Frederick....I know everyone who lives in my street. I have lived in my present home for eight years too. But where I live now is just a stone's throw away from the house I was born in, 70 years ago. Although that house is sadly gone, many of the families that lived around there then, still live in the area now, so everyone knows each other. These days people tend to move away from their family homes, and consequently don't know their new neighbours. It's very sad that this community spirit is declining. What happened to that poor lady is very unlikely to happen where I live. We look out for one another.
Why is it that you don't know your neighbours? Have you not made the effort to get to know them? They might be nice people!