How to Make Friends and Meet New People in a New City

Have you moved to a new place recently and you don’t really know anyone there? Perhaps you moved into the new area for a job, to go to college, to get away from an abusive relationship, or some other reason. It is important that if you find yourself isolated that you attempt to meet new people, even if you don’t believe you need many friends. We as humans are quite social creatures and are programmed this way since it has benefited the survival of our species since the cave men eras.

Making friends should be so natural and effortless, shouldn’t it? It seems as one looks back, thinking to when we were children, that we were so much more open to making friends and meeting new people back then. As we grow older adults seem to put up more barriers and become more resistant to meeting new people. And people become more suspicious of each other. Unfortunately we do live in a world where bad things happen occasionally, and it is showcased on the news 24/7, but there are still good people out there and this article can show you how to meet them. Making new friends doesn’t have to be hard if you just use a few techniques in this article. You may not make all of your ideal friends over night, but with persistence over time you will be headed in the right direction.

There are always many ways to meet new open people, even if you are new to your city or town. However, it is important to first realize the importance of your current connections. How long has it been since you contacted your old friends from your prior town? How long has it been since you networked with any professionals in your field? How long has it been since you talked to your parents, or a sibling? These are important connections that you should not lose touch with on your quest to meet new friends in your current city. After all, this is the 21^st century. There are apps such as FaceTime and Skype to talk to and see your loved ones even if from afar.

1. Use a search engine to search for events in your area.
2. Take a college or trade school course that interests you.
3. Sign up for a fun type class such as art, photography, dancing, swimming, etc.
4. Join a dating website (people look for friends as well as dates on many of these).
5. Go to meetup.com.
6. Smile and try to be friendly everywhere you go.
7. Introduce yourself to neighbors.
8. Exercise.
9. If you are just a loner by nature or a real introvert, use some other resources as well.

• Use a search engine, such as Google, and type in “Events in New York City” or “Things to do in New York City”, etc.
• If you are on a budget you can just put “Free” in front of these searches.
• These should provide some good ways to make new friends and generally give you an idea of the types of fun activities you can pursue in your town.

• There are so many college courses you could take, you should be able to find a class that interests you.
• For meeting new people it may be easier to accomplish your goals in a smaller class, where people tend to be more receptive to meeting others and there tend to be group activities.

• It should be easier to make friends when everyone is working on a common interest in a playful fun environment.
• If you are more interested in making friends or dating one sex or the other, you may consider which activities would attract which sex.

• People go on dating websites not just to date, but to make friends as well.
• There are often many settings such as “looking for dating” or “looking for just friends”.
• Plenty of Fish, and OKCupid are some of the bigger free websites, sign up and make a profile and you are ready to make some new friends.

• This is a site where people make online groups to meet up in local areas.
• Search your local area for meet up’s going on in the area.
• Try to find groups with common interests to your own.

• Be opportunistic, everywhere you go is an opportunity to meet new people and make friends.
• Smiling shows that you are an open friendly person.

• Meeting the neighbors seems to be an ancient forgotten art now.
• Revitalize the old tradition by waving and saying hi anytime you see a neighbor outside, even if they don’t live right next door.

• You can run around the neighborhood, walk the dog, or hit the gym.
• Exercising gets you in shape and gives you the chance to meet like-minded, fit, and attractive people.

• If you are a loner or introvert a lot of the tips in this article might sound easier said than done.
• Read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, an old classic but guaranteed to help you in your quest to make new friends.
• If reading Dale Carnegie is not enough, try reading books on body language such as “Winning Body Language” by Mark Bowden

These techniques should give you plenty to work with. Remember that you want to make quality friends with similar interests. Following these tips you are likely to make many acquaintances but it is up to you to decide if you would like to truly become closer to someone and make them a long lasting friend. Don’t feel the need to use every technique listed, just do what works for you. Good luck!