What makes a place "home"?

I'm not really talking about wall sconces and photos in the hallway. What I want to know is what makes the town, city, county where you live feel like "home" to you?

For us, it's the community- not the random, government-funded "community" that gets printed up in Chamber of Commerce brochures, but having and loving your own "community". We are building our community, our adopted family far from home, and it feels so nice. So for us, "home" is...

...knowing your neighbors
...having their children at your place, and yours at theirs
... being able just to knock as you walk in
... and your neighbors knowing (at least at our house, but we're OK w/ it and encourage it) they can just come on in and holler.
... being able to send the boys outside to leave handwritten invitations on the neighbor's doors to join us for a BBQ that afternoon
... having people pop in and out the rest of the morning asking what they should bring
... being able to leave your cooler on the front porch, filled with juice for the kids, and knowing it won't be stolen in the night
... telling your neighbor that the baby just threw up, has a high fever that you can't break, and having her interrupt you to offer to watch the other children while you arrange to take the baby to the doctor
... knowing when your husband goes next door to help the neighbor, he'll be there for a while, and have had a nice time
... emailing photos back and forth of the wonderful afternoon everyone just spent together

We had such a wonderful community in Prescott. It was lovely. Granted, it was chaotic and loud and we fed a lot of people (some of whom we did not know until they walked in the door), but that's what life is about. Dinners taste better when shared with friends and family. Days are merrier when there is laughter and comaraderie. Life is richer when you enjoy the people in it, and they can enjoy you. There is something wonderful about surrounding your home with people who treat your children well and enjoy them.

Jess used to laugh at me because she and I would be on the phone at ten o'clock at night, or at noon, or even ten in the morning, and inevitably, someone would show up. Then several someones. Suddenly we'd be cooking and chatting and the house got very loud. She thinks we're nuts. We are. We loved it.

Now we are developing that here. Our community. Our home. We have simply wonderful neighbors, good friends. Today we spent the afternoon celebrating the Fourth of July early (since everyone is going out of town tomorrow)- we BBQ'd on the front patio, spread blankets on the commons area, and spent a wonderful few hours having a pot luck dinner. What a great way to spend the afternoon! This is what we mean when we talk about those roots that feel so good to put down into the rich, fertile soil of life. I am very thankful.

Tell me about your "home"- what makes it home to you?

Dy