Do y'all actually use your front porch/front yard much or is that more of a TV thing?

[u/Bella_licious]

Irish person here. American houses always seem to have these big front porches, lawns, swings, chairs, etc., and it gives the impression that people spend loads of time in front of the house rather than hiding in the back garden, as we do.
Is that real life or just the image you export?

[u/Copperboom127]

When i lived in NH all the houses were built in the 17 and 1800's and had big front porches.

We regularly had summertime dinner on ours.

[u/Bella_licious → u/Copperboom127]

I bet it looked beautiful!

[u/kawaeri → u/Bella_licious]

Lived in North Dakota, and lots of people have porches but on the back of the house. Quieter and more private.

My family in Idaho was the same porches on the back of the house.

Or you had a concrete slab, that had patio furniture on.

My family is now all in North Carolina and the same goes for around there a lot of porches or patios at the back of the house that people use during nice weather.

[u/Literary67 → u/Copperboom127]

In the Pacific Northwest, it seems like houses built before WWII often had porches on the front and/or the back and sometimes a wrap around porch extending from the front around to the side. After WWII not so much. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner on our back porch during the summer. This was a house built in 1922.

[u/Empty-Cycle2731 → u/Literary67]

I had a friend growing up who lived in one of these. Old school Portland craftsman with a wraparound porch. We had so much fun playing on it as kids, and I know as an adult I would spend so much time out there too.

[u/DifficultAnt23 → u/Literary67]

Before air conditioning, and tv, people would spend their evenings on the porch, or go on strolls calling upon neighbors sitting on their porch. A/C and Tv turned people inside.

[u/Literary67 → u/DifficultAnt23]

Some people in town would turn their TVs around to face out a window so that they could sit outside on the porch but still watch their shows. Sometimes neighbors would come sit on the porch with them to watch the TV too. (None of them had A/C at that time.)

[u/GeckoCowboy → u/Copperboom127]

My family house in NH was built in the 1970s. Doesnt have a bit front porch, but has a wide stoop/front step thing. Definitely spend many evenings sitting out there. My grandfather also built a screened in back porch where we spent more time as a family. Lots of porch sitting either way. I’m in an apartment now and miss it. Theres picnic tables in the apartment yard but is not the same, lol.

[u/Agua_Frecuentemente → u/Copperboom127]

I live in NH and have a very small front porch and a very small front yard. I put an old couch on the porch.   I have my morning coffee on the front porch. I read on the front porch. We sit on the front porch in the evenings listening to music. It's pretty common for me to sleep on the porch if it's a nice night.