How to Make Friends and Meet New People in a New City or Town
Moving to a new city or area? Learn effective ways to set yourself up for success to make new friends in a new town and city.
Making friends can be difficult at the best of times, in fact, even meeting new people seems to be getting harder by the day. With third places seeming trickier to come by and workloads ballooning, it can all feel a bit too much, especially if you also throw a relocation into the mix. Every year, around 29 million Americans move to a new city or state, totalling almost 9% of the population. Whether it’s for a new job, education or simply a needed change of scenery, with the positives of a big move also come some downsides – namely the loss of community.
While for some might think it’s easy, learning how to make friends in a new city can be scary, tiring and deflating for many people. Where do you go? What do you do? How can you know when it’s right to start a conversation? The reality is that meeting people can be complicated. That said, with some good advice and a little bit of bravery, you’ll learn that finding friends in a new city isn’t always hard. The latter may take a bit of fake it till you make it, but this guide has you covered for advice. So, without further ado, here’s how to meet friends in a new city.
A few tips before finding friends in a new city
First things first, you’ll need to prepare a little bit before you can set off learning how to meet people in a new city. Even if you feel confident enough to simply put yourself out there and hope for the best, making new friends without the right mindset can be detrimental.
Finding friends in a new city is, at least initially, all about giving off the right vibe and reading the room. Some people won’t want to be bothered, others might react poorly to your idea of confidence. What we’re saying is that (as with most things) a little planning goes a long way. Of course, not everyone feels comfortable with the same social approaches. If you’re someone who finds large groups overwhelming or prefers deeper one-on-one conversations, you might want to explore how to make friends as an introvert for strategies that feel more authentic to your natural style.
As you learn how to meet people in a new city, you’ll find these tips are always pretty useful:
- Get good at small talk: We all know it’s a bit dull, but small talk serves an important purpose. Friendships are about bonding, bonding is about shared experiences, most of the time you and a total stranger won’t know if you have anything in common, that is other than the world around you, so practice small talk while you’re out and about.
- Always be intentional: A good thing to consider when learning how to make friends in a new city is that most people are waiting for someone else to make the first move. Think of it from your own perspective, you’d likely respond well to someone striking up a quick casual conversation, make an effort to be that person for somebody else.
- Know when to walk away: Just as important as being intentional is knowing when to cut your losses. To make new friends in your area you’ll need to start quite a few chats, but go on too long and you might start to get a bad reputation – walk away with a polite “it was good to meet you” if someone seems hesitant to keep the chat going.
- Focus on group activities: You’ll find group activities serve two useful purposes in your quest to learn how to make friends in a new area. Firstly, it helps dissolve a lot of awkwardness by removing the pressure of one-on-one chats, secondly, it gives everyone involved an obvious topic to focus on when the conversation starts to flag.
- Try not to say no twice: Sometimes, opportunities to make new friends in your area will be few and far between. As you set out on your journey to build new connections, you’ll need to learn to make the most of the chances you’re offered – make an effort to say yes to meetups and activities as much as possible and try not to say no twice.
How to meet people in a new city: 10 top places and platforms
Now we’ve got the basics out of the way, you should be feeling a little more confident in your ability to approach and connect with people in your new area. The next step is to find places where people open to conversation hang out, and to get you involved in some fun activities. Always keep in mind some safety tips before you meet new people.
If you want to know how to find community in a new city, it all starts with locating places and platforms where communities are built. From bustling businesses and exciting events spaces to fun-filled online platforms, here’s how to meet new people in a new city with relative ease.
1. Nerd Culture
If you want to make friends in a new city, the best place to start is Nerd Culture. Nerd Culture is a connection-focused, friend-finding platform that allows you to create and join engaging community groups based on your favorite activities, hobbies, games and fandoms.
Once you’re signed up (for free!), you can search for active communities where local people like to chat about everything from tabletop RPGs, cosplay and video games to DIY, movies and sports. What makes Nerd Culture such a good place to find friends is its smart search features which make finding local groups and events focused on niche interests super easy.
Say you’re into D&D and want to start a campaign in your new city, using Nerd Culture you can find Dungeons and Dragons groups and other people interested in playing in a few seconds. If you need someone to run your game, you might also want to explore options to find professional dungeon masters who can help get your campaign started. The same applies to card games. You can just as easily find Magic the Gathering players for local tournaments and casual games.”
This is true for just about any hobby; you could be a nerd for books, gardening, sports or art, if there are people in your city making things happen, you’ll find them easily on Nerd Culture.
