San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Won’t you be my annoying neighbor?
A recent survey shows San Diegans are finding it hard to live by the command to love thy neighbor.
According to a survey by Homeadvisor, San Diego ranked fifth in the country for having the most annoying neighbors.
Homeadvisor surveyed 2,201 Americans in the 25 biggest U.S. cities in 2021 using an online survey platform to find out which cities have the most and least annoying neighbors as well as the most annoying neighbor habits.
San Diego is home to a diverse group of neighborhoods, yet some residents agree, no matter where you live, relationships with neighbors are not the same as they used to be, whether that’s due to changing cultures or due to the influx of social media apps like Nextdoor.
Overall, about half (52 percent) of those surveyed nationwide said they talk to their neighbors once a week or less, and almost two-thirds of those surveyed (64 percent) admit they actively avoid their neighbors. Only 15 percent said they have had meaningful conversations with their neighbors.
San Diego was ranked No. 5 for most annoying neighbors, however, a number of cities tied for various spots above San Diego, so San Diego really ranks among the top 10 overall.
Ranked above San Diego for most annoying neighbors are Fort Worth, Texas, coming in in first place; San Francisco, El Paso, Texas, and San Jose, in a three-way tie for second; Indianapolis, Ind., and Philadelphia, Pa., in third; and Austin, Texas, San Antonio, Texas, and Jacksonville, Fla., in another three-way tie for fourth.
The city with the least annoying neighbors is Phoenix.
In San Diego, 72 percent of the 165 residents surveyed said they know most or all of their neighbors, and 53 percent consider them to be friends. However, nearly 3 out of 5 people consider their San Diego neighbors annoying.
That sentiment is true for longtime Encanto resident Trish Palmer, who said she has a love-hate relationship with many of her neighbors.
“I try to be respectful of my neighbors, but even I annoy them sometimes — I’m sure of it,” Palmer said, chuckling because she recalled a recent incident where one neighbor complained about her son’s drum lessons on social media.
“Things are so different nowadays,” she added. “Instead of talking to each other about problems, they go onto the Internet.”
However, she still maintains a close relationship with other neighbors, some of whom have kids that her now 15-year-old son has grown up with since he was a toddler.
San Diegans’ No.1 complaint about their neighbors comes as no surprise: parking.
This is an issue residents in a number of local neighborhoods can relate to, including downtown resident Erin Williams.
“My neighbors do some crazy things for a good parking spot,” he said. “I’ve even heard a couple of heated arguments in the streets that almost came to blows.”
Along with parking issues, the survey also found that San Diego neighbors are most likely to argue about loud parties and bad attitudes or grumpiness.
While many may get annoyed at their neighbors from time to time, there were some bright spots to the survey, which also found that 95 percent of San Diego residents consider themselves to be good neighbors.
“I know I’m not alone in saying that I aspire to return to the era where everyone knows their neighbor,” said Williams, who says he considers himself a millennial, “and I will continue to work toward building those relationships.”