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October 7, 1998
Why Do It?
Suppose you were seriously considering buying a house in a neighborhood and wanted to get the opinions of people who already live there. Particularly those of your immediate, future neighbors. I always do this when I consider houses. You would be surprised what people will tell you, not only about the neighborhood, but about the house itself. (Actually, if the truth be known, my wife is much more effective at this than I).
Perhaps you notice some issue that might affect a neighborhood and want to give the neighborhood a heads up. For instance, your neighborhood may have gone through a similar battle and you have information or contacts that can help this one. Or maybe the issue affects your own neighborhood and other nearby neighborhoods and you have no contacts in the others.
When I notice a zoning issue that looks like it might affect a neighborhood, I will occasionally find a list of people in the affected neighborhood, call one, and ask for the name of the President of the Association. It rarely takes more than two calls to find the name and number. Often, you will get not only the name of the association contact, you will also get the name of someone who is considered an activist in the neighborhood. Usually, the neighborhood knows nothing about the zoning issue and is pleased to be given a heads up.
If you do want to contact a neighborhood, how do you do it - even if you have never been in the neighborhood?
The Internet makes this easy. I have used the following technique with good results, so I thought I would pass it along. If you are someone who does not want just anyone to go on the Internet and find out your name, address, phone, and location on a map, you also should read on.
The Technique
The trick to getting a list of neighbors is to use Anywho Directories. I have placed this link at the top of every NeighborhoodNet page as the button:
Address & Phone |
Before visiting this site, use a map to find out the name of a street in the neighborhood. Many maps also show zip code boundaries. The street and the zip code for the neighborhood are all you need. If you do not have the zip code, city/state will do. However, directories use postal cities, so an Overland Park address might be listed under Shawnee Mission.
Once you have the information, go to the website and type the street name and zip code into the Anywho Directory. It comes back with a list of people who live on the street in that zip code. It's usually pretty obvious from a map which addresses fall into the neighborhood. Not only does Anywho give you a list of names, for each name it supplies an address, a phone number, and a map button. Click on the button and up comes a map with the address pinpointed, so you can confirm that the address is in the neighborhood.
Changing Your Own Listing
But what if you do not want any random person finding out where you live, your name, and your phone number? If you have an unlisted phone number, you have already solved the problem. If not, Anywho Directories have a slick and easy way to add, update, or delete your listing in their directory. Here are the directions you will find under "Update Your Listing":
Note: You must call the 888 number from the phone whose listing you are changing. As soon as you get off the phone, re-load the web page and you will see your information has changed. It's like magic.