Your New Hub for Meeting New People in a New City Who Get You
2. Local cafes and bars
Ask most people (especially those with a few years on you) ‘how do you make friends in a new city?’ and they’ll more-than-likely recommend checking out a few local cafes and bars.
While things may have changed a bit in recent years, this is still actually pretty solid advice, but the key is finding the right spaces with people who are actually open to conversation.
Here are a few top tips to remember when scoping out spots for your friend-finding mission:
- Think about the location: The busiest spot isn’t always the best place to make new friends. Cafes and bars in the heart of the city near to transit stations and offices are often filled with people who are just passing through or looking for some alone time in between work – these types of spots aren’t often great for finding friends in a new city.
- Themed spots are ideal: If you want to learn how to make new friends as an adult in a new city it can help to think like a kid (at least a little). Cafes and bars that stick to a theme (like gaming, pop culture, art or even the more common sports) are often filled with regular visitors with shared hobbies, making it easier to start real conversations.
- Check for regular events: As we’ll mention quite frequently, a lot of learning how to make friends after moving involves finding and attending events. Cafes and bars that host regular events like book clubs, painting parties, game nights and film screenings are ideal for making friends, as they offer a safe, structured way to meet up regularly.
3. Game stores
Game stores and hobby-focused spaces are great places to learn how to make friends in a new town. If you’ve ever fallen in love with a video game, a boardgame or other interactive piece of media, you’ll know that talking about and immersing yourself in your passion is fun.
Game stores offer people with shared interests a safe space to really nerd out about their favorite hobbies, giving you the chance to start conversations that you know people will find interesting, and that won’t run out of steam too soon. What’s more, they usually host events.
Whether it’s meetups to discuss media like books, TV shows and films, or more interactive events like trading card game tournaments and board game nights, in-store events are ideal for making friends. If you’re interested in card games, frequenting local games stores can help find TCG players in your area. Once you start building a community, you might even think about hosting your own game nights, a task that’s made easy and fun through a platform like Nerd Culture.
4. Entertainment venues
This one is great for people wondering how to make friends in a new city in your 20s. Well, it can be great for adults of all ages really provided you can handle a few mid-week late nights.
Similarly to game and hobby stores, entertainment spots like clubs, music venues and movie theatres are essentially purpose-built spaces for people with shared interests. Where these types of spots often have a bit of an advantage, however, is in the frequency of their events. The best entertainment venues for people learning how to make friends in a new place are usually the smaller, more independent ones, which as an added bonus are often less pricey. Small music venues, for example, often host local bands with cheap door prices during the week, enabling you to learn about the local scene and maybe even start a band of your own.
5. Coworking spaces
While the last tip was a bit more geared towards the younger crowd, this one is definitely a good option for older, perhaps more professionally-focused readers. Coworking spaces offer professionals across all walks of life a shared space to work, network and form connections.
You may think a place of work is an odd choice in a guide on how to make friends when you move to a new city, but if you have any experience with coworking you should know what we mean. Coworking spaces boomed in popularity alongside remote and hybrid work, with over 7,800 spots currently operating in the US, and they offer much more than just a private office.
A typical coworking space will have shared reception spaces, communal break rooms and a load of on-site amenities like kitchens, gyms, cafes and gardens. If you’re a work-focused person with hybrid or remote work options, these spots can be great places to make friends.
6. Classes and clubs
By now you may have noticed a theme in our guide on how to make friends when you move; the secret behind most great friendships is finding fun activities to enjoy with other people.
We’re not just being lazy, this idea is backed by statistics. Research shows that over 50% of American friendships are based around activities – the third most common type of friendship behind only childhood (67%) and situational (69%) friendships (meetings in cafes and bars).
Check local community centers, sports facilities, yoga studios and centers for the arts to see if any host regular classes or clubs you can attend. It can also help to search for classes on social media, which as an added bonus may open the door to online communities and chats. If you’re still in an educational setting, your classes and campus clubs serve as an excellent environment where you can make friends in school.
7. Dating sites and events
Whether you’re actively looking for a romantic relationship or not, turning your attention to the world of dating can be helpful when learning how to make friends in a new state or city. Of course, it’s important to be open and honest with anyone you meet about your intentions, but provided you are, the no-nonsense nature of dating can be great for forming friendships.
A few tricks for finding new friends and connections through dating in a new area include:
- Use apps with friendship features: Many modern dating apps have purpose-built friendship-finding features that apply the straightforward principles of dating to more platonic connections – popular examples include Bumble BFF, Meetup and Friender.
