Why do some regions like fences more than others?

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NekoBeard777@reddit

Some regions prefer owning dogs over cats and vice versa, usually if you have a dog, you want a fenced in Yard.

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tlonreddit@reddit

Californians are famously distant and cold and unopen to other people.

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QuercusSambucus@reddit

Fun fact: the Robert Frost character in the poem doesn't say that, his neighbor does, and it's not clear Frost agrees with him.

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WarrenMulaney@reddit

Fun fact: I was quoting the actual poem.

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WarrenMulaney@reddit

Good lord. Did you notice my “signature” at the bottom. It’s a joke from “The Office”.

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Judgy-Introvert@reddit

Caught that right away. Love The Office!

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QuercusSambucus@reddit

Obviously. But my point is that in the poem Frost is repeating something his neighbor says, and Frost himself doesn't necessarily agree.

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saltwaste@reddit

We have a fence because of the dogs. We had to bore through ledge starting at about 6".

You gotta have a very good reason to put a fence post up in Maine, otherwise it isn't worth the effort.

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pudding7@reddit

bore through ledge

what does that mean?

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saltwaste@reddit

Dig, cut, and drill through solid granite slabs and other large stones.

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Abell421@reddit

I live in the Appalachias and for most people, putting up a fence is not a Home Depot on a weekend kind of project.

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Fences or no fences tend to be an indication of how friendly or relaxed a community is, where I lived no one had fences and as kids you could see all the way down the block in just back yards, and kids play across multiple back yards with no issues.

But if you live in less friendly areas like California, yeah, I can see how you would want a fence as high as possible.

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ReasonLast9206@reddit

Illinoisan here. I think people around here have fences as needed for practical reasons for dogs, pools, other backyard amenities. I do feel like the whole "get offa my property" vibe I sometimes see on this sub is somewhat less prevalent throughout the Midwest than it is in the South. It's not so much about sharing as it is about trust. Probably because people tend to know their neighbors and feel a sense of community. Maybe because we rely on each other to help shovel/plow snow in the winter? Or we are just more open and chill? Most people aren't going to lose their minds if some kids cut through the yard. Sheds and garages have locks, so unless you have a pool or a dog, why fence in the back yard - how is it any different than the front yard?

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therealdrewder@reddit

Because mega house builders don't want to pay for fences and have convinced people that fences ate bad.

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Brother_To_Coyotes@reddit

Crime, trends with pets, regulation, snow accumulation. Tons of factors.

Where I grew up we all had low rock walls. Where I live now we have cattle fences for livestock, pets, and keeping the deer to a minimum.

When I was in town there were a lot of privacy fences and chain link. They cancelled permits for fences under seven feet and the fences exploded. 6foot privacy fences primarily.

It’s a whole soup of reasons and it’s a big country. Sorry it’s not more specific.

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Technical_Plum2239@reddit

Des Moines has higher crime rate than LA. I think all those Iowa towns are so smushed together. I always thought that was weird about those "rural" places. All the land is these big corp farms and the homes all packed in the town versus other rural places where stuff is spread out. The yards are so teeny it barely seems worth it to fence it for your dog in a lot of those Iowa towns.

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bookcatbook@reddit

Where are you getting the idea that the crime rate in Des Moines is higher than that of LA?

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Technical_Plum2239@reddit

FBI data. https://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=50644000&city2=51921000

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Awdayshus@reddit

My neighborhood is mostly fenceless. Property lines are delineated by different mowing patterns. Mine is parallel to the street in front of my house. My neighbor to the east is perpendicular to mine. My neighbor to the north just does smaller and smaller laps around their yard. My neighbor to the west follows a semi-random pattern so they don't have to pick of their kids' toys when they mow.

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RedSolez@reddit

In the suburbs of Central NJ and Southeast PA it's about 50/50 in the average development. I live in a development with 1200 houses and about half of them have a fence and only a few of those people have a pool because we already have a community pool for our development.

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thelastoneusaw@reddit

Swimming pools are definitely a big part of it, I think you basically always have to have a fence if you have a pool. Pools are way more common in warmer areas.

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RightYouAreKen1@reddit

Counterpoint: western Washington doesn’t have many pools but nearly all backyards are fenced.

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Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

and provide some level of crime protection (not a lot, but some)

Probably more than you realize.

It's a lot harder to steal bikes, lawn equipment, and stuff like grills if you have to get it over or around a fence. And it stops trespassing pretty much completely.

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yaleric@reddit

Is it normal to keep fence gates locked?

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Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure.

