He hasn’t gotten any better in 15 years of living here, unfortunately.

  • Kristen

    We know our immediate neighbors. One of my favorite things is chatting with them on our back porch/deck. And my kids LOVE their dog. We also just had a new family move in a few doors down. We stopped over, each with a kid on our hip, to say hi and introduce ourselves (sadly, they were REALLY unfriendly).

    • Stephanie

      Usually babies/toddlers are the perfect icebreakers! I hope that 1st impression turns out to be inaccurate. Maybe they were just having a bad day? :-/

  • Misty
  • Joan

    Inviting people kids over to swim or run in the sprinkler has brought me and my neighbors together. A simple note in the door, to come over with your kid to run thru the sprinkler or swim with my kids has really worked.

  • http://vickieb52.blogspot.com/ VickieB

    I think the neighbors idea is basically a good one, I’m one that knows the name of pets, but not people. Some of the information I saw was kind of old though, one of the names of the people listed moved a year ago. Can’t find me, but my address isn’t listed, so that’s good.

    Other than a few neighbors directly around us, about the only time we get names is if someone one the block is having a yard sale.

  • Kristy

    I like the idea of a neighborhood (or in my case, apartment complex) facebook page. I am often too shy to just go talk to someone I don’t know, but I don’t at all mind chatting them up on the internet.

  • Patricia Treskovich

    I introduced myself to a new young family that had moved in next to me

  • Theresa Jenkins

    I found out ,using the WhitePages Neighbors, that I have over 80 neighbors I should know!!!!! Nice site;great giveaway…thanks

  • Hoa L.

    I know most of the people in my neighborhood, however we only talk to a few of them. The 7 ways would help us get to know our neighbors even more.

  • Linda Lansford

    I will have an icecream social

  • Karen M

    We were invited to join the newly formed Block Watch group about 6 months after we moved into our new neighborhood. It has been helpful meeting people in our extended neighborhood not just next door or across the street neighbors. Thanks.

  • kjasus

    I “know” neighbors across the street from us and their kids help babysit. Our next door neighbor we talk to sometimes but he has yet to invite us to swim in his pool! I guess we are not that close.

  • Daniel M

    been here for years and know everyone, great bunch of folks!

  • Jill Myrick

    This would be great to have for an end of the summer cook out.
    We recently have had two new faamilies move into our neighborhood and I would love the chance to properly introduce them to the rest of our neighbors and all of their children.
    They both have children in the same age groups as mine. And to me a cook out would be a much more relaxed way of everyone getting to know one another.

    jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com

  • Sarah

    We just met one set of neighbors last year, when I finally got the courage to march up to their door with my son to see if their kids wanted to play. Now we’re really enjoying getting to know them, and our kids are great friends. Since most of our other neighbors have been here much longer than us, and have grown kids, it’s been hard to get to know them. Your ideas are great ones!

  • Gayle C

    Here’s another reason for knowing your neighbors… break-ins. A neighbor recently saw me out in the yard and stopped to tell me that there had been two break-ins on our street and a police officer had been calling on homes nearby to warn them. I missed the officer and would never have known about it if the neighbor had not informed me.

  • Lorri Jeanne

    We’ve been living here 5 years and the only neighbor I know lives right next to us :(

  • Cindy Merrill

    Up here in Northern New York, the nearest grocery store is 12 miles away!
    We joined a foodpantry as members- it’s a good way to get some food and we meet our neighbors there once a month,.
    Also, one of our neighbors had a moving sale, and we met some nice people who live nearby.

  • jennifer horn

    I think the ideas are all great ways to meet your neighbors. Think White Pages neighbor pages are also a good way to meet those in your neighborhood you don’t know

  • Jeff

    The white pages would be good to host hurricane parties. I remember cooking with a fellow neighbor some years ago as the storm passed.

  • crystle tellerday

    i say hi when i see new neighbors

  • http://ymmat83.blogspot.com/ Tammy Darling

    I’ve been thinking that a block party would be a great way to meet the neighbors!

  • Annette D

    When I first moved to our neighborhood, my neighbors invited me to play in their monthly Bunko game. It was great fun and I really got a chance to visit and get to know my new found friends! It was great because my husband and I had moved from NC to Texas and did not know anyone! We have since moved to another neighborhood but have stayed in contact with our first friends and neighbors.

  • Caryn S

    We are very good friends with one neighbor and acquaintances with several others. We enjoy playing in the front yard so we can talk to everyone that walks/drives by.

