We have lived in our house for 29 years, and have always introduced ourselves to new neighbours, either side, over the road and up the road. We have a neighbour who's a builder who has done work in several houses in the road, and when he did our front garden recently, the number of his neighbours who stopped to talk to him, now talk to us and vice versa.... we all keep an eye open for each other.
I just wish the new neighbours next door would keep the noise down tho'