The Simple Neighborhood Traditions That Are Quietly Disappearing: Block Talk

The old-school neighborhood, where people knew each other’s names, borrowed sugar, and gathered for block parties, has been fading for decades, and a recent American Neighbor Survey confirms the trend is real. Patch readers from New Jersey to California shared their own experiences, ranging from polite-but-distant to outright hostile, painting a picture of a social fabric that has worn noticeably thin.