National Good Neighbor Day – September 28, 2026

History of National Good Neighbor Day

Good-neighborliness defines how pleasant and comfortable our neighborhood is — neighbors can make or break your experience of living in an area. Being a good neighbor helps us build solid and long-lasting relationships. Neighbors are like umbrellas on a rainy day, lending a helping hand in times of emergency.

Previous generations tended to engage their neighbors in a lot of activities. They invited them to parties and balls, went riding with them, worked on their farms, invited them over for dinner, and took care of their homes whenever they went away. Nowadays, with busy schedules and technological advancements, we never really care much about or show interest in the family next door. This is why people live next to each other for years and still aren’t familiar.

National Good Neighbor Day was first celebrated in the early 1970s by Becky Mattson who wanted to connect with her neighbors in Montana. It officially became a holiday in 1978, when President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation to establish the holiday. A resolution was passed by the Senate, as it was recognized that there was little meaningful communication among people and there was a need to bring them together for them to interact with one another. The Senate believed human values and consideration for others were essential to the system of civilization; and decided that being good neighbors to those around us was the first step toward human understanding. Thus, a fixed date was set for Good Neighbor Day. Now, we celebrate National Good Neighbor Day on September 28, taking special time to care for our neighbors and form or maintain friendships.