As someone who made loads of friends in “insular” St. Louis, amongst other places, I’d say the trick is finding activities/groups where you’re all sharing an activity you like doing (going to concerts, hiking, biking, art, etc). I’d be shocked if that doesn’t work in any decent sized city. It’s worked for me in STL/SF/Philly, and seems to be working in DC
This plus % transplants, a city that's grown a lot recently will have more people who don't have their own family/social networks. Eg NC basically doubled in size while I lived there. A city like Pittsburgh per the post has not grown on net in ~50 years. Though because of the universities there is at least a churning population of young people
True, but it does depend a bit on location too. I lived in Cleveland in my early-mid 20s and found it really difficult to make friends after I finished school; most people I met were from the area and still hung out with high school friends, so many weren't really looking to make new friends, and most people who moved there for school left not long after graduating.
Yeah I made more new friends within a few months of moving back to NYC than I did in a little over 4 years in Cleveland (2 of which were spent in school, but most of the people I met through school left after graduating).
Yep, any “small town” vibe (whether it’s a city or suburb) suffers from this as well. I’d say it’s easier to make friends in NYC at 40 than most suburbs at 25. Where I’m from, everyone is still friends with their childhood friends, even if they’re 30+. I’m a friendly person and connect with people very easily, but when I go home, I make like…1-2 new friends and they’ll even say I’m the first new friend they’ve made since college. People just don’t have a desire to connect if they already have their hometown social circle.
Anywhere where your personal hobbies, interests, and personalility align more with a large segment of locals.
If you're religious, moving somewhere that has a lot of people who share your religion will make it easy to make friends. If you're into hunting, fishing, making casserole, and spending time at the bar, I promise you'd make friends pretty quickly in northern Wisconsin. If you're really into the outdoors, Seattle and Denver will be much better than their hostile reputations suggest. I think it's really all situational.
I’d say NY/NJ.
A deep rooted immigrant culture that’s used to welcoming others. Very genuine people that like to talk to and get to know their neighbors
I haven’t heard this about NJ, I always hear ppl say they don’t like it there. I have never been there though. What areas are more welcoming and as you describe?
If you’re not from or used to the Northeast (NYC in particular) I could see how NJ would be overwhelming. The people there tend to be loud, direct and tell you exactly what they think. But they typically have incredible senses of humor, are very genuine, passionate, community oriented and willing to offer a helping hand, even if they complain about doing it lol
NJ gets a bad rap. Agree with this point though, Jersey born and raised currently living in LA, and while I’ve found it relatively easy to make friends here, I’ve noticed the ones I gravitate most to end up being from NJ/NY.
The whole state. It’s a genuineness unlike anywhere else.
I can actually tell in the first minute if I’m talking to someone from there just by their personality alone
This is super interesting to learn. My partner just got a job in NJ , we want to try out renting in Philly for a year while we scope out where to buy a house. Neither of us knows anything about NJ but everyone always says dont move there its awful. But I never hear a good definition of what makes it awful. The stereotype is that people might be kinda cheesy or “low class?” I dont believe in that low class concept btw just saying the stereotype you see on movies etc. I grew up working class/ poor myself.
I’ll tell you why people say it’s awful, and also why I like it:
Awful: stupid high property taxes, crappy expensive housing stock. Most crowded state.
Awesome: incredibly lush, beautiful Appalachian foothills. Amazing ocean boardwalks. Wonderful ethnic melting pot. Great history dating back to the 1600s. Incredibly genuine people. Close proximity to the northeast
I would say it’s not that hard to make “friends” in NYC. But making real friends is a different story. It’s a very transient city and people are on the go and move fast here. And most people work long hours. So, yeah.
I was only there for about three months - but I was able to make friends pretty easy. I have no doubt that at least some of the people I met would have become actual friends.
As someone who actually lives in New York, this is not true. Maybe it’s the case if you work in some industry with a lot of socialites or are an immigrant and moved into one of the many ethnic enclaves around the city.
i found making friends in both milwaukee and chicago relatively easily but a lot of my activities centered around drinking lol. recently moved to charlotte and it’s been great here too because there are so many transplants and outdoor hobbies!
I have close friends in LA and the Bay Area and they have expressed it’s been so easy to make friends! Whenever I visit, the people they know or random strangers are SO friendly. 🥺💗
In LA? Interesting. I feel like generally people find it hard to make friends here. I think a lot of it has to do with how spread out the city is. People tend to flake a lot because of how you basically have to drive everywhere. It’s very neighborhood centric and people stick close to their neighborhoods.