  • Carla

    I’ve lived in the same house my whole life. Used to know all the neighbors, but now they come & go so much in some houses I just don’t want to know many of them, especially the drug dealers and thieves.

  • Min

    My community has had two get-togethers in the past 7 years – It’s time for another.

  • Molly Capel

    My parents know several of their neighbors (the kids & I moved in with them a few months ago) pretty well. They keep an eye out when each other is on vacation, or strange things might happen.

  • Laura Ragsdale

    My neighborhood loves to have block parties where we all bring some food and hang out outdoors chatting or playing games! The gift card would help us add some extra fun!

  • Lisa G.

    I love your idea of a Facebook page for our neighborhood. I live in a rural area and houses are farther apart to it’s much harder to get to know my neighbors. It would be fun to create a Facebook page and send out notices and see who all joins in!
    lisalmg25 at gmail dot com

  • Sylvie W

    As someone who finds it very difficult to break the ice, I found your tips very helpful.

  • Debra F

    I live on a dead end street, so I know practically all my neighbors, at least by name. There are a lot of families with kids the same age as mine, so those folks we know very well and often do school functions together.

  • Chris

    We have block parties several times a year! It is a potluck, and we get the chance to know each other and each other’s kids. We love them and it is great to know our neighbors!

  • Jacob LaFountaine

    Keep an open shed policy with neighbors. That seems to make a connection with someone if you can borrow equipment. Just make sure to return it

  • Christine

    we know almost all the neighbors

  • julieh

    These are such great ideas to make someone feel welcome in a new neighborhood. It seems like people don’t get to know their neighbors anymore.

  • http://www.stoopidgerl.com Kim Ripley

    I’m always down for an ice-cream sundae! Great idea!!

  • tallcapp

    Our new neighbor made themselves a welcome to the neighborhood party. I was really surprised, but the response from all of us was quite positive.

  • Tonya Dean

    I live in a very small town so we know all our neighbors. Probably know too much about them but we know them.

    tdlsfm(at)gmail(dot)com

  • ferriz

    i am actually moving to a new neighborhood soon so this could be a really good idea to do!

    ferriza2(at)yahoo(dot)com

  • Jill L

    This is great. I am so bad about meeting new neighbors. If they lived one door away, I would go meet them, but otherwise, I have a hard time. I think I’m going to get brave and meet the people up the street. Got to think about what to make….now I can find out their name.

  • Erica C.

    I actually just moved about two months ago. It was really nice that on moving day, two of my closest neighbors came out and helped with a few things and introduced themselves. I felt like I already had friends!

  • Barbara

    I definitely know my neighbor’s pets and I look out for them like they’re my own. The 2 cats from across the street, Murphy and Molly come over to visit almost every day. My own cats aren’t allowed outside, but I enjoy the cats who are allowed out coming over.

  • Ceinwyn

    I’m very lucky in that one of my neighbors is my daycare lady, so I definitely have a relationship with her! Also, my husband is a very social person so that helps. Otherwise I would need all of the above tips and more just to meet my neighbors!

  • MichelleS

    When we live on base at Camp pendleton it “hard” to get to know the neighbors. As easy as it would sound to make friends…it’s not that way. Everyone keeps to themselves, and/or you live by people you work with and don’t want to feel obligated to interact with them after-work hours. This feature on WhitePages is nice, and I like the function that you can remove your listing.

  • http://memegrl.blogspot.com MemeGRL

    Our neighbors recently got a small fire pit, and every Saturday night, they have s’mores fixings around the fire. It attracts all the kids (of course!) who play ghost in the graveyard while the parents sit around the fire and catch up. It’s been an awesome summer!

    • Stephanie

      Love this idea. Thanks for sharing!

  • Katharina

    Our neighborhood, after a long time of being quiet and introverted, is finally coming together more now. It took the passing of two of the neighbors a few months apart, unfortunately, but it’s good to see people getting to know each other now.

    WhitePages Neighbors looks great and I’ve already been using it since I saw it mentioned here. Still learning names! :-) Katharina angelsandmusic[at]gmail[dot]com

  • Augustine

    My wife pointed out this function to me about finding our neighbors. Aside from being able to search for sex offenders based on where we live, it’s also nice to find out (if they are listed) who are neighbors are so that if we were to send an invite for a block party the invites could be more personal than just “hey neighbor you’re invited”.

