Anonymous wrote:I hate them. I actually refused to buy a house on one.
First of all, they're always filled with a bunch of cars parked on the street.
Second of all, I hate the idea of kids learning to ride their bikes or play hoops in the street.
I know lots of people who live on them, and not one of them have mentioned block parties. I'm inclined to think that, at least in the suburbs, that really doesn't happen as much on people on DCUM like to believe. I'm sure tons of posters will come on and say, "but we have one every month," blah, blah, blah. But as I said, IRL, I know lots of people who live on them, and none of them have ever heard of any block parties happening.
Third thing I hate, is that whenever I see a cul-de-sac, the houses seem to be very close together. I don't know if that's because of their popularity (builders try to fit as many in as possible), but it always seems like you have more neighbors close to you on a cul-de-sac than on a regular street.
Fourth thing, while people say they get less traffic, I've noticed (while visiting friends who live on them) that they get a ton of people who turn in to make a turn and go the other way on the road.
But yeah, most people and real estate agents think they're wonderful. So be it. I also hate neighborhoods that have a lot of them. It doesn't make for ideal traffic flow. And it makes the neighborhood seem disconnected. I guess people like that, but I don't.
I grew up on one. And it was FABULOUS!
Yes, we played in the street all day. Our parents liked it because they could see us. We liked it because it was an easy place to gather... we had a baseball/kickball field figured out, with one street number painted on the ground being home base, and oil spot being third base, etc. It was safe to play in the street because only our parents were driving in them. Our parents parked in the garage or the driveway.
And yes, there were many, many block parties. One of my favorites was a NYE one where the parents were in one house, and the kids ages 5 - 17 were across the street in another. Lots of pool parties too. We had a pool and a huge screened in porch, and the summer parties there were legendary.
The people on our cul de sac were very close, many of them became lifelong friends.