When you move to a new city…
Your job is new.
Your kids’ school is new.
Your commute is new.
Your grocery store is new.
Everything is – new.
And often, families are starting at square one when it comes to making friends and finding a community.
The good news is, it’ll happen. It just takes time.
To help you on your new community adventure, we put together our personal favorite top 10 ways to find community in a new city.
10 Ways to Make Friends in a New City
- Volunteer with a local non-profit.
- For two reasons. 1) You’ll run into some potential new friends, especially if you go on a regular basis, and 2) It’s good for your family to be involved in ‘giving back’.
- Play a sport… Or make your kids play one!
- Find a volleyball league, run a 5k, or play golf at your local club. (If your kids are in sports, this method will pretty much take care of itself! You and the other parents can grimace together when your 5-year-olds form a bee hive around the soccer ball.)
- Find a new church.
- It’s our obvious suggestion! But it’s a wise one, because this is an incredible way to make new friends and find a support group for this new chapter.
- Join a gym + workout class.
- Workouts have a way of bringing people together… though usually through pain! Workout classes in particular give you a chance to see the same people in the same place every week.
- Visit a farmers market.
- Even having a couple familiar vendor faces can do a lot for you during the week. Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet a friend or two on your excursions.
- Go to a sporting event or concert.
- You’ll definitely be able to bond with some people who have similar interests.
- Do a local tasting / food tour.
- Keep an eye out for tastings, tours, etc. Many cities also offer “passports” so you can go around the city and get stamps for the different places you go. For instance a Coffee Passport, Craft Brewery Passport, or Metro Parks Passport.
- Game night.
- Play trivia at your local bar or restaurant, or all you Midwesterners can join a Euchre tourney!
- Take a class.
- If you have the time and resources to take a class (i.e. learning a new language), you’ll probably run into some fellow learners you can relate to.
- Hit up the dog park.
- You can meet some new friends who live close by! Also your dog needs new friends, too. Win-win.
We wish you the best of luck in your new community!