  • Cecilia Andes

    Well I still like the old fashioned “bringing a covered dish” idea. Food always warms ones heart. :)

  • http://www.theneatthingsinlife.com Jammie

    I remember growing up we had lots of block parties. We had a big pool, and we would do cook outs often. Now I live next to my in laws, and would rather skip the parties hah.

  • Deborah Rosen

    When we moved here four years ago, our nearest neighbors came over to introduce themselves and welcome us. We’re walkers, so we made a point to stop and introduce ourselves to everyone we saw on our walks. This is a very rural community and things are different here, folks are more neighborly (is that a word?) than they are in more developed places.

  • ewhatley

    Most of the neighbors in my building live here only 6 months a year. From November through April, we have a gathering out on the back terrace every Monday afternoon at 5:30. Everyone brings an appetizer to share and whatever they want to drink. This helps us get to know each other better as well as welcome those who just bought a condo in our building. We also get some good appetizer recipes!

  • Diane Baum

    Two ideas-In my old neighborhood we had an ice social sidewalk party and it was a blast A few of us bought the ice cream,toppings.. You had to bring out your own bowl and spoon We left out a cup for donations to help pay for the ice cream. It was fun In both my neighborhoods (old and new the neigborhood association has a 4th of July kids bike Parade.

  • Rebecca Peters
  • Jenny

    Only our next door neighbors, but we love them!

  • Amanda R

    I know all of my neighbors except for one (a dentist who is never really home). My neighborhood is small and we have lots of space to do outdoors stuff, so in the summer my neighborhood likes to hang out at whoever’s house, chat, swim, whatever.

  • Emma Peel

    Our neighborhood is 2 rows of 35 houses on a dead end street, basically quiet except for one family who thinnks they need to disturb the peace all the time in whatever way they feel they want to

  • joel.sternenberg

    yes i can use it

  • Kerry

    We do know most of our neighbors. When we moved into the neighborhood we threw a housewarming party and invited all of our new neighbors along with our other friends and family. It was a great way to get to meet them all.

  • Veronica

    We haven’t traditionally known any of our neighbors as we have lived in apartments…I am wondering what it’s going to be like when we live in a house in the coming months.

  • Sarah Hirsch

    My neighborhood had a party last summer that really allowed everybody to meet and get to know each other. I feel a little uncomfortable in the neighborhood because we are a young family and most of the neighborhood is older couples whose kids have already left home, but having the party allowed us to get to know each other a little better

  • Dara Nix

    I know most of our neighbors. Unfortunately, our neighborhood is slowly being bought up by the airport so we are losing at least 1 family every month or so. This would be a great way for us to all keep in touch via a neighborhood watch so that we can watch the vacant homes (as we are now having a problem with break-ins that started with the vacant homes, but has now moved to the still occupied homes during the day)!

  • Iliana Blair

    Our neighborhood has an HOA so we have many opportunities to get together to socialize not just to decide on votes and covenant rules. Yet when we first moved in 2 years ago we held an Open House to meet our immediate neighbors and invite our previous one from the old neighborhood. It was great and everyone brought something to share!!

  • L.

    I know half of the neighbors on our street. I wish we could get to know more! I’ve tried a few things to get to know them with not much luck really. I always make sure to bring baked goods when someone new moves in.

  • MelissaO

    As renters, it’s probably less easy for us to get to know our neighbors though it’s nice that we live in a neighborhood surrounded by homeowners. I do know some of them: the woman whose driveway abuts our back door is cool to talk to and has a garden so will sometimes leave treats from her garden on our steps. And the guy across the street has a phenomenal mullet and also does car repairs in his house garage, so that has come in handy!

    wolverina401 at gmail dot com

  • shawna

    We have a really close knit neighborhood, it would be fun to do a block party.

  • Gail W

    We live in a small neighborhood with about 50 houses. I know every neighbor and the kids, which would be about 75 people! We have wine tasting parties, neighborhood night our, parties for the kids, bunco and groups that like to go to the theater. Different people lile to do different things, so I have gotten to meet everyone!
    dgtwight at sbcglobal dot net

  • kelley wood

    Those are great ideas! I really like the ice cream sundae idea. It’s a shame we live so close to someone and really dont even know them. What happened to “love thy neighbor?” Im all for this idea!

  • http://zebastyandylan.blogspot.com Dana

    We are guilty of not getting to know our neighbors too. I think it’s b/c my husband and I are shy . We should definitely put out more of an effort.