Mine always are, but my fence is only 4ft high so if anyone *really" wanted anything back there they could get it lol

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thesmellnextdoor@reddit

I'm not sure what part of Western WA you're familiar with, but in the Puget sound Whatcom/Skagit/Island/Snohomish area, that has not been my experience at all! Maybe Seattle proper is like that, but I'm not sure

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user_1969@reddit

Idk I think it’s more of a western thing. Colorado is full of fences, definitely too cold for pools. Ohio and Kentucky are basically just open spaces. I read somewhere that in CO people go to parks for open space and in places like OH their backyards are like parks.

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sgtm7@reddit

It isn't only California. It was city code to have the backyard fenced in El Paso, TX. The code stipulated that they would be rock walls, and also what height it had to be on the sides, and on the back wall.

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balthisar@reddit

Pretty much the only CC&R in my HOA is "no fences." It's a factor in why we chose this neighborhood.

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BigBlaisanGirl@reddit

California has way more people in it, and there's also a massive homeless problem. The Homeless will wander into your yard and steal things, including water or break something while attempting to steal with no care. There's laws about swimming pools as someone else mentioned. If someone trespasses and drowns in your pool, the owner is held accountable. The same goes for pets that aren't fenced in properly or if there's no warning signs around the yard warning trespassers that there are dogs present.

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broadsharp@reddit

I’m in PA and every house I see has a backyard fence

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Gunther482@reddit

At least in my city in Iowa it tends to be neighborhood dependent. Usually the older parts of town tend to be more fenced in my experience as the lots are smaller, so cheaper to fence and the neighbors are closer, and usually there are alleys that run between properties with the detached garages on the back side of the property facing the alley.

But yeah in newer construction and the suburbs they tend to be somewhat rare here. They also tend to rare in small towns as well. Another thing to consider is that Iowa is actually fairly hilly overall, it’s definitely not as flat as Illinois, Indiana or Minnesota so that can make fencing more of a pain as well.

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Building_a_life@reddit

I have never lived in a house with a fence, or in a neighborhood where fences were common. CT, (2 places) MO (2, St Louis burbs), NY(2, upstate) CA (1, bay area), DE (1), MD (4, DC burbs). This includes neighborhoods where lots were 2 acres, neighborhoods where lots were 5,000 sq ft, and everything in between. The one place where we had a pool, there was a fence around it but not around the whole one-acre lot.

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49_Giants@reddit

In which town in the Bay Area did you live that didn't have fences?

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Building_a_life@reddit

West Oakland

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dcgrey@reddit

Between all the granite, Norway maple roots, small graded lots, and frost heave, it isn't worth the effort here. My neighbors with fences only built them after having issues with abutters and didn't want to think about them anymore.

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morganproctor_19@reddit

I wondered this too, and had the same path in life (grew up in SoCal and lived in Iowa as an adult). What I'm getting from the answers here is interesting.

What about loose dogs?
-Invisible fencing in some places, people don't give a shit in others

What about privacy?
-dense greenery or hedgerow, super spaced out houses/structures, people don't give a shit in others.

I find it crazy that HOAs in some areas forbid fences, so I hope they have some other way to prevent loose dogs and provide privacy.

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Im_Not_Nick_Fisher@reddit

I always notice this when I’m in Michigan as well visiting friends. Not many fenced in yards. Always thought it had something to do with the weather. Not exactly spending as much time in the yard if it’s freezing outside.

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Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

Michigan is a weird example for you to use.

I am outside so much more in Michigan than I ever was down south (I grew up in Charlotte). By a very wide margin.

In Michigan I can be outside from March until November, fairly consistently.

In NC i could be outside from like March to May, then like late September through October. The rest of the time was too hot and humid or too cold and somehow still humid.

Anyway moral of the story is we spend a shit load of time outside on Michigan, just not in November, December, January, or February.

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RupeThereItIs@reddit

I always notice this when I’m in Michigan as well visiting friends. Not many fenced in yards.

There are a TON of fenced in yards in Michigan, it just depends on where you look.

Newer subdivisions, like mid 1970s and on, rarely have fences... before that fences everywhere!

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Gladyskravitz99@reddit

It's not even about sharing to me, it's about having a safe enclosed space for a dog to run more freely. I guess these Midwesterners have invisible fencing for that? Is that even still used?

And yeah like everyone was saying, pools are more common where I am in the south (and California for sure), and you have to keep those fenced so neighborhood kids can't wander in. If lots of houses in your neighborhood have pools and therefore fences, you're more likely to look around and think hey, I need a fence too.

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daddyfatknuckles@reddit

didnt know they were regional, but i live in the midwest and invisible fences are still pretty common. i helped dig the trench to install them as a summer job some years ago, one of my buddies just had one installed, as well as a neighbor.

