For 17 years, I lived on Stanczyk Drive in Easton, Connecticut, in a small house on a dead end road with two other houses on the street. Even though I didn't live in a suburban area, I came to appreciate my secluded neighborhood and how it shaped my childhood. Here are a few reasons why I enjoyed living on a dead end road.
Privacy
Since I only had two other neighbors on my street, I was able to make my life as private as I wanted it to be. If there was a problem going on with my family I could keep it secret from others and deal with it at home. The only downside was that the woods in our backyard connected to an elementary school, but I never had any problems with that. My life wasn’t on display for the neighborhood to see which was something I came to appreciate once I moved to a residential area.
When I moved away I lost the privacy I had before, and longed for it again. I moved to a residential area where houses were in a series right next to each other. Everything a person did was on display for the neighborhood to see and it was difficult getting used to that. I came to appreciate the privacy I once had in the small town, and realized that where I grew up was a rarity that would be difficult to find again.
Freedom
Living on a dead end road had it’s advantages that I wouldn’t have experienced if I lived in a cul-de-sac. When I was younger, I spent my weekends learning how to ride a bike and eventually going out on my own up and down the street for exercise. I didn’t have to worry about cars coming down our street, which meant my parents weren’t as concerned about watching me when I was outside. As I grew older, I spent my time playing street hockey and eventually I learned how to drive on that road. I practiced everything from parallel parking to backing into our driveway. I always had the freedom to go outside and do whatever I wanted without being interrupted by cars coming down my street.
The freedom that I had was something that I appreciated even more once I moved away. We moved to a suburban area on a busy road where cars and motorcycles would race through to get wherever they needed to be. If I had grown up in an area like this, I wouldn’t have been able to have the childhood like I did. I would’ve been limited to what I could do and my parents would have to worry about my safety and watch me more when I was younger.
Close-Knit Community
Even though there were only two other houses on our street, we were close because of it. We always helped each other out whenever things were tough, especially for the elderly couple. My neighbor and I would do their yard work for them since they were unable to. I never charged them for my work because I didn’t want to. I felt that since we were so close I had to look after my neighbors and help in any way I could. I was more humble because of my upbringings because I was more concerned with helping others than getting paid for my work. This relationship that I had with my neighbors was one that I have not found anywhere else I lived in. I treated them as if they were my family and I grew to appreciate that I had neighbors who looked out for me like they did.