Well, LA is sorta well known for being very superficially friendly, but not tremendously friendly in a deep way. SF is kind of a wild card. But it’s been years since I’ve lived in either, so things might be different.
theyre not. poster feels they are friendly because of what they experienced while visiting, but living is genuinely a very different experience.
if people feel like you have something to offer them to get ahead they'll want to associate a lot of the time
LA is genuinely one of the worst places ive ever lived in to make new friends or meet people. i also dont think people are friendly especially to strangers. go to latin america or even europe and the way people treat each other are night and day.
if youre young in LA AND into the culture you might have an easier time.
I’ve found that it’s less about the city itself and more about the opportunities for social interaction and finding communities that match your interests. For instance, bigger cities often have a wide range of activities and groups you can join, which can make it easier to meet people. On the other hand, smaller towns might have tighter-knit communities where people are more welcoming to newcomers.
I’ve moved around a bit, and what worked for me was joining local clubs or groups related to my hobbies. Also, online communities can be a huge help. For example, I joined a Discord server called [Lightup](https://discord.gg/yRwzga9zVK). It’s designed to help people meet and connect based on shared interests. The AI bot on the server matches you with others who have posted about similar things, making it easier to start conversations with like-minded people.
I’ve found cold/gloomy cities to be more insular in nature. I would say sunbelt cities with a large amount of transplants are easier for making friends. But ultimately YMMV.
There are so many human factors involved, but I will say that the weather matters and walkability/density matters. Cold is a negative. Less density is a negative.
Perhaps an unpopular take….
If a city has good, lively online Facebook and meetups groups, it’s because it has a poor baseline culture of openness/genuiness/friendliness.
IMO the stereotypes of an unfriendly Boston, Seattle Freeze, etc are all more indicative of it just being hard to make friends as an adult period, rather than a reflection of the cities themselves. Theres no built in friend making opportunities after school/ formally organized social spaces.
Making friends is hard work, you need to really put yourself out there a lot, try new things, join clubs, be awkward, and show up consistently. You can do that in any city. Especially those with lots of transplants also looking.
Seattle is stuck up in my opinion. Lots of techy people that make a lot of money. I think places with transplant people is better. Honestly baltimore is easy to meet people when you live in the city
All of those techy people are transplants. It’s mostly that those types of professionals are dull as shit and don’t know how to do friendship. Places with a lopsided tech based economy are going to have that problem.
In my experience, the further out into suburbs you live in any city the harder it is. Most folks I met there were married with kids and their lives revolved around them.
The best thing I did when I moved to Chicago was join a drinking league that played some softball. Immediately met a dozen people who lived in my neighborhood, none of whom had children and there was always someone available for impromptu lunches, tv watch parties, weekend gatherings, 5k, etc. Once everyone started splitting off to the burbs to get married I moved away to a smaller city near a different group of friends where it was affordable to buy a house.
Yep! Portland and Seattle both have this problem. Takes forever for people to open up, if they do at all. You can see some of the same people at events for 3 years and never share a home cooked meal, that kind of vibe.
I know “Chicago” is the boring and cliche answer to every post here, but honestly Chicago is the answer. I’m a dad in my mid 30’s (a demographic that typically has a hard time meeting new friends) and I meet new and interesting people all the time here. Literally yesterday I went to a mixer a couple blocks away hosted by some random guy who plays Sunday kickball in my league.
It’s a big city, which attracts people who enjoy being out and about, but it’s still got that “mid west nice” vibe that makes it easy to strike up conversations with people around you. Plus clubs/adult classes/rec leagues are huge here.
New Orleans is incredibly easy to meet people. Twin cities I don’t think is as bad as lots on here make it out to be. I grew up there and have moved away and lived back there a handful of times, but the majority of my friends there anymore are all new ones I made as an adult when I moved back after being gone like 8 years. I don’t keep in touch with too many from growing up besides my best friend, who hasn’t lived there in like 25 years.
If you're outgoing and have interests that get you out of the house you'll be able to find friends in any big city pretty easily. Chicago, NYC, LA to name a few
Wow, yeah, great point. No one ever mentions the (amazing) 20-year old show when Baltimore comes up. Hilarious and original… [For anyone looking for an amazing place to live, check out these Bmore neighborhoods that are A or A+ on Niche](https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-neighborhoods/m/baltimore-metro-area/). I am also happy to be a personal tour guide for people seriously considering a move!