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Nastreal@reddit

We fenced in our yard to keep the dog from going after stray cats.

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Low-Cat4360@reddit

and you have to keep those fenced so neighborhood kids can't wander in.

This applies heavily to wildlife as well. Animals fall in and drown a lot otherwise because they can't get back out. There's also a thing where alligators will slide in to make themselves at home

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DontRunReds@reddit

Whereas in Alaska the entire dog running at large thing doesn't even seem to be enforced much. I feel like I meet most of the dogs in my neighborhood because most of the owners seem to just let them roam.

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Gladyskravitz99@reddit

Ugh, same here, and I'm not a fan. A single familiar dog is fine, but too many are dangerous. Packs of neighborhood dogs scare the hell out of me, and plenty of people have been attacked by them over the years.

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Technical_Plum2239@reddit

Which is weird. If someone sees a loose dog here someone picks it up in Mass it's on every neighborhood facebook board.

Stray dogs and loose are 100% not a thing here.

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Gladyskravitz99@reddit

It's very common all over, it seems to me. Animal control can't keep up with knothead pet owners.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/05/13/woman-fatally-mauled-by-dogs-quitman-georgia/73668388007/

https://www.koin.com/news/portland/woman-suffers-life-threatening-injuries-dog-attack-07192024/

https://abc11.com/post/pit-bull-attack-mother-son-attacked-pack-dogs/14854653/

https://www.wkyt.com/2024/05/13/4-dogs-rounded-up-after-2-year-old-boy-attacked-whitley-county/

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Technical_Plum2239@reddit

Try to find that in the North east. We truck dogs and puppies up here from the South. If someone sees a loose dog, it goes o facebook and is usually held in someone's house or garage.

And if someone's dog goes missing? There is a nonprofit team that goes out, tracks the dog with like 40 cams, sets up traps, etc. They will track a lost dog for months. (often the dogs are Southern dogs that have been in their rescue homes only a few days and are skittish.

Legit, if someone sees a loose dog cars stop on the road. Even in my rural town. People don't just let dogs wander around. We have chicken and livestock around.

examples cuz they are nice that they found their way home:

"Roxy went missing in February 2023 after just a few days in her new home. Dragging a leash, she roamed about a one mile radius of her new home for nearly 19 months.Having little socialization but a whole lot of survival skills, Roxy managed to move about this very populated area mostly undetected.To say we faced many challenges is an understatement. Although she stayed in the area the entire time, she did not develop a predictable routine, often disappearing for days and sometimes weeks at a time. Due to circumstances beyond our control, there were multiple locations that were used in an attempt to bring her to safety.Oftentimes just as we were gaining her trust, she would either disappear or other factors interfered with our efforts to trap her. After disappearing for a few months, she reappeared in January 2024, but this time it was clear that she was injured and also very thin. Our efforts focused on ensuring she received consistent feedings while trying to assess the extent of her injury.In May of this year, a wonderful and kind woman named Sharon approached us and said Roxy had been cutting through her property. She offered her yard as a place to set up a trap and we never looked back.Watch the video to join us on Roxy's journey from lost to found."

Great news out of Haverhill early this morning! Kirby, missing for 11 days has been safely trapped by Missing Dogs Mass! Homeowner Katie & family alerted us that Kirby was on their home security camera three days in a row. We set up on their property and early this morning Kirby decided he had enough and went into the trap. Many thanks to Katie for letting us set up so quickly, thanks to the residents of the Riverside area for calling in sightings.

01/11/24 Update:Daisy, missing from Oakham, has been safely trapped by Missing Dogs Massachusetts. After 12 days alone, which included a major snowstorm and flooding rain, this little is in her new home tonight!There are so many people in the greater neighborhood to thank for calling in info - it takes a village. All of you were instrumental in allowing this girl be warm tonight A few special thanks to:- Mark B for calling in the sighting today and allowing us to set the trap setup in your yard. Robert CPeter H who was was a true champ and so helpful being the local ‘person’ reaching out.UPDATE 1/9/24 STILL MISSING Daisy is still missing. Her family is asking if residents in the greater Lake Dean area, along route 148 and surrounding roads near conservation land, could check your outdoor cameras, yards, and outbuildings for Daisy? Especially in any structure that may have been opened prior to the snow storm and may now be closed? Please call 774-633-0492 with any information. MISSING DOG Female, Shidoodle, #Oakham, MA, 12-31-23

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Gladyskravitz99@reddit

I wonder if milder winters help strays survive and multiply more in the south and the west coast, and then animal control can't keep up as well? Because we have people catching and posting about loose dogs here, too. Many of my neighbors care, very much - if not about public safety then at least about the safety of the animal. Posts and pictures in Facebook neighborhood groups are how I know there are loose dogs, locally. And then I read stories about attacks all over the country. It's ghastly and I wish we could do more about it.

