<p>I totally agree with Allmusic. Suburban kids could really use a dose of streetsmarts. They go right from having never left their lily-white “safe” neighborhhods to having a driver’s license and running all over clueless. Too many teenagers in my suburb venture into the city for one thing - to buy drugs, never experiencing the fun coffee shops, music venues, artsy music theaters, street fairs, the public market - all the things that make our city vibrant to young people (often the college kids who come here from “real” cities).</p>
<p>Weenie,
Your post made me laugh because it’s so true!</p>
<p>We live in a suburb of DC and neighbors do look askance at us because we’ve let our D Metro into the District at rush hour times (it really is safe then).</p>
<p>When my child worked for the House during her jr. yr. she was required to live in a dorm near the US Capitol during the academic year. Rather than coming home on weekends, she (of course)opted to explore Georgetown etc with her fellow Pages. When she got back to suburbia last summer, she lost all desire for DC other than commuting in and out for her internships.</p>
<p>We have a couple gated communities/subdivisions in our area. It really irritated me to go see friends and have to stop at these gates and inform them who I was visiting. On one of my wild hair days, I called the city and found out these were in fact city maintained streets and technically open to the public. After that I just stopped (they have a stop sign you must obey) and informed them that I was on public road and it was none of their business who I was visiting. (Sure they took down my license number for a while).</p>
<p>Gated communities are only as good as the guests that gated residents let in to visit. If your (or your neighbor’s) guests are Jerry Springer trailer trash, then the gate becomes useless.</p>
<p>I think people are taking the meaning of the gate wayyy too far. The gate simply allows a small-knit community to flourish, increased security, and it keeps unwanted people out. They have their own clubs, socials, golf courses, etc. Not anyone can trash them.</p>
<p>I agree. The happiest day of certain family members’ lives were moving from a perfectly safe “nice” community in a NY suburb to a gated community in SC (also perfectly safe and nice in that community).</p>
<p>“… it keeps unwanted people out.” Actually, it doesn’t. Gates are completely ineffectual at keeping criminals and other legitimately undesireable types away. What they are effective at doing is projecting the image of a community which wants to keep the “others” out. Gates are an image factor, nothing more, nothing less. And frankly, it’s an image which totally appalls me (and creeps me out at the same time.) Stepford, anyone?</p>
<p>now I can see the appeal of a gate at my house.
Instead of my mother inlaw popping in unannounced, I could have the guard at the gate ring me up, let me know who was on teh way, and tell them I was out or not depending on my mood.
I suppose that a servant could fill that same function, provided my car wasnt in the driveway. 
Of course I never noticed that they provided much security.
Just look reasonably pleasant and smile and they will wave you through and they have been very helpful when I needed directions.</p>
<p>In Florida which I visit frequently there are many gated communities now and I think they are a fine idea. I have had experiences in Florida where ‘peeping Toms’ were spying thru windows in at 2 homes where I was staying. Any deterent at all, including gates and walls, are a good idea. Of couse neighbors may do the same thing but there is a migrant population in some states where guards and gates may have an effect.
Yes, there is a huge amount of crime and drug activity out there and any safety precautions are an asset.</p>
<p>In Hilton Head, the communities have tighter security than some military bases used to have back in the '80s and early '90s.</p>
<p>Blech. This whole concept turns my stomach.</p>
<p>It really isn’t such a big deal. When I was growing up in New Jersey in a small city (with a suburban feel to it) I was terrified of being left alone in our house. We had peeping Toms, race riots, my parents and grandparents’ houses were broken into numerous times, friends of theirs were tied up and robbed in their homes. It was horrible and I always thought it would be nice not to have my kids feel threatened like that. They don’t where we are and we like it like that. I’m not saying you have to have a gate to feel safer, but its an added security. Plus the Mormons and Greenpeacers and Jehovah’s witnesses (no flames please) aren’t constantly knocking on my door the way they were when we were in Central NJ as recently as 8 years ago.</p>
<p>and as far as anonymity goes, I never felt more anonymous than when I lived in NYC in an apartment. Everyone just went in and shut their doors…no hello, no nothing. At that time of life it was fine (20’s) but here in my non- Stepford (!!) gated community people are friendly and, believe it or not, pretty normal. Ironically, where we were in NJ before here (not the small city where I grew up) I used to call StepfordLand and begged by husband to get a new job and get us the heck out of there!</p>
<p>A gate is a poor substitute for a .44 magnum or an American Staffordshire Terrier, but perhaps some who find the gates repugnant might prefer them to certain alternatives found often in places where gates are not practical. </p>
<p>Kluge, my gut feel tells me that the local ban on gates will not stand up to a court challenge. Please don’t ask for sources. :)</p>
<p>We don’t have gated communities in Toronto, actually I haven’t ever seen one anywhere in Canada, but I do have friends who live in one in California. It’s at Lake Sherwood and they’re quite happy with the security, whether it’s artificial or not. </p>
<p>I, too, would like to have the frequent interruptions, by people knocking on my door to solicit for various organizations, eliminated.</p>
<p>I second Allmusic’s Bleh. We probably live in a truly more dangerous neighborhood than anyone else here, and most of the time our back door is unlocked. Our 11 year old lab mix’s wheezy barks seem to do ok.</p>
<p>We’ve been looking at houses in Cape May County with an eye to moving down there in the next few years. As I looked at some perfectly nice and practical houses, I kept getting a yuchh feeling, and finally traced it to them being in “developments”, not gated, but the windy road, few outlets, layout. I discovered that I really, really get the creeps from that (and I grew up in one.) I really like the idea of people passing thru where I live. I didn’t really realize how I felt till I started looking at houses.</p>
<p>And, my kids are making a living from knocking on doors (sorry folks, but they’re helping your environment :)), so I can hardly complain about that.</p>
<p>I’m originally from NewYork City. There they don’t do gated communties–but more upscale folks live in buildings with doormen and reception desks. The rest of us depend on a buzzer and intercom system. Once you’re out on the streets, though, you’re on your own. That’s what makes city life dynamic --rubbing shoulders with everybody and anybody–just don’t keep your wallet in an outside pocket!</p>
<p>Gated Communities? - Hmm, sounds perfectly medieval. What next, set up stores, churches and businesses “intramural”. Just add a “security” force (aka -militia) and we have all the makings of a modern day moated castle. But wait…who will be lord of this cozy little arrangement?</p>
<p>I was reading an interview with one of my favorite musicans ( pictured on cover of rolling Stone), and was dismayed to learn that he has had to move out of his Seattle area neighborhood basically because he is stalked by crazy people. One woman not only thought he was the father of her children and is Jesus Christ to boot, but ran her car into the side of his house at 50 mph.
I can’t imagine him living in Broadmoor( gated community in Seattle * not * the lunatic asylum ), but I can certainly see the appeal of a wall keeping crazies out.</p>
<p>I guess I wonder what makes people think that living behind a gate makes them so safe and secure. Does the gated community screen each and every potential buyer, do a CORI check, use a private investigator to ensure that said buyer is not a potential thief, rapist or other misfit?</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be glib, seriously, but it just seems that the gate provides a false sense of security. Do people really want to hole up behind walls and gates? That seems so sad to me. Perhaps my DH and I are taking many more risks with ourselves and our childre, here in Urbanville, but I fret and worry less about break-ins, murderers, etc. than the folks behind the gates!</p>