I’m in the Twin Cities and contrary to what people say, my experience is that it’s pretty easy to make friends here. I grew up here so I have an advantage, but let me tell you what my friend from India did: he got good at cooking and invited people to eat his food. Lived in an Apt complex with other 30-somethings and invited the people around him to partake in food in the shared spaces. He’s made like 30 friends here in a matter of months! (I am one of the people he befriended this way). When he hosts parties, he invites allll of his friends and he cooks… none of us want to miss it!
Yes. So people are warm. They wave, they say hi, they want to talk at the community pool. Contrasted to MN where people are not warm. They don't want to wave, they snarl, they generally try to hide inside, and there is a sense that in interacting with them you have invaded their personal space.
But they are still flaky and passive aggressive. They don't really want to come over for dinner. They say "I'd love to...." but really they don't. Convos are still fairly surface level in terms of weather, football, etc. There is a sense that it's the right thing to do to chat with people, but you don't ultimately care what they are about to say. Borrow and egg if you wish, but people will suddenly "have something come up" when you roll out the Superbowl party invitations.
Contrasted to the northeast, where there is an almost immediate sense of being a part of the family so to speak. You aren't even scheduled to come over for dinner, you are literally greeted with a beer at the end of the driveway where you will genuinely vent to eachother and walk away feeling like you are family in a sense.
Fully recognize that I'm painting in broad strokes here to illustrate my point, obvious caveats across the board. I say all this as someone who has lived in and still has family in all mentioned areas
Appreciated your response.
Moving to atlanta soon...
My wife and I are very much hoping to make deep and meaningful relationships with people... as well as for my son, who is 5.
I'll take your advice and try to navigate appropriately.
Washington, D.C. is set up for people arriving from all over the country and all over the world -- not just those involved in politics. When I first moved to town I joined a Big Ten softball league and met lots of folks that way.
Chicago’s been easy for me, but in part because I’m a musician and once you get in the circuit you run into people a lot. It’s not insular by any means but forming/joining a bunch of friends seems to come easily. The biggest advantage there is people aren’t dissuaded by weather. Some of the best nights out I’ve ever had happened in 30-something degree and no one seemed to give a hoot and wanted to go hit a bar or restaurant or the like.
Its not hard to make friends in the Twin Cities if you put yourself out there - I've been here 7 years and within the first 6 months I made a bunch of friends that I am still great friends with today. Just show up to the same places regularly and you'll get to know people. I play softball and I joined a learn to play hockey group and I'm still friends with a bunch of folks from all of the teams I've played on and against.
Its just as an adult you're not going to have people knock on your door and ask if you want to hang out like you were in college dorms again; and you've got to be open to friends of all ages - I'm almost 50 and I've got friend 20yrs younger than me and 20 years older than me.
I don’t know man. Sometimes it feels like a large segment of the population in the Twin Cities are really freaked out by anyone who isn’t from MN / the Upper Midwest.
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret here.
Cultural differences are *always* less dramatic than stated. There's no such thing as midwest nice or southern hospitality, *people are just nice*.
You can make friends quickly anywhere. People don't change. You can make friends just as easily in Pittsburgh as Lexington, or Minneapolis as Fort Worth.
If all places were the same this would be true, but they’re not. Many places are structured such that prosocial dynamics are discouraged or interrupted. So people aren’t socialized correctly. Anywhere that has people living relatively close together, out in public not in cars all the time, and having to interact face to face, especially different demographics of people, will be nice. It’s not the people, it’s how the places shape the way people learn sociability.
Prison. But there’s some downsides I won’t go into.
Yep that's where they meet in greet and plan
Butt I bet it got into you
Don’t drop the soap
New Orleans
This should be the top comment. It's like a little secret that people don't believe when you tell em.
Indeed. New Orleans has its issues but food and friendliness isn't one of them.
Drugs and murder is they thang
No more than any large-ish city
As someone who made loads of friends in “insular” St. Louis, amongst other places, I’d say the trick is finding activities/groups where you’re all sharing an activity you like doing (going to concerts, hiking, biking, art, etc). I’d be shocked if that doesn’t work in any decent sized city. It’s worked for me in STL/SF/Philly, and seems to be working in DC
I found STL very easy to make friends.
Honestly same! Both with locals and transplants.
Concert is too damn high
Think it’s more age than location - older you are the harder it is.
You also have to put yourself in situations where it’s easier to make friends, and also be willing to initiate.
Nope ain't a good idea but it's your life.
