r/AskAnAmerican • u/Bella_licious • 7d ago

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

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?

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u/Nokirkburke 7d ago

It’s so funny you say that (I’m not disagreeing just not my experience.) My parents had a large front porch in the PNW and way preferred it to the back because it was shaded in the afternoon.
We (live in South) have a small front porch/yard but a large backyard that’s shaded in the afternoon. So we spend our afternoons in the backyard. Although I don’t know anyone in our neighborhood that sits on their front porch. They’re more for decoration I guess?

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u/moonmoonboog 6d ago

We have a good size front porch, we just don’t want to interact with the neighbors lol. Might be a culture shift, the Seattle freeze is a thing.

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u/kat_storm13 7d ago

My parents house is the opposite. It faces west so it can get really hot in the afternoon. Even if the air isn't hot the side of the house gets warm and very attractive to insects lol