I live within the city limits of Great Falls, MT. Concerning noise..... years ago when we first moved in, and upon getting the shop setup, the first things I did were to build the following: 1 floor lamp, 1 table lamp, and a small drop point hunter. I went to the neighbor to my east (an elderly widow lady), knocked on the door and introduced myself, then gave her the floor lamp and told her that I built it, and that if she heard banging and noise from my place, its me "building things". The neighbors to the west were/are an older couple..... I went to their door, and did the same thing....introduced myself, gave the lady the table lamp, and the drop point hunter to her husband, and explained what I do, and that if their was noise, it was me.
I also told them that out of respect, I would not "bang around" in the shop until 8am, and I'd always try to finish by 5pm. That was over 20 years ago, and I've always had good relations with my neighbors. In fact, when either has friends or family visiting, its not uncommon for me to look up and see several people standing in the doorway of the "Blacksmith" shop, and hear "Whatcha doing today Ed?!"
Good relations with neighbors is not automatic, its something that has to be established and maintained. Over the years since, I have done many "little jobs" for each of my neighbors, just to ensure good relations continue. When either is away, I will watch over their homes/property, water gardens/plants, and just generally "keep an eye on things", and they do the same when I am away.
In fact, if for some reason my neighbors don't hear "noise" coming from my shops for a couple of days, its not uncommon for them to come knock on the door to check on me....just to make sure everything is OK.
All too often these days, people tend to stay in their own little bubble.....but in the case of doing what we do, and having neighbors, being proactive is a big key to good relations.