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Technical_Plum2239@reddit

We have a really big stray/neuter program here. People literally get dogs from shelters that are mutts from the South for like 500 bucks. (fixed, wormed, treated, etc)

My dog was from the South (Tennessee). His intake form from the animal control had info -- he was a loose dog, animal control picked him up. He was there so long it was 40 bucks to get him back and the owner said "I can get a new dog for less than 40 bucks" and left him at the pound.

Dogs and cats aren't just around having puppies and kittens. And the cats that are feral, are caught and spayed. And we have pretty dense wildlife like coyotes and bobcats. Cats don't survive outside usually unless in pretty dense cities with lots of people feeding and sheltering under porches.

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kippersforbreakfast@reddit

In my neighborhood in NM, there's a pack of 4 Chihuahuas that roam freely, not constantly, but a few times a day. Their yard is fenced, but the gate is always open. There are 2 Aussies that get out/are let out regularly. There's a mutt that I call "Tall Boy" and his traveling companion "One Eye" who make the rounds a couple of times a day.

My little terrier (who was on a leash) was attacked by a loose Pit.

I'm a few miles outside of town, next to BLM land, and there are coyotes everywhere. I do not understand the behavior of some of the dog owners.

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Loud_Insect_7119@reddit

Even a single dog drives me nuts, personally, because I rehab a lot of reactive dogs so they can be adopted out. One chronically free-roaming dog usually means I can't walk them in my own neighborhood without risking a fight if it comes up to us and the dog I'm with feels threatened.

Also, lived in way too many rural areas where I had one or two dogs chronically harassing/threatening/even killing livestock. Owners all thought their dogs were just friendly neighborhood dogs, and most of them were! Until their prey drives got triggered, and then they were still just being normal dogs, but the consequences could be really bad.

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Juiceton-@reddit

Yards are universally fenced in Oklahoma because of dogs and swimming pools. A lot of cities (mine included) have fence mandates for privacy and safety reasons too (no one wants a porcupine spining their dog or a skunk spraying their lawn chair).

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RupeThereItIs@reddit

Is this regional, or is this based on the type of community?

I'm in metro Detroit, the older suburbs like mine are all fenced off. Newer ones like where my parents live, well, their HOA forbids fences unless you have a pool.

I think a lot of it comes down to the age of the community and the values of those who made the fence/no fence rules/norms at the time.

Also, I swear larger lots are more likely to NOT have fences.

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Pizza_Metaphor@reddit

With regards to the northeast it's commonly a pain-in-the-balls to install fencing because A) foundations/footings/posts need to go down below frost-line, and B) the soil is commonly glacial till that's full of large rocks. Digging holes in most of New England straight-up sucks. Low-height dry stone walls or nothing.

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flora_poste_@reddit

I've lived in various places in the US, and only two of the homes were unfenced. The first was in Connecticut, in a wealthy enclave on Long Island Sound. The houses were large and set on large lots, with big rolling lawns and big mature trees as features in the landscape. There were no fences, so kids could run from one property to another. If there was a pool, the pool deck itself might have a fence around it for liability reasons. I think the reason the area was set up this way was aesthetic. The houses looked very attractive with the unbroken lawns and the mature, established landscapes. You really couldn't see much of your neighbors at all.

The second location was in Western Washington, not far from Seattle. Most houses in the area were unfenced, unless you count a few large Evergreens or large rhododendrons on the borders of the properties. You could not see the neighbors in their back yards, and you certainly could not see them from the house. Again, I think the choice here was aesthetic. The properties just looked nice that way with no weathered wood or other barrier breaking up the line of sight.

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SquashDue502@reddit

Where I live usually the yards are divided by plants, trees etc. or are forested enough that it’s all secluded anyway.

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spacewarfighter961@reddit

Just speculating here, but I'd guess that if we're just comparing newer construction neighborhoods, it could be due to either local ordinance requiring fences, or builders installing them during construction, vs areas where they were an option that no one thought was worth adding, or weren't put on the house before the first owner purchased the home and most decided they weren't worth it.

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jackof47trades@reddit

In the 1800s, as Americans moved west, they were more likely to stake a claim. They were more defensive about property lines, since it was all new and still settling out. The attitude remained with subsequent generations.

As a result, today you see way more fences in California than you do in Massachusetts.

