“I have a friend that bought a lot in WV and is having neighbor issues. She thinks they don’t like the city folk coming there.
It could be any number of things. There’s an old “downhome” saying about “learning the lay of the land”. City folks that move to the country and immediately start complaining and/or trying to “change” things aren’t usually met with welcoming arms. Perhaps she bought property that, totally unknown to her, is part of some sort of local dispute that the realtor may or may not have known about. (That nearly happened to us, but we did our “homework” and asked around and backed off) Maybe she flies up and down the local roads. Maybe she did buy into an area that’s truly clickish and clannish.
There have been any number of articles written in “Countryside” and probably “Backwoods Home”, about city folks moving into the country that discuss the issue at length including how to decide on buying a place.
I know that when we moved here, I made the rounds of the Post Office, the little store, etc., introducing myself and telling folks where we lived. Slowly, and I mean over a couple of years, we got to know our neighbors by stopping for a moment (and I mean just a very few minutes) if we saw them out near the road. We asked informational questions (even if we already knew the answers) and “listened” when they gave us advice. We also asked around and patronized local businesses, even though it might cost more than Lowes or Walmart (although the quality was always worth it :). We eventually found our “little church” and gradually we became a part of the community, although we live relatively quietly and have no interest in being “movers and shakers”.
And yes, after 28 years here, we still give directions by saying we live at “the old XXX place” :) That’s not going to change. What changed is that we got used to it and now give it nary a thought.
Frankly, at this point in time, what we’re looking for is “a hidey-hole in a holler” and I may not come out for months at time. :)