- Share your hobbies and interests: Whether on an app or in-person, wear your hobbies and interests on your sleeve. If you are looking for a relationship this makes it easier to find people you actually gel with, while if you’re just looking for something casual, it can open the door to recommendations for venues and events you’ll enjoy.
- Give speed dating a try: If you’re at the start of your journey to learn how to make friends in a new city, maybe sit this one out, but if you’re confident in your abilities to spark conversation and make connections, the bold and brash nature of speed dating can make for an exciting way to learn more about the people and places around you.
8. Social media groups
Oftentimes, when people discuss how to make friends in a new city you’ll hear conversations about the negative impact of social media. Some say the growth of online communities has made it harder to connect with new people in the real world, but this isn’t always strictly true. Like with any tool, it’s all about how you use it. People learning how to meet people in a new city may find existing, active social media groups offer a great starting point for scoping out venues and planning activities, the key really is to play to the strengths of different platforms.
We talked earlier about sites like Nerd Culture that have purpose-built friend-finding and event planning features that help to foster real connections rather than grip people to their devices, but you can also use some features on traditional platforms like Facebook groups to see what’s happening in your area. Social media works especially well for online-focused communities like gamers, where you can find gamer friends online and discover local gaming groups in your area before transitioning to in-person meetups. Just focus on safe, group meetings in communal spaces.
Connect with People in a New City Who Get You
Nerd Culture helps you find people with similar interests so making friends in a new city feels easy.
9. Community events
Some of our other tips about how to meet people in a new city might lead you to community events, but often the best way to feel the pulse of your new area is to get out into the world. During the warmer months, visiting local parks, nature spots and attractions can be a great way to find people and start a few conversations. Sometimes, you’ll come across community events such as fitness classes, festivals and meetups that are free to access and join in with.
Another, often overlooked trick is to check public noticeboards and posters around your new city. While social media may have taken some of the sheen off these advertising techniques, many people still post ads for events and meetups in physical locations – it can’t hurt to look!
10. Volunteering opportunities
Finally, our last top tip on how to make friends in a new city is to get involved with some local volunteer work. The best way to really learn about your community is to become a part of it, and what better way to do that than to commit some of your time to improving peoples’ lives.
Loads of important services are always looking for volunteers. You might find groups looking to clean up local parks or animal shelters searching for extra help, maybe a local restaurant needs volunteers for their soup kitchen? – Helping others is a great way to start a friendship.
One of the biggest benefits here is that the people you meet will almost always have a good heart, meaning the friendships you start should be drama-free! Try contacting local charities to find opportunities, or look through sites like justserve.org or americorps.gov to get started.
What to do after you make friends in a new city
Awesome, by now you should have a good idea of how to meet people in a new city and a few plans in place to start building new friendships. However, something a lot of guides fail to talk about is how to turn conversations into connections and maintain friendships over time.
Fear not, we’re invested in helping you learn how to make friends in a new city and build a real community in your new home, with this in mind, here’s some advice on taking the next step:
- Take initiative: More often than not, new friends will be happy to wait for the other person to make the next move. It’s not necessarily because they don’t want to make friends, it’s just that they’d rather avoid rejection. Take initiative by suggesting a low pressure meetup at the end of your chat, don’t be pushy, just say something like ‘this was fun, wanna grab a coffee next week?’ – let them know that you like their vibe.
- Be accessible: To make new friends in your area rather than acquaintances, you’ll need to show people you’re reliable and dependable. Find opportunities during initial chats to demonstrate you’re happy to help with things – try mentioning a time in the past when you helped someone move house or clean out a storage unit, or jump at the chance to help with a problem they bring up – good friends give as well as take.
- Create groups: Sometimes situational friendships can wane because too much time passes between conversations. Thankfully, this problem is easy to overcome in the digital age with messaging and social media tools. Create and invite new friends to a group where you can keep chatting – Nerd Culture is a great option here, as you can plan activities and share hobby-focused events with your new friends in one space.
Find People in a New City, Fast
Nerd Culture’s Group Search instantly connects you with interest groups in your city, whether it’s D&D, cosplay, anime, or game nights.
Find friends and build your community on Nerd Culture
Community is the one thing that brings us all together, offering support in times of hardship and the opportunity to share good times with people we love. While learning how to make friends in a new city can be a little bit daunting, the rewards are simply too great to pass up.
More often than not, it’ll be a combination of the above tips that will get you where you need to be, but some strategies are more effective than others. Nerd Culture is specially-designed to help people bond over the things they love most, no matter where you find yourself in life.
Everyone’s a nerd for something, Nerd Culture is your safe space to form friendships around your passions. Join for free today and begin building your own lasting community of friends.