When we first moved to our neighborhood, we had one neighbor who came by to meet us and give us a tin of homemade herbal tea. Several others we met organically over time, like when one of us was doing yardwork and the other was walking by with a dog. Maybe it's been the wrong season for the kinds of outdoor work that lend themselves to a casual hello, or maybe your lots are too large to easily say hi from one driveway to another. Regardless, I don't think there's anything odd (even here in the NW) about knocking on a neighbor's door just to say hi and introduce yourself, especially if it's the house next door or across the street.

But actually most of our neighbors we met during National Night Out, which is the first Tuesday in August. Our block, like many in Seattle, closes down to car traffic and does a potluck BBQ in the middle of the street. Your private street may have someone who takes the lead on planning something similar, and National Night Out is a pretty good excuse. (It started in the 1970s as an offshoot to Neighborhood Watch, on the theory that neighbors should recognize each other so they can recognize when suspicious strangers are present.) Maybe start by knocking on the door of your next door neighbors, and as part of that 5-minute conversation ask whether there is any kind of community gathering during the summer and, if so, who has planned it in the past. If you want to bring some of that Southern hospitality to your block, volunteering to help plan a community event is a pretty great long-term option.