The porches of salemtown - What makes a community a community?
I'm not saying that the porches of Salemtown are akin to the Bridges of Madison County or that I'm going to detail all the action that might or might not be taking place on our neighborhood porches. I promise no syrupy emetic love story.
What I can say is that part of what makes a community a community are sidewalks and front porches. I used to live in the greater Green Hills area (the Lipscomb side). My street had no sidewalks and few front porches. We weren't really suburbia, but the decks and patios were all in the back of our houses. Subsequently, I rarely saw my neighbors unless we were leaving for work or coming home at the same time.
If you are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with sidewalks and/or front porches you already know the difference. I've met everyone on my block. I'm not saying everyone on my block LIKES me, but I know who everyone is. People use sidewalks to exercise, walk their dogs and just hang out. Front porch sitting engenders conversations with passers-by.
I love to see the kids roll by with their tricycles, bicycles and scooters. I'm happy that I have to buy a LOT of candy for Halloween, because we have sidewalks for the kids to visit the neighborhood and they don't have to walk in the street and risk getting flattened by speeding cars.
Here are a few of the porches that make my neighborhood special....
What I can say is that part of what makes a community a community are sidewalks and front porches. I used to live in the greater Green Hills area (the Lipscomb side). My street had no sidewalks and few front porches. We weren't really suburbia, but the decks and patios were all in the back of our houses. Subsequently, I rarely saw my neighbors unless we were leaving for work or coming home at the same time.
If you are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with sidewalks and/or front porches you already know the difference. I've met everyone on my block. I'm not saying everyone on my block LIKES me, but I know who everyone is. People use sidewalks to exercise, walk their dogs and just hang out. Front porch sitting engenders conversations with passers-by.
I love to see the kids roll by with their tricycles, bicycles and scooters. I'm happy that I have to buy a LOT of candy for Halloween, because we have sidewalks for the kids to visit the neighborhood and they don't have to walk in the street and risk getting flattened by speeding cars.
Here are a few of the porches that make my neighborhood special....