  • Colleen S

    We are bad about getting to know our neighbors. Its a terrible side effect of living in not so great places. But we have found that having a garden is a great way to get to know folks around you, either through “hey neighbor, hows your garden grow:?” to ” Please, you must help me, before the tomatoes take over, Please take some” No one can resist free veggies.

  • tina reynolds
  • Paula Hafner

    We know most of our neighbors pretty well. We got to know them when a tropical storm knocked out power to our neighborhood for over a week. We pooled resources to make the time more bearable. I think some of us were disappointed when the power came back on :)

  • Diana R.

    we didn’t know any of the neighbors on our street until a hurricane and 2 day power outage last year! we all kind of congregated in the cul-de-sac and grilled what we had in our freezers and are going to do it again on the year mark!

  • latisha depoortere

    We live in a very Quiet area the neighbors are all nice really lucky! I love the facebook Ideal people use that for so many different things! Thanks for sharing
    tishajean@ charter.net

  • Debra Hall

    i grew up and went to school in this neighborhood most of my friends are still here to

  • Pauline M

    My kids have made it a point to know all the neighbors with children. And since they cannot visit their home without me knowing the parents, I’ve gotten to know quite a few. Children is a really great way to meet the neighbors!

  • Cameron Blair

    I like to BBQ in the front yard instead of the backyard. People see and smell food they seem to be allot more likely to come over and say hello, and look for an invite to stay and eat which i almost always say yes to. Its a great way to break the ice with your neighbors.

  • Annette

    Getting to know your neighbors helps keep you safer in your home.

  • Jessica

    I really like the idea you mentioned about having an ice cream social, because we used to do those at my church when I was younger. It’s a much less stressful idea to contemplate than hosting an actual dinner.

  • Kirsten

    My husband is the social one. :) I bake something and he takes it over…or he starts a conversation with them in the parking lot, in front of the apartments, etc.

  • April V.

    I live in an apartment complex so the complex itself does much of the stuff above (breakfast events, yard sales, movie nights, etc.) but if I lived in a house neighborhood these are some great ideas.

  • Cindy T.

    Yes, I know the neighbors that live directly next to me. Thank you for the chance to win!
    deedeebamagirl at yahoo dot com

  • Shelley Mitchell

    We are actually really close with all of our neighbors. Our kids grew up together and we have made some great friendships. We vacation together and everything. I would tell everyone to get out a meet there neighbors. You can make some great friendships!

    msjem2001 at yahoo dot com

  • Amy DeLong

    we know most of the neighbors,we were thinking of doing a block party!

    ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Patti

    Back to school shopping!

  • http://myloonyverse.com dddiva

    We are sort of fortunate in that a lot of hubs family lives within half a block so we of course know them. Love the facebook page idea, might have to see about starting one up for our area.

  • sandy

    whenever someone new moves into our neighborhood my husband and i bring a basket of whatever produce is ripe in our backyard along with coupons from neighborhood businesses to welcome them.

  • Dorothy7

    I thing inviting my neighbors to an Ice Cream Social would be a great way to meet them!

  • Patrice

    I only know two of our neighbors and I would really like to get to know more of them. I have several volunteer plants that I have dug up and placed in pots. I think that an herb plant or flowering plant would make a good gift for your neighbors. The plants should be labeled with growing instructions provided.

  • Jaque R.

    When someone moves into the neighborhood I always bake cookies, put them in a pretty tin and deliver them to the new neighbor. :-) Thank you.

  • Tia

    I am not a good neighbor. I am shy and reclusive. (So I am a quiet neighbor, which makes me a good neighbor in at least one way…) I know my neighbors on my left because they are our landlord. I kinda know my neighbor on my right because her dogs come into my yard. I really want to win this giveaway because I would use the money to do a block party. We’ve lived here for five years and I only know four people. That’s just not right.

  • tomato

    Thanks for the great ideas! We have a block party every year, and it’s really great for getting to know the neighbors.

  • Robert Phillips

    We live in an older neighborhood and have many neighbors who have all lived on our street for decades, so it’s really like a big giant family on our street.

  • tracey byram

    I could use this site for organizing a block yard sale easier.

  • Amira

    It is so important to get kids involved so they actually know who their neighbors are!