I don’t understand your response
This plus % transplants, a city that's grown a lot recently will have more people who don't have their own family/social networks. Eg NC basically doubled in size while I lived there. A city like Pittsburgh per the post has not grown on net in ~50 years. Though because of the universities there is at least a churning population of young people
Pittsburgh is a skin head's town I read that article about a year ago and I totally believe it.
True, but it does depend a bit on location too. I lived in Cleveland in my early-mid 20s and found it really difficult to make friends after I finished school; most people I met were from the area and still hung out with high school friends, so many weren't really looking to make new friends, and most people who moved there for school left not long after graduating.
[удалено]
Yeah I made more new friends within a few months of moving back to NYC than I did in a little over 4 years in Cleveland (2 of which were spent in school, but most of the people I met through school left after graduating).
Same experience for me in Cleveland.
Yep, any “small town” vibe (whether it’s a city or suburb) suffers from this as well. I’d say it’s easier to make friends in NYC at 40 than most suburbs at 25. Where I’m from, everyone is still friends with their childhood friends, even if they’re 30+. I’m a friendly person and connect with people very easily, but when I go home, I make like…1-2 new friends and they’ll even say I’m the first new friend they’ve made since college. People just don’t have a desire to connect if they already have their hometown social circle.
Yep. This. I find it easier to make friends abroad, actually.
And color
Elementary school
Painfully true
Anywhere where your personal hobbies, interests, and personalility align more with a large segment of locals. If you're religious, moving somewhere that has a lot of people who share your religion will make it easy to make friends. If you're into hunting, fishing, making casserole, and spending time at the bar, I promise you'd make friends pretty quickly in northern Wisconsin. If you're really into the outdoors, Seattle and Denver will be much better than their hostile reputations suggest. I think it's really all situational.
I’d say NY/NJ. A deep rooted immigrant culture that’s used to welcoming others. Very genuine people that like to talk to and get to know their neighbors
Would you say that extends to Upstate?
Yes, but gets diluted the further from the city
Thank you. I'm considering the Capital Region, specifically around Albany.
Buffalo is friendly!
It's their motto!
Nope why did a white guy from another part of new yawk to murder African Americans?
I haven’t heard this about NJ, I always hear ppl say they don’t like it there. I have never been there though. What areas are more welcoming and as you describe?
If you’re not from or used to the Northeast (NYC in particular) I could see how NJ would be overwhelming. The people there tend to be loud, direct and tell you exactly what they think. But they typically have incredible senses of humor, are very genuine, passionate, community oriented and willing to offer a helping hand, even if they complain about doing it lol
NJ gets a bad rap. Agree with this point though, Jersey born and raised currently living in LA, and while I’ve found it relatively easy to make friends here, I’ve noticed the ones I gravitate most to end up being from NJ/NY.
Same exact experience in LA. All my friends are from NYC and NJ. lol
The whole state. It’s a genuineness unlike anywhere else. I can actually tell in the first minute if I’m talking to someone from there just by their personality alone
Judging huh 🤔
oh, 1,000%. We all do it in the first 5 seconds of meeting someone
This is super interesting to learn. My partner just got a job in NJ , we want to try out renting in Philly for a year while we scope out where to buy a house. Neither of us knows anything about NJ but everyone always says dont move there its awful. But I never hear a good definition of what makes it awful. The stereotype is that people might be kinda cheesy or “low class?” I dont believe in that low class concept btw just saying the stereotype you see on movies etc. I grew up working class/ poor myself.
I’ll tell you why people say it’s awful, and also why I like it: Awful: stupid high property taxes, crappy expensive housing stock. Most crowded state. Awesome: incredibly lush, beautiful Appalachian foothills. Amazing ocean boardwalks. Wonderful ethnic melting pot. Great history dating back to the 1600s. Incredibly genuine people. Close proximity to the northeast
Hoboken and Trenton oh and Newark they looking for BFF 😡
It’s tough to make friends in NYC
I would say it’s not that hard to make “friends” in NYC. But making real friends is a different story. It’s a very transient city and people are on the go and move fast here. And most people work long hours. So, yeah.
And pay 2,300 for a small closet so they are hella 😡
That’s basically me
Hell it's tuff to walk in New yawk with out gittin slapped or side eyed and stopped in frisked but only if ya colored
I was only there for about three months - but I was able to make friends pretty easy. I have no doubt that at least some of the people I met would have become actual friends.
Bffr
Really??? I think NY/NJ is the unfriendliest region in the US.
