A group of friends toasting with drinks at a party overlay

Best Ways for Making Friends in a New City

Posted in How-to,Moving Essentials,Moving Tips & Tricks on May 24, 2021

Making friends in a new city – a piece of cake for some and the biggest trauma in the world for others. Moving across the country is hard enough, but being lonely is worse, and it can affect our health a lot. We humans are social by nature, and staying alone could affect our daily activities. So, getting out there as soon as possible will only do you good.

If you’re having trouble approaching an unknown crowd, above all in a different environment, it could be very stressful, especially when moving during Coronavirus. Not only do you have to think about your and others’ safety, but you have to step out of your comfort zone. From planning a move to another city and also what to keep when moving, you should deal with meeting and creating a friendship with completely unknown folks. This can be an issue for everyone – you don’t necessarily have to be a shy or introverted person, you just have trouble approaching someone you see for the first time. And you are probably asking yourself how do you create a social circle in a new city. We have some awesome tips on how to make friends in a new city so keep reading.

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How Do You Make New Friends in a New City?

There are many reasons to move to another state and town, and we all are familiar with how exhausting the whole relocation process can be. From making a moving binder for better organization and applying all house hunting tips you’ve learned before to hiring reliable cross country movers that will efficiently move your belongings. In a word, all the moving essentials you need to remember. Once you settle and go over your future apartment checklist, you might think the hardest thing about this relocation is coming – making friends in a new city. When you were young, this was coming naturally and spontaneously, but now it is more complicated.

It is all about your attitude. No matter if you are moving to a different place for a great job opportunity or college, you have to learn to say yes to this adventure. The goal is to integrate into the local community and gain a group of friends that will make your adjustment to the unknown environment easier and swift.

Two girls laughing
With a positive attitude, everything is possible

How to Meet Friends in a New City – Join the Local Community and Groups

How do guys make friends in a new city is one of the questions you’ve been asking yourself after you decided it is time to live on your own. The best way is to find groups that interest you. It can be a cooking group, religious organization, or church. It doesn’t matter. There are many people you can meet, and one or two of them could be your BFF.

You can start searching for those groups before the actual move process, or you could put it as one of the things to do after relocation. This is a good opportunity for those working from home and don’t have to work with people face to face.

Join the Club of Newly-Arrives in Your Community

Who will better understand you than people that went through the same experience as you’re going now? Not only will you feel better because you’ll realize you’re not the only one with the same struggles, but you can actually have some advice on how to cope with stress after moving to that place. Not only can you answer some crucial questions like where is the cheapest place to go shopping for your groceries, but you’ll make connections that can become a wonderful relationship or friendship.

Work Environment Is Best For Getting to Know Your BFF

If you were thinking about how to get a job before the move, notice that having colleagues that you’ll meet every day will give you an awesome opportunity to start a friendship much easier. Don’t skip those after-work drinks and socializing just because you don’t know anyone. The fact that you’re working in the same company gives you at least one topic to talk about with everyone there.

Local Farmers’ Markets Are Great Places to Connect With Different People

One of the ways to meet diverse folks is the local farmers’ market. Many towns and cities organize this kind of event, and if you like a local product, this is the place for you. Not only can you enjoy the food there, but also the conversation with everyone who comes to sell their product and buy them, as well.

How Do I Make Friends in My New Neighborhood?

Once you dare to take that decisive step in your life and relocate to another state alone (or even move for love,) be ready to grab all the benefits of moving. One of the amazing advantages is that you can have a fresh start with your neighbors. You can start with the casual party, where you will come across the folk that surrounds you. Prepare some snacks and drinks for your guests and start mingling. You never know where you will find your next BFF.

A hat with writing ''love your neighbor''
One of the ways when looking for different folks to hang out with is to get to know your neighbors

How to Meet New People in a New City – Take Advantage of the Internet

If you have never done this before and you just can’t meet people in person, luckily, you can do it online. Different websites and apps such as Facebook are available for those who still can’t come out of their comfort zone and start meeting in person. Why would someone choose online instead of in-person meetings? There are many reasons, but one thing is certain – it goes much smoother with online hookups. One of the best such websites BumbleBFF.

