I know my neighbors' names. Of course, they are my in-laws...

Simply put, community is what you make of it. If all you ever do is leave your house to go to work and come home and spend your time on MacNN, then moving out of the country won't magically make your neighbors come to you.

But if you decide to participate in the community -- patronize local businesses, be involved in local events, going to a local place of worship regularly and talking to people, even taking a five-minute walk aroung the neighborhood every day -- you'll find that your American neighbors really do want to get to know you, if you'll ever leave the house.

As an aside, I've found that many people who complain about not knowing their neighbors don't have school-age kids. Once you do, you'll have to get to know your neighbors because your kids do!