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Technical_Plum2239@reddit

I feel like we all have fenced in yards here in Mass. Dogs, pools, wildlife.

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sarahprib56@reddit

The culdesac I grew up in Gardner MA had no fences at all. We had neighbors on both sides and behind us and it was all open. It was a nice place to grow up.

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Sp4ceh0rse@reddit

Idk. I’ve lived in Texas, California, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Oregon. All those places had fences.

Personally, I have dogs so I will always have a fence.

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stirwhip@reddit

Detached homes having unfenced backyards that are coterminous with other unfenced backyards in an urban/suburban setting is a completely alien concept to me.

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AdFinancial8924@reddit

I wonder if it has something to do with them being new communities and more likely to have an HOA that won’t allow fences. They’re probably worried about the aesthetic. Especially when people will want different styles and heights.

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RodeoBoss66@reddit

🤣🤣🤣🤣

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Puukkot@reddit

I dated a Minnesotan for several years, and she mentioned once that people there didn’t fence their yards. I honestly didn’t believe her at first, but when we visited her family later, sure enough, hardly a fence to be seen.

We decided maybe it was connected to the midwestern niceness thing. Her family certainly had a different relationship with their neighbors than I ever have. We were getting ready to grill something for dinner when her brother realized he was out of propane, so he walked across the weirdly unfenced backyard to ask the neighbor to borrow some. Neighbor said sure, but then said, “well, wouldn’t it be easier to just use my grill than to take the cylinder out and carry it back and forth?” So we just cooked on the neighbor’s patio and ate on ours. It was really very nice, but blew my northwestern mind. Wouldn’t have happened in any neighborhood I’ve ever lived in. It felt a little weird just sitting in the big communal unfenced backyard eating, though.

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Abell421@reddit

I live in foothills along a mountain range. We don't have a 10ft piece of flat ground for 200 miles lol. Not to mention the rocky ground. People do have fences here but they are really difficult to build. You've got to hire a professional and pay the price. I know it can easily cost $6-15k for a wooden fence and I live in a low income area compared to many places. You are more likely to see them in town around small yards or in subdivisions. In the country we have barbed wire fences, which are much easier to install, to keep the animals where they go but you'll rarely find a fence around a house. You probably don't want to go anywhere near a house that does lol.

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cooperstonebadge@reddit

Read this 3 times before I realized it says regions and not religions. Something, something walls of Jericho?

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

Here in Maine most places around me don’t have fences because there is near impenetrable forest between houses.

Some folks do a backyard fence but it’s not super common.

In more “urban” areas with close by houses there will be fences along the back property line to discourage people cutting between blocks, privacy, or whatever.

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_CPR_@reddit

Where I live we have a fence for two reasons: to keep the dog in and to keep the deer out.

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darklyshining@reddit

I have both. Our forever home in the SF Bay Area is on a small lot, so neighbors are close, weather encourages outdoor activities, dogs are common, etc. our backyard is a retreat from the world’s daily cares. Fences allow us to be alone in the garden where that garden is well tended, expressive and inviting.

Our Midwest home (new to us) is on a much larger lot that mostly reflects the surrounding semi-rural countryside: expanses of grass dotted with trees visited by seasonal fauna. It snows a lot during the winter and I can see where fences might encourage the drifting of snow against fences possibly encouraging damage. The backyards in our Midwest neighborhood are little used. People tend to maintain pretty flower gardens out front. And it’s out front, on the driveway, where people tend to barbecue, for instance.

I think it comes down to weather, at least when comparing my west coast mild climate to my Midwest half year of much cooler weather. Outdoor living encourages fences for privacy. Indoor living encourages broad, unbroken views of a more natural world.

I love both environments, but can’t see where they could easily be swapped.

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ByWillAlone@reddit

Having a fence doesn't mean I'm selfish and don't want to share, it means I have the bare minimum level of respect for my neighbor's rights to not have my dogs running through their yards.

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Whogaf01@reddit

I don't need a fence. I have 300 year-old Oak trees, large maple trees, lots and lots of Prickly-ash and other natural deterrents.

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HailState17@reddit

I don’t know you lunatics don’t have a fence. I’m out in the middle of nowhere on 30ish acres and the whole property is fenced. It’s not a 8ft privacy fence, but the property is fenced. Mix of barbed wire and regular wire closer to the house. I don’t want anyone creeping around my lot. Can open you up to liability too.

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Judgy-Introvert@reddit

I live in Eastern Washington and most homes have a fenced backyard. We have both our front and back fenced. We have a dog and it’s just a preference for us. If we ever moved to a place where people didn’t fence their yards, we’d be the first ones in the neighborhood who did.

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