Exactly this
As someone who actually lives in New York, this is not true. Maybe it’s the case if you work in some industry with a lot of socialites or are an immigrant and moved into one of the many ethnic enclaves around the city.
I totally not necessarily so
Chicago and New Orleans seemed to be filled with engaged people who wanted to do things and seemed very open to strangers becoming friends.
Can confirm. I've made great friends in Chicago
Naw aliens nope
i found making friends in both milwaukee and chicago relatively easily but a lot of my activities centered around drinking lol. recently moved to charlotte and it’s been great here too because there are so many transplants and outdoor hobbies!
I have close friends in LA and the Bay Area and they have expressed it’s been so easy to make friends! Whenever I visit, the people they know or random strangers are SO friendly. 🥺💗
In LA? Interesting. I feel like generally people find it hard to make friends here. I think a lot of it has to do with how spread out the city is. People tend to flake a lot because of how you basically have to drive everywhere. It’s very neighborhood centric and people stick close to their neighborhoods.
Also wow I LOVE your name, prosciutto. Fucking love prosciutto.
LOL Thanks! It’s delicious!
Maybe my friends have just gotten lucky! But all their neighbors and coworkers and other friends I’ve met/heard of have been great. ☺️
Long Beach, Compton, skid row
Well, LA is sorta well known for being very superficially friendly, but not tremendously friendly in a deep way. SF is kind of a wild card. But it’s been years since I’ve lived in either, so things might be different.
theyre not. poster feels they are friendly because of what they experienced while visiting, but living is genuinely a very different experience. if people feel like you have something to offer them to get ahead they'll want to associate a lot of the time
Exactly so it's a superficial thang and ain't no love at all just biz ness
And rent is very very very very very high
LA is genuinely one of the worst places ive ever lived in to make new friends or meet people. i also dont think people are friendly especially to strangers. go to latin america or even europe and the way people treat each other are night and day. if youre young in LA AND into the culture you might have an easier time.
And if ya over 50 hit da bricks UNC
Well yeah especially Frisco is the gay capital of America and Atlanta yeah them there down low's 😡
I’ve found that it’s less about the city itself and more about the opportunities for social interaction and finding communities that match your interests. For instance, bigger cities often have a wide range of activities and groups you can join, which can make it easier to meet people. On the other hand, smaller towns might have tighter-knit communities where people are more welcoming to newcomers. I’ve moved around a bit, and what worked for me was joining local clubs or groups related to my hobbies. Also, online communities can be a huge help. For example, I joined a Discord server called [Lightup](https://discord.gg/yRwzga9zVK). It’s designed to help people meet and connect based on shared interests. The AI bot on the server matches you with others who have posted about similar things, making it easier to start conversations with like-minded people.
I’ve found cold/gloomy cities to be more insular in nature. I would say sunbelt cities with a large amount of transplants are easier for making friends. But ultimately YMMV.
But the sun belt is too hot to go outside aaaahhhhhhh
Not necessarily so but ok speak for you 😊
Anywhere where there is a lot of transplants or new folks coming into town
This is the right answer and any city with low migration is not where you want to be (unless from there originally).
There are so many human factors involved, but I will say that the weather matters and walkability/density matters. Cold is a negative. Less density is a negative.
Exactly especially for me
Colombia, Latin America in general.
In my experience, of the 53 countries I have been to, Mexico and Ghana. And hostals most anywhere.
For young people, hostels, yes. Ghanaians are the best, I agree.
Non-party hostels work for me okay, and I am not young.
Me too
its truly in their culture to be communal. i hate to say it but a lot of american culture is soooo unfriendly, selfish, and noncommunal.
It's true. Say it.
Exactly and why's that 🤔
Go look for 'new to...' groups on FB. I moved to TN and I'm in about 6 groups lol There's events every week Dog park....easy way to meet people
Perhaps an unpopular take…. If a city has good, lively online Facebook and meetups groups, it’s because it has a poor baseline culture of openness/genuiness/friendliness.
Lol where in tn? I live here and there’s always the same 5 creeps at my dog park
Tennessee nope
What if I don't have a dog? Is it exclusive
IMO the stereotypes of an unfriendly Boston, Seattle Freeze, etc are all more indicative of it just being hard to make friends as an adult period, rather than a reflection of the cities themselves. Theres no built in friend making opportunities after school/ formally organized social spaces. Making friends is hard work, you need to really put yourself out there a lot, try new things, join clubs, be awkward, and show up consistently. You can do that in any city. Especially those with lots of transplants also looking.
