I really liked reading all of the different experiences in this thread, especially Midpack's. Real experiences, and moving is always a crap shoot. Here is my real, long, life-long story.
I'm 67, retired going on 10 years, and have lived in four states and five different houses.
Three of those houses in three states were great, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Illinois, up to age 42. Great, partly because I was naïve, never having had nightmare neighbors. You don't realize the stress until this occurs in your life.
The fourth house was in Ohio and also a great place, for a year. Yes, the neighbors had dogs, but didn't let them bark. Super social, polite area even with 1/2 acre lots. At my age 43, the neighbor across the street moved. A family moved in with a basset hound that they put out every afternoon for the entire evening. It never stopped howling. The neighborhood tolerated it for a few weeks and then it all went to heck. Police, dog wardens, numerous neighbors addressing it, and that only made it worst. The polite neighbors then let their dogs loose to join the melee. A literal dog war... a nightmare.
The newish neighbor dug in and refused to cooperate. Houses went up for sale, more police, etc.. A very traumatic nightmare that I live with to this day. I lived there 18 years. That neighbor eventually moved 6 years prior, but had already ruined the neighborhood.
Did my latest move in 2015, rural residential area with 1 1/2 - 2 acre lots, surrounded by a vineyard. In the very center was an old 5 acre horse farm surrounded by at least a dozen homes on big lots. The whole area was zoned residential, so they couldn't build anything beyond the existing house on the edge of the 5 acres with only one access. It was land locked.
We bought a very recently built ranch on a ridge at the end of one of the three cul-de-sacs. We had 1 1/2 acres of which 3/4 acre was woods. Strips of woods and honeysuckle separated us from the two next door neighbors, neither had dogs. Had 1/2 acre of woods across our entire backyard separating us from the essentially empty 5 acre field. We were on the outer edge of a major city, every store, restaurant, gym that exists were within 15-20 minutes.
It still is a dream come true, BUT... During the move, we made many trips with a truck, van, and eventually U-hauls to the new house. You just got rocked to sleep with the crickets at night. Then, the farm sold. During one of our last trips, we endured an hour of ATV's racing back and forth behind our house. Cried for a day or two. Continued the move and didn't hear them again for a few months. Then they decided to do a winter, snow ride at 11PM on a Sunday night. That neighborhood erupted, trees were slashed, threats made and we have never heard an ATV in going on 5 years. All quiet. Yep, you have USA freedom on your property up to a point...
One observation, living in a rural residential area. All of our neighbors are super nice, will help out on anything if asked, but basically want left alone. That's why they moved out here. One neighbor has kept trying to bring the neighborhood together, but it fails. Honestly, they are considered noisy and strange in a way.
As I said, long story, but one I've been wanting to get off my mind for years. Thanks if you tolerated the whole thing. It was therapeutic for me!
