The study, conducted by two economists, found that Americans who live in lower density neighborhoods (i.e. the suburbs) have more friends, are more likely to spend time with their neighbors and are more likely to belong to local clubs than their city dwelling brethren, according to a recent Atlantic piece on the study.
“The study offers several explanations,” the Atlantic writes. “Cities offer more distractions, which may make neighborliness less important to one’s social life; overcrowding may lead people to ‘draw inward’; and high urban crime rates may erode trust among neighbors.”
I can't find the Atlantic piece, so if any of you can, please put it in the comboxes. I'd like to read more before commenting on it, but off the top of my head, if there's anything to this study, I'm betting that Steve Sailer's recent piece about how "diversity" makes for less neighborly neighborhoods explains at least part of it.
On the other hand, a colleague who covers the suburbs said it's a myth, at least in north Dallas, that the suburbs are lily-white. Here, for example, is a breakdown of the demographic stats in the Plano public schools. Plano is a big, prosperous north Dallas suburb. Roughly, Plano's public schools are 17 percent Asian, 10 percent black, 15 percent Hispanic, and the rest Caucasian. Mind you, these stats can be misleading, because they don't tell you who's using the private schools (in Dallas, for example, the public school system has an almost entirely minority population, because most of the whites who live in the City of Dallas have their kids in private or religious school). Still, I wonder to what extent class similarities in the suburbs make for more happiness, cohesion and community involvement. Thoughts?
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Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes made of Ticky Tacky, Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes all the same. There's a green one, and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one, And they're all made out of Ticky Tacky And they all look just the same. And the people in the houses All went to the university, Where they were put in boxes And they came out all the same. And there's doctors, and lawyers And business executives, And they're all made out of Ticky Tacky And they all look just the same. And they all play on the golf course And drink their martinis dry, And they all have pretty children And the children go to school. And the children go to summer camp And then to the university, Where they are put in boxes And they come out all the same. And the boys go into business And marry and raise a family In boxes made of Ticky Tacky And they all look just the same. There's a pink one and a green one And a blue one and a yellow one, And they're all made out of Ticky Tacky And they all look just the same. Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds.
The Dallas-area statistics probably also don't take into account what kids are homeschooled. My impression of Texas is that homeschoolers are falling out of trees down there, they're so common.
I came across this article, too and was very puzzled by it. I grew up in the country in rural Michigan where community was HUGE. People would stop by all the time and my mother always made more food than we could eat "in case anyone stopped by." When the cable guy worked after five, my parents would invite him in for soup! Then I moved to Maryland. I lived in the city- a medium-sized and growing city of about 60 thousand. I lived in a marginal neighborhood with plenty of hobos, prostitutes, homos and artists. I knew all of my neighbors within months and even got to know some of the "rif-raff." I really enjoyed living there. Then I moved to the suburbs. I feel so lonely here. No one knows one another, which makes it feel less safe than my city neighborhood. Maybe only people with children are let into the "club" of suburbia. Now we are buying an old house in the city. It is in a neighborhood that has not yet been gentrified by this quickly gentrifying city. We're hoping for the best. Hey, at least the house is beautiful and not made of ticky-tacky. Perhaps crunchies just don't fit in in the 'burbs.
We lived in the 'burbs in the 70's. Far as I know, the 'neighborhood kids' didn't play in each other's yards, there were no community barbecues, etc. Kids played with the kids they knew from school, same thing that tends to happen anywhere, well, you have schools. Parents socialized with people they knew from work, from church, or from their other activities. Again, same as anywhere you have that sort of thing. Indeed, the most social community I knew of was my mother's neighborhood, which was part of a city, though it was that rare /real/ city neighborhood. Namely, actual family homes, though within walking distance of stores, and the library, etc. Some cities are trying to get back to that. To have an actual community, you need more than people, even people who view each other as safe, living together. They have to have places, and reasons to do things together.
Sarah, I wouldn't like living in the suburbs if I didn't have children. I would prefer the activity of the city or the solitude/beauty of the country, but not the in-between of the suburbs. I live in a neighborhood setting with lots of farms around me. It has a rural feel to it, but a lot of activities for families. More and more farmers are selling to developers, so it might change in the future. I would probably stay here if I didn't have kids because I do have the land to garden, and there are people to socialize with at my church & temple, but there is not doubt that suburban life is better with kids than without. I hope that you find more of a community in your new home.
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