S/O...kind of. Living next to family

it's not something I've ever really considered.

Growing up I was a military brat so we didn't live in the same country as extended family never mind close-by. I did live with my grandparents for a couple of years when Dad first retired and we came to the States and that was a good experience for us (not sure how it was for my parents).

As an adult, I've never lived in the same state as my mum or my sister (and my other sister still lives overseas). We lived in the same town as MIL for a while and she moved in with us shortly before her death.

I didn't vote...

My dh inherited an acre of land from his dad, who bought the acre so that he could build 2 houses on it for his kids. Things happened, acre stayed empty.

When we started looking for a house, Mil offered the acre to us. Nope, no, hell no.

But, thinking about it, my kids now would love living across the street from any Grandparent. They would be spoiled rotten.

Jennifer

The closest I have lived to one of my siblings was about 5 minutes by car. Close enough for emergencies, and vacation mail pickups and pet feeding, but far enough away not to be in each others pockets. I've never lived closer than 20 minutes from either my dad or MiL. My DiL's dad wanted her and my DS to live closer to them, but house prices in their city made it impossible for them to afford to buy in the area.

When I was a kid, we never even lived in the same city as our grandparents, so it's not an idea I was used to.

It would depend on the family.

My grandparents when they were alive? Yes, in a heartbeat.

My one aunt and uncle? Yep.

My mom? Possibly.

Any other family of mine or dh's? Oh hell no!

In the same city, yes. In fact, both DH and I have parents living within 20 minutes of us. It’s close enough that we can get together frequently, but not so close that people just walk in my door unannounced. But we have no desire to have the ‘rents next door to us.

We’ve traveled with DH’s parents and they both drive us NUTS after two days. FIL knows everything and talks right over everyone; MIL has no interests other than her grandchildren from my sister-in-law and chatters about them incessantly. While they are both deep down really good people, we can’t stand that much togetherness without snapping. (We aren’t even going to mention that they are rabid conservatives and closet racists, which causes us a lot of clenched jaws to keep from cussing.)

We have discussed having my dad live with us if Mom dies first. Since she’s currently in ICU, unresponsive after complications from open heart surgery, it’s seeming more likely that Daddy might end up with us soon. It sounds so much more real having written it down. Given all that she’s gone through, I don’t even know whether to hope she wakes up or that she passes peacefully.

Some of us don't have the choice. We live where we need to to work and that may not be near family. Also consider that some families are not that close - you only have to read some of the threads on here to see that.

We live 2 miles from my husbands parents. It really has no effect on us. His mom helps out with the business on the weekends, but she did that before he moved here. He bought this property because it’s in the country/township he grew up in.

Heck no. Growing up my parents bought a house down the street from my grandparents and my mom would complain when my grandfather (her fil) would say things like "I saw you guys drive by this morning, where were you going?"

Mine brings us meals from church, apple dumplings that the church sells at the Oktoberfest a week before they go up for sale, fresh peaches from the orchards. My mil can be annoying at times but her good points far outweigh her bad. Most of her annoying things are purely accidental on her part. I hope she lives another 25 years. My husband would be lost without her.

When my. mom + dad were both alive, I would have been ok with them being my neighbors. Now that mom is gone and dad is remarried, I think the 1.5 miles between us is not far enough.

I voted possibly.

We were 35 minutes from dh's parents and his favorite sibling at our closest point and that was an ok distance in my book. Any closer and I would have had words I'm sure. We're getting ready for a move and we'll be closer to mil, depending on where we end up anywhere from 20 to 35 minutes. I think it will be nice, even though mil is bat$h1t crazy.

Previously, we would have loved to have been much closer to my sister. I could have lived in the next house from them. She's now an empty nester with grandkids and there is no conversation or activity when the grandkids are around. I remember when my kids were small I had to remind them that the adults are talking for a few minutes and then we'd play. You can play quietly for a few minutes while we talk. (I know her dd, one of the grandson's mom, does this to her son as well.) Dear sister does not. We'll be talking, kid comes up, drops everything and does whatever the kids wants. So I would want that 35 minute buffer there as well.

But if it was the last house on earth, I wouldn't have a problem with it. I'd make do.

**ETA** Now my kids that's a different story. I told them they could each put on their own wings of the house or could take land and build a house. (We have 43 acres_)  With the pending move, we'll still keep this property and plan to retire here. But I can see ds moving to the farm area and dd staying in the city area.   

Depends upon the family member.

I grew up in a rural area and our only neighbors were relatives.
Depending upon the person, some kept their nose in the business of others and some just went on with life.

We are in the age group of "the elderly" now. I wonder what I will do when I am left to live alone. The most near relative
is over an hour away. My only son lives 1500 miles away. I do worry a little about becoming disabled and the future.
Because my husband is 7 years older and has had some health issues, I anticipate I will live alone at some point in time.