Finding Community Through Porching

My family and I stood at the foot of our new front steps; the railings up the steps were smooth, worn by countless hands that weren’t ours, the front entry mat scuffed with untold, unknown shoes. I stood at the base of the first step and drew my gaze to our new porch. Dust and leaves covered the empty porch floor with a string of haphazard lights hung above and an empty birdhouse perched from the ceiling. The porch wasn’t much to admire at first, but its potential offered a glimmer of excitement in an otherwise cloud of uncharted emotions regarding our sudden relocation. 

In 2019, my family and I moved from the Bay Area in California to downtown Indianapolis into a historic house in the Old Northside. Our Victorian house was painted bright colors, the stairs creaked as I walked up them, and most memorably, we had a large front porch. Large front porches were places I had only known through books and always seemed to be accompanied by a slow swinging porch swing, a glass of lemonade on a sweltering day, and many, many mosquitos.  

I embraced this new Midwestern tradition of “porching,” and the porch soon became a favorite spot of mine. Surrounded by cicadas and dimming sunlight, I read books, did my weekly homework assignments, crocheted, and enjoyed a freshly baked treat or a bowl of ice cream with my family in the summer.  

We were lucky enough to move into a community with strong neighborly bonds. While our porch was a personal favorite place of mine, soon enough, it also became a community meeting spot. Walking through our neighborhood during late summer evenings, sightings of other porch gatherings were not uncommon. We were often beckoned up onto a neighbor’s porch steps, welcomed into an environment of wicker chairs, ambient music and sunlight, and abundant laughter. Unlike inside the home or backyard, porches provide a unique meeting place. They invite community, friendship and extended a hand to the rest of the street. The porch became not only the entrance to my home, but also the entrance to a more social world. 

As a newcomer to the local community, the display of Midwestern hospitality through being welcomed onto the doorstep of a neighbor’s home was the warmest gesture one could extend. Through porching, I cultivated new friendships, was introduced to neighbors, and ate many an outdoor dinner with others. Porches became the small steps into someone's home, as well as the small steps of being welcomed into their life.