Neighbors can help families

Knowing the neighbors helps many Bend families

By Alandra Johnson / The Bulletin

Finding the right neighborhood was critically important to Cricket Kadoch when she and her family moved to Bend six years ago. While they could have chosen a house with lots of land, they opted for the River Rim development in southwest Bend, where the new homes were built cozily close together. Kadoch says it has been a great place to raise their kids, now 7 and 5. She feels like she knows her neighbors, from families with similar-age kids to couples who have been married for more than 50 years.

Kadoch and her neighbors help provide a sense of security for one another. She feels comfortable letting her kids ride their bikes around the neighborhood. In turn, she watches out for other children. Kadoch has been known to bring over meals or shovel driveways when her neighbors are in need.

“We can all use each other,” said Kadoch. “It lends to a feeling of safety.”

Kadoch, however, is in the minority when it comes to neighborhood connections. Just 19 percent of Americans surveyed in 2009 by the Pew Research Center said they knew all of their neighbors; 24 percent said they knew most, 29 percent said they knew some and 28 percent said they knew none.

Getting to know neighbors takes effort. It can be more difficult than it was a generation or two ago, when people spent less time watching TV and parents encouraged kids to go outside to play and not come home until dark. Those days are gone, but neighborhood connections can still be vitally important, especially for families. Read the rest of this entry »