This varies wildly neighborhood by neighborhood. In our first house, in suburban Raleigh, NC, we had a modest 1972 split level worth about $200k. We knew all our neighbors and it was, for lack of a better word, neighborly.
In our second house, which was a huge upgrade house-wise (4500sqft on 1/3ac in a subdivision with a big pool greenways, playground, etc), we got to know just two of our neighbors very well, and we almost never saw anyone outdoors in the 6 years we lived there. This house was only about 2 miles from the previous one, but the vibe was entirely different.
In our current house, in San Jose, we're in a neighborhood originally built in the 1950s from what was cherry orchards, and almost all of the original owners have died or moved. We've been here since 2016 and it feels like that year was when the current wave of "refresh" started. Ever since the neighborhood has gotten younger and younger, more and more kids are outside, and the majority go to the neighborhood pool & neighborhood schools. We have tons of friends and acquaintances and it's reminiscent of my neighborhood growing up (in Virginia) in the early 80s. That said, you only have to go a few blocks to get to areas that are more like what you've described.
The morale of this is just that it pays to spend time in, and talk with, a few possible neighbors before buying into a neighborhood. You might not like what you find.
In our second house, which was a huge upgrade house-wise (4500sqft on 1/3ac in a subdivision with a big pool greenways, playground, etc), we got to know just two of our neighbors very well, and we almost never saw anyone outdoors in the 6 years we lived there. This house was only about 2 miles from the previous one, but the vibe was entirely different.
In our current house, in San Jose, we're in a neighborhood originally built in the 1950s from what was cherry orchards, and almost all of the original owners have died or moved. We've been here since 2016 and it feels like that year was when the current wave of "refresh" started. Ever since the neighborhood has gotten younger and younger, more and more kids are outside, and the majority go to the neighborhood pool & neighborhood schools. We have tons of friends and acquaintances and it's reminiscent of my neighborhood growing up (in Virginia) in the early 80s. That said, you only have to go a few blocks to get to areas that are more like what you've described.
The morale of this is just that it pays to spend time in, and talk with, a few possible neighbors before buying into a neighborhood. You might not like what you find.