  • momznite

    Another way to get to know your neighbors is to take walks or bike rides around the block.
    momznite_at_yahoo_daught_com

  • kathy pease

    Things sure are not what they use to be I remember my mom having coffee constantly with the neighbors and visiting. They were very close friends.Today things seem so much different to be honest you are lucky if a neighbor waves now a days.I try to be nice but its hard when you havedogs come pooing on your lawn or getting into your garbage people seem to have no consideration for others.That is my experience anyway. I just wish things were like they use to be when i was young.

  • Lyndsey R.

    We just moved and meeting new people has been easy I think because we were lucky enough to move in the summertime. We have met a lot of new people just by going to the neighborhood pool.

    lyndsey.rullman at hotmail dot com

  • carol lewis

    We have lived here for about 10 years and we know the neighbors very well. These are the best neighbors we have EVER had and interact with them all the time. We know their kids well, too. Really nice to have good neighbors because we have lived places where that was not the case.
    spcale at yahoo dot com.

  • clynsg

    This is surprisingly helpful in learning about neighbors even in this rural area, where we are more likely to wave at each other passing on the road than just passing by and stopping to talk.

  • http://www.beckysdirary.blogspot.com Becky

    I know a couple of my neighbors. The one’s I’ve gotten to know either through walking in the neighborhood, going to neighborhood parties or through the kids.

  • Robin

    I like the block parties they have in Chicago, it would be great to have these where I live

  • Liza

    take them some fresh fruit from your trees or flowers from your yard. just to say, hi!

  • Katie Rose

    I noticed that since I started doing more landscaping/gardening in our front yard, we are chatting more with our neighbors as they are arriving or leaving their homes. I spoke with the one neighbor on our right for the first time in the two years we’ve lived here.

  • Susan Smith

    I know some of the neighbors because my children play with them. I try to get to know the neighbors I don’t know by making it a point to walk over and say hi if they are outside.

  • susan smoaks

    when we walk our dogs we talk to everyone we see outside and we wave at all the cars that go by, it really helps if people feel as though you are friendly.

  • Holly C.

    I live in a small town and everybody knows everyone lol. Our neighborhood gets together lots. But if I were to move to a large town I think the WhitePages Neighbors page would be awesome to connect with your neighbors.

  • barbara wright

    You left out the best one – have a baby. When you walk in the neighborhood, EVERYBODY will come out to see the baby and you’ll get to know them.

  • Angela

    I love the outdoor cookout idea. I think that a neighborhood BBQ/picnic is a fabulous way to get to know one another and bring a community closer together, thanks!

  • Karin Wade

    I am sure to walk around the neighborhood and stop and talk to neighbors working in their yard. I also look for opportunities to help elderly neighbors, such as picking up newspapers for them, empty trash bins.

  • Louise Brouillette
  • http://chisumscrew.blogspot.com/ Happi Shopr

    We take treats to our neighbors – plants to the plant lover, food to the foodie, etc. It shows we care and we pay attention to what they like.

  • Julie L

    I have lived in the same neighborhood for 28 years..its a small one and I know my neighbors very well..thanks

  • Betty C

    When my children were still living at home I knew almost everyone in the neighborhood but now that I’m in a new neighborhood where English is not the primary language I’ve found it more difficult to meet people.
    I still make the effort because I like to know at least a few neighbors.

  • Ericka

    I know most of my neighbors and we actually talk almost on a daily basis, sometimes it seems as though we are family lol.

    ericka082 AT gmail DOT com

  • Lorena Keech

    My husband and I meet all our neighbors when we are out walking our dogs. The dogs usually rush each other and start sniffing and we start laughing and talking about them, so it breaks the ice.

  • Kate B

    Getting to know our neighbors isn’t too tough since we have kids. We don’t know everyone (yet) but I suspect that will change after our next hurricane :(

  • Brenda G

    Since i have a vegetable garden, whenever someone new moves into the house next door (it’s a rental lol) i always greet them with fresh veggies from the garden and an invite to my weekly sunday bbq

  • Sarah

    I had fun with the neighbor’s girls this week when I was working in the year – sprayed them with hose, then did the ice cream thing, then hooked up the sprinkler.

  • Christina

    I’d love to use this to meet more neighbors,hopefully with children. Seems to be mostly couples in our neighborhood and few children my tween’s age.

  • Justine

    I love all of these great ideas, I am always wanting to have a neighborhood barbecue so I can finally meet all my neighbors but some of these ideas are excellent too!

