For kids, trick or treating is mostly about filling a bag, pillowcase or plastic bucket with sugary loot.
But it’s more nuanced for parents. A night of traipsing around town with kids in tow – knocking on doors of neighbors and, in many cases, strangers – means feeling safe enough to push the boundaries a little. Parents need to trust their neighborhood to be willing to take this risk.
On Halloween, a good neighborhood can mean a great night of thrills, adventure and socializing, for kids and parents.
Nextdoor on Best Halloween Neighborhoods
Nextdoor, the free and private social network for the neighborhood, conducted a survey among over 2,400 US adults about the most important neighborhood attributes when trick or treating. Here is what participants thought were important or very important:
- Safety – 95%
- Good neighbors – 92%
- Halloween candy – 73%
- Decorations – 54%
- Parties – 32%
Nirav Tolia, cofounder and CEO of Nextdoor, said,
“We believe Halloween is all about neighbors and your neighborhood and this is reinforced by the findings of this survey. Thousands of neighborhoods use Nextdoor around Halloween to plan pumpkin carving parties, block parties, costume parades and much more.”
A pumpkin carving contest encourages neighbors to get out and meet one another. Photo credit: DiveVets.com
Make Halloween Even Better
On one of Trulia‘s blogs, Jeffrey Hoover shares his ideas for how best to celebrate Halloween in your neighborhood.
- Sit on the front porch to facilitate friendly chats
- Set up a game in your yard where kids (and adults!) can compete for the best candy or prize
- Host a warming station with coffee, hot cocoa and apple cider
- Celebrate in funny ways that don’t scare the kids
- Organize your neighbors so that each house on your block offers candy Halloween night
A Halloween party – maybe a costume contest? – can bring together the whole neighborhood. Photo credit: Pratel.net
Sure, Halloween is an excuse to fill up on sweets and face a few fears. But a successful night of trick or treating is also a celebration of the neighborhood.
Maponics boundaries reflect real-life geographies where people live, play – and, sometimes, gather for spooky revelry. See our Subdivision Boundaries, Destination & Venue Boundaries and Shopping Boundaries for more polygons that reflect life on the ground.