ANAHEIM, CA - (February 29, 2012) - We’ve all been there. We drive away from the house and think, “Did I turn the sprinklers off?” Or, “Is there anyone on the block that can babysit or walk my dog on Friday night?” Or, “How do I get critical information to my neighbors in a timely fashion?”

In the effort to offer a variety of solutions for Anaheim residents to establish connections with residents in their own neighborhood, Mayor Tom Tait announced the launch of Nextdoor Anaheim, a social media tool hosted by Nextdoor, a free, private social media network. Nextdoor allows communities to establish private websites to facilitate communication among neighbors and build stronger neighborhoods. The information available in each Nextdoor Anaheim private website is accessible only to those in the “neighborhood,” not the general public.

“Whether it is organizing a neighborhood party, selling a bicycle that their child has outgrown, finding a local babysitter or alerting their neighbors to a recent car break-in, Nextdoor is an innovative, new way to help people connect,” said Mayor Tait in his State of the City address. “And when people connect, good things happen.”

Nextdoor Anaheim is part of the Mayor’s Hi Neighbor initiative. There are many ways to connect with neighbors, such as face-to-face conversations, speaking on the telephone, posting flyers throughout the neighborhood, and now, through social media via Nextdoor Anaheim.

Mayor Tait introduced the Hi Neighbor initiative in 2011 as part of his Freedom and Kindness platform. Hi Neighbor is a neighborhood outreach campaign based upon the fundamental principles of neighbors helping neighbors, both to show acts of kindness as well as assisting our neighbors in times of need. The core values of the Hi Neighbor program are community policing, emergency preparedness and community building.

“I cannot overstate the need to improve our social infrastructure,” continued Mayor Tait. “It is what a mayor should be talking about. It is what a city should be doing. When people are connected, a city is resilient.”

So the next time you leave your home and wonder if a neighbor can help you by turning the sprinklers off, you can either call a few neighbors, or with a few taps on your Smartphone or clicks on your computer, you can access Nextdoor Anaheim and put your mind at ease.

For more information please visit www.anaheim.net/neighbor

Media Contact: Ruth Ruiz 714.765.5060more city news

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ABOUT ANAHEIM – The City of Anaheim, founded in 1857, is one of the nation's premier municipalities and is one of California's most populous cities. Anaheim covers 50 square miles with more than 343,000 residents and more than 2,950 City employees. The municipal corporation's annual budget is $1.5 billion. Anaheim supports a thriving business community with companies such as Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc., L-3 Communications, Pacific Sunwear, and Disneyland Resort. Successful sports franchises call Anaheim home, including Angels Baseball, Anaheim Ducks, the U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team, the 2012 Olympic Games Silver Medal winning U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team, and the Professional Arena Soccer League Anaheim Bolts. Anaheim also boasts world-class meeting and entertainment venues with the Anaheim Convention Center, LEED-certified and the largest on the west coast, Honda Center, City National Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim GardenWalk, and Angel Stadium of Anaheim. In addition, Anaheim embraces its vibrant cultural arts community, including the world-renowned Anaheim Ballet. Annually, Anaheim welcomes millions of visitors to the city, truly making it where the world comes to live, work and play. For more information, please visit www.anaheim.net.

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