  • Julie M

    I am lucky my closest neighbor is my mom. So when it comes to borrowing an egg, I have that covered. But it would make a great excuse to knock on someone’s door and introduce yourself.

    juleemm2003 at yahoo dot com

  • Liz Neal

    I live in a small town where everybody knows everybody. It’s not really that hard to meet new people whereI l
    live because people will just come up to you and ask about you/family. Will invite you to gatherings, etc.
    It’s nice in a way. Just simple living.

  • Mandala

    Thanks for the tips. . .we live in an apartment complex and we actually got to know our neighbors by hosting a pot luck. .,also when we first moved in, we couldn’t find our pair of scissors and we were unpacking and so we ended up borrowing from a neighbor. I’d try asking a neighbor for salt maybe next time we ran out of it and we are in the middle of our cooking,
    mandalarctic at gmail dot com

  • R Hicks

    We know most all of our neighbors and meet each other at our neighborhood watch meeting twice a year.

    brich22 at earthlink dot net

  • Breanne

    I don’t know any of my neighbors. I grew up in the country in Indiana and had no neighbors. Now I’m packed into military housing. I’m not used to living next to anyone and there are soo many people!

  • LaurenS

    In the current place we are in, my kids and I knocked on the doors of all of the neighbors on our street. About 99% of them were totally weirded out by us trying to get to know them. 2 years later, we still only talk to a few families. It’s sad. In fact, we are moving to a totally different community. I want to know my neighbors. I want people to know me. I asked people if they would come to a weekly or monthly potluck in the park near our house. Most were totally not interested. I was so depressed. I never even organized one.

  • Dawn S.

    We found a whole bunch of new neighbors after I bought a bike! My son is only six and just started riding so I got a bike so we could ride together. Since the weather is nice we started riding around the neighborhood and found some neighbors with kids the same age as my 2 year old that will be going to school with him! I actually signed up for a library class for my son with one of the moms!

  • Michelle Spayde

    We have a neighborhood watch that I didn’t even know about until recently, so this would be a fabulous tool to get more people involved! We also have a lost pet network that would benefit tremendously; especially when we need a quick short term foster home (as opposed to the county pound)!

  • http://[email protected] Cassie M
  • meme

    Our community has a pool party at our community pool. That gives us a chance to meet new neighbors and vist with ones we hadn’t seen in a while

  • angela clossey

    I have never really had neighbors since we live in the country.However I think it would be neat to dig up some flowers and share with the new neighbor.

  • Erica G

    I love the ideas! We have lived in our neighborhood about 5 years and are friendly with about 6 other neighbors. It would be great to have a bigger network of neighbors to do block parties or other get togethers with.

  • DanV

    This sounds like it would be a good way to meet folks around us

  • Sand

    I know most of my neighbors because I walk my dog for a mile daily and that instantly makes friends of former strangers.

  • Charlene Kuser

    We have neighborhood yard sales and bake sales to help others out in our neighborhood,so it is a great
    way to get together and get to know thy neighbor

  • brian e.

    Thanks for the giveaway…when we moved into a new neighborhood several years ago, my wife organized a car wash with all the neighborhood kids & their parents so everyone could introduce themselves; it turned into a regular monthly summertime event.

    senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com

  • http://stormsafety.blogspot.com Auriette

    These are much better ideas than forging a bond through the destruction of a hurricane, which is how we met most of our neighbors. Of course, they’re all gone now. Three houses are now vacant. Well, two at least. At the one on the corner, the drug dealer son of the old woman who used to live there (she died) still comes and goes to meet his customers or suppliers, I’m not sure which. But we might be back up to three, as the renters next door (who’ve been there a couple of months) had a U-Haul pulled into the driveway yesterday.

    Another idea, if you’re not on a heavily trafficked road (and if it’s legal, which it’s not here, but that doesn’t stop the punk neighbor kids from doing it), you can set off fireworks in the street on national holidays and all the neighbors come out to watch. In our case, we’re mostly making sure they don’t start a fire or damage the car. Hubby goes out now, as I was nearly shot in the head by a bottle rocket a few years ago during guard duty.

  • rebecca shockley

    I basically only know the people in my apartment building. I park on the street and see familiar faces everyday, but that is usually as far as it goes! This is a fantastic idea from White Pages for getting to know your neighbors, who knows, you might just know someone right down the road from you. This is a great way for the kids to get to know the kids in the area especially if we were to have a neighborhood BBQ or something.