How to Meet People After Moving

Want to meet new people?

One of the toughest things about moving is leaving your friends and family behind. Not even a killer moving-away party will cure the melancholy.

Worse, meeting new people isn’t easy.  It is stressful and awkward, and it requires effort.  However, there are ways to make the process a bit easier, so that you’re out and enjoying happy hour or a bike ride with a new friend sooner than later.

Work

We are what we do, and we like what we relate with.  As much as you might want to, you can’t ignore the fact that you spend 40 hours at work each week.  Your job shapes who you are, and the people you work with are the people you see most often (besides maybe a significant other).  They’re there every morning and afternoon with you.

Embrace the people you work with.  At the very least, you have something to talk about (work).  Invite your colleagues for lunch or an after-work drink sometime and see where it goes from there.

Friends of Friends

It’s probably safe to say that you like your friends.  It’s also probably safe to say that your friends like their friends.  If this is true, then there’s a good chance that you’ll like your friends’ friends.  If your friend knows of someone in your new area, see if you can get their contact information and give them a shout out.

The Internet

For many, there is a stigma behind meeting new people on the Internet.  However, the Internet is a great tool to meet new people.  It is an efficient way to communicate, learn about a people and discover new activities, and it is the only way to meet a great many people who you would not otherwise encounter through daily activities, work or your social networks.

The Internet offers a few options for meeting new people:

• Meetup.com – Meetup.com is focused on bringing people together over shared interests and activities.  You can search for a nearby kickball game, a writing group or a weekly happy hour spot.
  
• Personals – Craigslist and other online personals allow you to post your desire to meet someone new or partake in an activity.  Be careful about sharing your personal information in these personals, however, as anyone on the Internet will be able to see it.
  
• Dating sites – If you are looking for love, the Internet offers a variety of websites, both free and paid, to help you find your ideal mate.  A few notable sites are Match.com, OKCupid and eHarmony.  On these sites, you create a profile for yourself, then you can look at other people’s profiles to find a match and ask for a date.
  
• Facebook/Twitter – Facebook and Twitter allow you to search for local people or topics.  Once you find someone one there, you can message them.
  

Teams and Clubs

If you have a particular skill or hobby, look for a group of people to share it with.  Whether it be writing, playing basketball or gardening, you new hometown will probably have a team, league or club that you can participate with.

Check your local newspaper and conduct some Internet searches to try to locate groups that interest you.

Volunteer

Volunteering is a great way to meet people with similar interests.  It is also a rewarding and personal way to meet people.  Check with your local community center, relevant government office or church to inquire about opportunities.

Go Out and Explore

Simply getting out into your community, whether it be to a local restaurant, coffee shop, park or bar, will expose you to hundreds of new people.  All you need to do is approach them and start a conversation.

Beyond this, knowing your local bartender or barista on a personal level can help you feel more comfortable in your new place and lead to new conversations and advice.

Learn how to decorate your place so that you can impress your new friends when you have them over.