If you know a friend of a friend, start following them on social media and leave positive comments. Small talks are also a great way to start a conversation. Just be natural and polite, and you’ll no doubt receive a positive response from someone who thinks you like them. Don’t hesitate to contact people through direct messages on social media if you like their captions and content. That way, you can leave a positive vibe on that person, and you could eventually meet in person and befriend them.

Discover Facebook and App for Newbies

Since we’re living in a digital era, there are many apps you can use for meeting and getting to know different profiles. If you started looking for a job opportunity before the move, check the app Sharp and also LinkedIn app. Although they are primarily meant for networking and freelance stuff and meeting others on a professional level, it is nice to connect with someone who has the same goals and mindset as you have.

Another obvious one is Facebook. The cool thing when joining Facebook and its groups is that it can make your life a lot easier – not only for meeting others but also for the stuff you need to find and get. You can, for example, check out some book groups if you’ve been looking for certain books. If you find somebody interesting there, reach out and ask them to grab a cup of coffee together and exchange some interesting facts about that title.

Facebook icon
When changing your home, search for the perfect community on the social media

Take Your Dog for a Walk

If you are asking yourself how to make friends in a new city and you moved with pets, you might have your answer already. Your furry friend can help you not only to fight the stress after relocation but it can help you meet a crew to hang out with. Take your dog for a walk in your neighborhood or to the nearest park, and you will surely get across many friendly dog owners. There’s also the MeetMyDog app where you can find other dog lovers and exchange your experiences of living with dogs.

However, if you don’t have a dog but you’ve wanted to have one for a long time, this is an excellent opportunity to adopt it from an animal shelter.

A dog in nature
Take your furry friend for a walk and expand your opportunities of meeting your BFF

Sign up for the Class and Clubs You Wanted for so Long

Signing up for various classes online or in-person will do much good for you. Not only you’ll get an opportunity to talk to other folks with the same interests, but you can also learn a lot of things. For example, you may be into fashion, and you spent hours finding the best way to pack your clothes as well as for packing shoes before the move, and the best storage facilities for those items you can’t find a place for. So, you can join fashion groups on Facebook. There is a whole list of groups you can join, and depending on what you like, you can choose the one right for you. If you’re a bookworm, find a book club where you will talk about your favorite books as much as you want. Here are some other clubs to take into consideration:

  • Photography club,
  • Art classes,
  • Language classes,
  • Yoga and gym studio,
  • Nature expeditions.

Sports are Great for Making Friendships

If you’re into any kind of sports, joining the local sports league is an awesome way to meet a crew with the same interests as you. This means you’ll have at least one thing in common – the sport you chose, and you can easily start a conversation about a great game that happened last night. And if you’re practicing a sport, be it basketball, volleyball, baseball or any other, many amateur leagues organize tournaments. That is a great way to form significant relationships and friendships.

Two  women exercising
Sports will keep you in good shape and get you a lot of contacts

Volunteering and Making Friends in a New City

One of the noblest ways to get to know different people is certainly doing charity and volunteering in non-profit organizations. This is the best way you can get back to your community, and you’ll feel amazing after. If you’re longing for something like this, you can apply for the organizations in your area. Depending on your interest and what you like, you can volunteer at animal shelters or anywhere else. It is important to choose something you’re passionate about because only then can you give your best and help as much as you can to everyone who needs it.

In the video below, learn how to search for volunteer opportunities in your community:

Reliable Cross Country Moving Services Will Ensure You’ll Have Smoother Beginning

The first step in overcoming relocation stress is to find reliable long-distance movers. They will offer you the best moving services, and that will leave you with more space to organize your move and calculate your moving budget. This is extremely important because you won’t have to think about packing services and all the boxes and packing supplies for your precious belongings. The sooner you start and set meeting interesting folks as your priority, it will be easier to cope with the big change in your life. When moving cross country, consider having car shipping as well, because you might wish to have your four-wheeled with you and travel to some amazing destinations for your future meetings.

Julie Grace

Originally from The Golden City, Julie has explored the ins and outs of moving and has written all the tips down.

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