Neighbors share how they build community in Phoenix
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
A lot of us are struggling to stay connected with our neighbors, but the solve may be as simple as a sidewalk happy hour.
Why it matters: Casual neighborhood ties are quietly disappearing, and research shows the health consequences of social isolation run deep, with a strong link to mortality and dementia risk.
Zoom in: We asked you how you're building community here in Arizona, a state notorious for its transplants.
Your best tips:
🎉 Throw a party: Several of you shared how driveway get-togethers have spurred long-term friendships.
- Former Paradise Valley Town Council Member Dan Schweiker said he hosted two open houses when he moved to a new neighborhood in central Scottsdale in 2014.
- The shindigs were "such a success" that neighbors have continued to host meet-ups, and even transitioned to socially distanced "street parties" during COVID, he told us.
- Down in Tucson, Gary Karr told us about "Friday street drinking."
"Birthdays are often celebrated, and, on a couple of occasions, neighbor deaths have been mourned. Sometimes dogs are there, like Benny or Bella, who are at least as popular as their humans."
📱 Start a phone tree: Knowing how to reach your neighbors, in case of emergency or just for a friendly check-in, is a great way to start building friendships.
- Randy McGrane said his neighbors quickly helped locate his lost dog when he was on an international trip.
"One text and five minutes later the dog was safe at a neighbors … where she went since she knows the neighborhood as well."
💪 Expand your "neighborhood": "Neighbor" doesn't have to mean someone who lives on your street.
- Fred Rickson said he rarely sees his next-door neighbors, but interacts with about a half-dozen people at the fitness center in his retirement community each day.
"Are these 'neighbor interactions?' I think so."
1 good thing to go: McGrane also told us about how his close neighborhood ties have helped him from descending into political fracture.
"There is tremendous value in having a human behind a label. That's not some MAGA, that's Carol. That's not some radical leftist, that's Randy. The loss of community engagement and neighborly neighborhoods is a catalyst to polarization."