Best ideas for meeting new people after moving to a new place?

Go to the neighbors house, knock, say “Hi, I’m Marina, I’m new to the neighborhood…”

When I moved to my first apartment in NY (which is actually a bunch of little towns in a big city), I became a regular at the nearest coffee house. I looked to see where there was a “clean the park” sort of a volunteer gig in the area. I also joined the local Catholic church (before I lapsed). See if there classes at the local college for non-matriculating students, where people might be closer to your age.

@DrBill Thanks, that’s a good idea. There is a community party July 12th, and I am planning to do that. I have noticed, though, that many of our neighbors are much younger. While I don’t preclude that, as I have and enjoy many younger friends, I am also looking for ways to meet folks of common life stage and interests.

@aprilsimnel Great ideas, all. Thank you. I will definitely do the coffee house thing. I should also do some other type of volunteer work since the dog park work does not seem to be in the cards.

Just hang around the community centres where you live. Participate in classes/courses you’re interested in to meet new people who’re interested in the things you’re interested in. And don’t forget, always smile!

Can you walk your dog in the neighborhood? I met most of the poeple I know in my neighborhood on Prince’s and my regular walks. A dog, as you know, is a natural conversation starter. Otherwise, as was mentioned, community college adult ed classes could be a good way to meet folk. I know you like to read; is there a Barnes and Noble book discussion group near you? Or one at your library? You’d be surprised how good they can be.

(You don’t happen to live in Bethesda do you? I think I remember you moved to the D.C. area. My cousin, who is a doll, lives there and belongs to a book group. If you do, p.m. me and maybe I can contact her.)

@Saturated_Brain The concept sounds good. Can you be more specific of what you mean by “community centres”?

@Marina Well, where I live, there are buildings set up specifically for the community called Community Centres. Places where people are supposed to meet with each other and ‘bond’. They have sports facilities, gyms, halls, function rooms and more. They also hold classes and courses and if you’re interested in them you can always sign up. I rarely go to these places though so any conceptions and experiences that I have probably aren’t representative of what really goes on.

I’m not sure that you’ll have those where you live though…

And if you don’t, you could always take ‘community centres’ more generally. Like places where people usually congregate. The park is one of those places (unfortunately you can’t go dog walking eh?).

@Saturated_Brain Ah, thanks for the clarification. Yes, we do have those here. Some government ones and some private like the YMCA.

I can walk my greyhound on a leash, and he is fine. Just not off-leash as he tends to chase down and kill anything that tries to run (cats, small dogs, etc.)

Go out and do things you like doing. This is the best way to meet like-minded people.

@Marina (Kobe’s stuffed pigeon made me laugh.) What about doing some tutoring (writing, reading), at the local high schools? Or having a “Meet the Neighbors” block party” I had two when I first moved here, but it was “Meet Everyone on the Road.” One family only invited us back, but I did have folks to call if I broke a leg.

It is tough if you don’t have school-aged kids. I made a ton of acquaintances by volunteering at the local arts academy, the local orchestra and the local film club. My few really good friends I made by happenstance.

@gailcalled Thanks! Great suggestions. There is a neighborhood party coming up, and I am going to try to meet folks.

I will work on the volunteer opportunities in the arts. that would be likely to yield like-minded folks.

I know these things take time.

A part time job in a local pub or bar is always a great way to meet people, and if it’s a pub or bar you like then it can often not even feel like work !!

@RareDenver It would have to be smoke free. My lungs having experienced the joys of fresh air in recent decades opt for not going somewhere smoky.

@Marina Since the smoking ban in enclosed public places here in the UK came in a few years back all our pubs and bars are smoke free, and even as a smoker I much prefer it.

I take it you are not in the UK?

Sadly, no. Some places are enlightened here (more on the West Coast) and some are not.

@Marina there are very few states left that allow smoking in public places still. In fact the only one I can name is Nevada. Do you honestly live in a state that still allows indoor public smoking?

Florida: Four types of venues are exempt under Florida’s Amendment 6. They are standalone bars,

From wikipedia: As of May 2009, seven states ban smoking in most enclosed public places, but permit adult venues such as bars (and casinos, if applicable) to allow smoking if they choose: Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, and Tennessee.

As of June 2009, six states have enacted smoking bans in particular places that do not fit in the other categories:

”* Georgia bans smoking in restaurants where persons under 18 years of age may enter, but allows most anywhere else either to designate smoking areas indoors or allow smoking freely; local governments in Georgia can and have passed stricter smoking bans than the state.
* Idaho bans smoking in restaurants, but exempt both bars (which can be 100% smoking) and small workplaces (which can have a designated smoking area); local governments in Idaho can regulate smoking more strictly than the state, but none have done so.

# South Dakota generally bans smoking in all enclosed workplaces, but exempts all bars, restaurants, retail tobacco stores, hotel/motel rooms, liquor stores, and casino gaming floors. The South Dakota law is silent as to whether local governments can regulate smoking more strictly than the state.
* In Virginia (effective December 1, 2009), smoking is banned in schools and certain common areas, but not anywhere else; in restaurants (including bars), smoking is relegated to designated smoking rooms. The state law prohibits local governments from regulating smoking more stricly than the state.”

“As of May 2009, 13 states have not enacted any general statewide ban on smoking in any non-government-owned spaces: Alabama, Alaska, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Instead, laws in most of these states (see individual state listings below for further information) require proprietors of certain places to designate smoking and non-smoking areas and post signage.”

Doing things that you’re interested in, like taking classes or volunteering for something you enjoy, are definitely good ways to meet like-minded people – I tend to make a lot more friends when I’m engaging in an activity with other people than just hanging out at coffee houses (but that’s because I’m a total introvert, and I need something to help me get the conversation started!)

There’s also meetup.com, which seems to be a good way to find existing groups you might be interested in joining. They’ve got everything from book clubs to lectures to groups that just get together for dinner and try a new restaurant once a month. I haven’t used it yet, but as soon as things settle down after our move, I’m definitely going to!

Meetup.com – type in your interests and find groups of people in your area that share those interests.

Meetup.com Folks: Have you personally tried it, and you meet OK people?

Yea! I’ve made several new friends and had a number of fun hikes and adventures.

Start with a handful of groups, look for ones that have a high rating and an active schedule. Some groups are private, so you have to join or request membership first, which is a nice policy for women.

I have always been a wallflower, and with Meetup, I have grown much more comfortable socially. Everyone is nervous at first, but typically the people are very cordial. Once in a while there’s some drama (kind of like on Fluther), but most are mature and respectful, and won’t allow one bad apple to ruin it for the rest.

After spending more than 20 years in Tucson I moved to Seattle 2.5 years ago. Here’s how I’ve met people in my new town.

Pub trivia is all over the place and many of them can be geared toward different topics. My husband and I went as a small team of two to several events and eventually met people on nearby teams. We joined with another team and have done trivia nights together in other locations around town.

We went to some write-ins in November with NaNoWriMo and met some really nice folks that we still occasionally see.

I attended a local film festival and met some people in line that liked talking about what they’d seen and what they were going to see. You start getting in a grove where you see some of the same people at multiple movies. There was also a lounge set up in a local restaurant for talking about the festival and having drinks, etc. But most of the people I met were just standing in line.

I see some of the same folks at multiple beer tastings. People love talking about the stuff they love. Start talking with a beer lover about beer and presto there’s someone to talk to. :^>

I’ve also met people at bars and coffee shops and music festivals and the local pool. They haven’t all become best buddies, but I’ve been slowly meeting people that I can hang out with in different contexts.