So, we had some horrid neighbors living next door to us for the majority of my childhood (thieving, fighting, always getting raided kind of people) and when they were finally told to leave (because all the children had grown up and the house was too big for them) my family were really happy about it.

Anyway, we then got some new neighbors and I kept saying I was going to make them a cake and write them a welcome card but my mother was pretty against it.

As soon as they moved in they built a really high fence all around the house so the garden was really private. I never saw anyone there except for some little children on their bikes and when I asked my mum she said they seemed like the kind of people who weren't really interested in talking to anyone. As i live in her house at the moment I wasn't just going to go against her and do it anyway.

We live in a pretty gossipy village and it turns out that one of the youngish girls (about 13/14/15) accused a boy in our village of raping her (a boy from the family of our original neighbors) and when she was asked why it took so long for her to tell anyone she said, well my step dad does it to me all the time. Anyway, apparently the boy was never charged but that family quickly moved out about a month after being put under police protection because the dad (former neighbor) of the accused rapist threatened to kill them and broke into their house.

Now we have a new family who have moved in and I'm too scared to take them around a cake or card in case something terrible is wrong with them! Well, obviously i'm not really too scared but I would feel a bit weird about it.


That is just my pretty boring story.

What I want to know is, do you introduce yourself and welcome your new neighbors to the neighborhood/apartment block/road? Have you ever had anyone do it to you? Would you feel weird about eating food a neighbor had baked/cooked for you? Would it make you paranoid?

no i say hello but i dont start conversations unless ihave to. i dont run from friendly neighbors though.

my last apt in nyc was crazy, i felt like i was surrounded by all these people and we all knew things about each other just by living in close proximity, but not by cnversation. it was very suffocating and made me dislike city life.

our courtyard neighbor was some tired *** queen that rudely scolded me for smoking IN MY OWN COURTYARD complaining about smoke wafting in his direction, i offered to move my little smoking area the other side of the courtyard as a compromise. then he complained again, and i ended up telling him to **** off, "this is hells kitchen for ****s sake and im in my own courtyard so get used to it, and **** off" --- he was in the building next to ours so i didnt really give a ****.
out hallway neighbor never seemed to work and used to sing show tunes at the top of his lungs, when his boyfriend came home from work they would yell at each other lots, my bedroom window faced his so everything was audible. he probably heard my yoddling while getting ****ed tho.

the neighbors facing show tunes *** was a guy and his girlfriend. his bedroom window faced our kitchen window and me and my ex would watch him DJ, we called him DJ shirtless. they fought a lot too, and we suspect them of selling drugs. i ended up befriending them somewhat before i moved out.

i think that whole floor was cursed with feuding lovers.

I've heard so many irritating stories about people complaining about neighbors smoking.

I think i would love to live in an apartment/block of flats. I had some friends at school and i loved the community feel to it but the thought of everyone hearing me having sex/getting over excited/arguing with my boyfriend would probably give me agoraphobia.

typically i havent been chatty, but since moving to this small town, we had some vacationer neighbors move in next door and they like to come over and chat it up when we are outside. it's fine with me. it's a very small town texan thing to do. (all of the vacationers here are rich texans)

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Was the step dad charged, though?

How long have the new ones been living there? Do they know about your previous neighbours?
Bake them a cake and let the icing say " Welcome, are you criminals or perverts or both? "



I'd feel very weird if my neighbours gave me a cake but that might just be me because I'm very distant. I'd think of it as very sweet and kind but also hmmm. I'd feel a bit under pressure to be social when I only want my peace at home. That's maybe a very German way of thinking? I'd be very Klopek, I'm afraid.

We say hello and have small talk when we meet in the garden or on the street but I wouldn't specifically go over and ring at their doorbell to say welcome when they're new.

My dog has an unrequited crush on my neighbour's poodle. There would be a lot of cake baking and socialising if it were up to her.