The good neighbor policy
(Page 4 of 4)
Needless to say, the folks of Libby Creek cannot imagine living in an automatic-garage-door-opener community, where sometimes not even a "hello" is exchanged between neighbors. Neighborliness is a necessity here.
"We share the commonality of living in this unique area," says Campbell. "We have a history of being helpful to one another. You can always figure things out together in a group better than as individuals. We know that, and we constantly share resources."
A folksy telephone directory, published by Wendy Snook in a remote, agricultural community of eastern Washington State, lists products and services its 44 families offer everything from floral wreaths and homegrown garlic to emergency snow plowing and website design. It also tells the history of residents' homes.
Its publication has promoted an even greater sense of neighborliness among an already tight-knit group. Nestled in the Cascade Mountains, three hours from the nearest major cities of Spokane and Seattle, Libby Creek got telephones only two years ago. At a harvest party, Ms. Snook gave each neighbor a directory.
Snook lives with her husband, Bill, in a nearly 100-year-old log cabin. They raise chickens, cows, and trout. She was driven by a desire to learn more about her community and its rich history, dating back to 1886. She spent an entire winter researching land records and deeds and interviewing residents, especially old-timers who could recount stories of their youth.
The following was excerpted from background on the beginnings of Snook's home:
Martin Backhoop homesteaded and built his one-room cabin and log barn in 1906. He got the logs from the flat west of the cabin, hauled by horses. He was deeded 165 acres and irrigated from both Libby and Smith Creeks. He was a German immigrant and Alaskan gold miner from the Klondike who worked down the road in the Fred Culver orchards and used to walk down the road every day to work and back.... He was very honest and polite, and folks liked him a lot.
The benefits of neighborliness go way beyond what one might expect, says Thomas Sander of Harvard University's Kennedy School. He should know. As executive director of the Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America Project, he looks closely at the effects of making connections. Mr. Sander writes often on the topic, including an opinion piece for this newspaper, which appeared on Feb. 19. In a recent interview, he shared these insights:
"Regardless of the urge to cocoon or hunker down, all the literature shows the importance of personal interconnections for happiness, a well-working democracy, safer streets, and better education. It's more important now than ever to know work colleagues and neighbors. It doesn't matter if people try to connect for reasons of self-interest or out of the goodness of their hearts. What's important is whether social relationships develop, not only for deep, abiding friendships. Different kinds of relationships are useful for different things.
"It's easier to build community in small towns than in urban areas there's higher trust, and it's easier to get things done. In cities, people are more likely to decide they won't get involved."