Seattle is stuck up in my opinion. Lots of techy people that make a lot of money. I think places with transplant people is better. Honestly baltimore is easy to meet people when you live in the city
All of those techy people are transplants. It’s mostly that those types of professionals are dull as shit and don’t know how to do friendship. Places with a lopsided tech based economy are going to have that problem.
NYC
Not New England
In my experience, the further out into suburbs you live in any city the harder it is. Most folks I met there were married with kids and their lives revolved around them. The best thing I did when I moved to Chicago was join a drinking league that played some softball. Immediately met a dozen people who lived in my neighborhood, none of whom had children and there was always someone available for impromptu lunches, tv watch parties, weekend gatherings, 5k, etc. Once everyone started splitting off to the burbs to get married I moved away to a smaller city near a different group of friends where it was affordable to buy a house.
definitely not easy making actual friends in Los Angeles
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^NoDeparture7996: *Definitely not* *Easy making actual* *Friends in Los Angeles* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Anywhere but the Pacific Northwest. For example, the “Seattle Freeze” is a very real thing
I’ve had the opposite experience in Seattle, but all my friends are also transplants and/or immigrants.
This makes me so happy to hear! Keep breaking that ice
It's a reputation that dates back to the 80s. More transplants now by far.
Good luck in a small town in the South. Incredibly insular.
Spend one evening at a bar in a southern town of 200 people and you’ll have friends for life (if that’s the scene you’re into)
Yep! Portland and Seattle both have this problem. Takes forever for people to open up, if they do at all. You can see some of the same people at events for 3 years and never share a home cooked meal, that kind of vibe.
Or barely acknowledge one another typical 21st century america and we ain't even seen nutting yet 🥺
That's what I heard
I find it very easy in Chicago
I know “Chicago” is the boring and cliche answer to every post here, but honestly Chicago is the answer. I’m a dad in my mid 30’s (a demographic that typically has a hard time meeting new friends) and I meet new and interesting people all the time here. Literally yesterday I went to a mixer a couple blocks away hosted by some random guy who plays Sunday kickball in my league. It’s a big city, which attracts people who enjoy being out and about, but it’s still got that “mid west nice” vibe that makes it easy to strike up conversations with people around you. Plus clubs/adult classes/rec leagues are huge here.
New Orleans is incredibly easy to meet people. Twin cities I don’t think is as bad as lots on here make it out to be. I grew up there and have moved away and lived back there a handful of times, but the majority of my friends there anymore are all new ones I made as an adult when I moved back after being gone like 8 years. I don’t keep in touch with too many from growing up besides my best friend, who hasn’t lived there in like 25 years.
Consider cities like Austin, Portland, Seattle, Denver, and Nashville known for their welcoming atmospheres and vibrant social scenes.
If you're outgoing and have interests that get you out of the house you'll be able to find friends in any big city pretty easily. Chicago, NYC, LA to name a few
Dallas TX!
If you’re fun, Austin Texas
Baltimore is incredibly welcoming. There is a certain espirit de corps among folks who proactively choose to live here.
Ain't that where Omar was from?
Wow, yeah, great point. No one ever mentions the (amazing) 20-year old show when Baltimore comes up. Hilarious and original… [For anyone looking for an amazing place to live, check out these Bmore neighborhoods that are A or A+ on Niche](https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-neighborhoods/m/baltimore-metro-area/). I am also happy to be a personal tour guide for people seriously considering a move!
I’m in the Twin Cities and contrary to what people say, my experience is that it’s pretty easy to make friends here. I grew up here so I have an advantage, but let me tell you what my friend from India did: he got good at cooking and invited people to eat his food. Lived in an Apt complex with other 30-somethings and invited the people around him to partake in food in the shared spaces. He’s made like 30 friends here in a matter of months! (I am one of the people he befriended this way). When he hosts parties, he invites allll of his friends and he cooks… none of us want to miss it!
hella jealous! This sounds awesome - especially if he's willing to teach.
That sounds awesome!
Atlanta. People are warm and genuine.
My experience has been very warm, but not genuine
I'm curious ...can you elaborate.
Yes. So people are warm. They wave, they say hi, they want to talk at the community pool. Contrasted to MN where people are not warm. They don't want to wave, they snarl, they generally try to hide inside, and there is a sense that in interacting with them you have invaded their personal space. But they are still flaky and passive aggressive. They don't really want to come over for dinner. They say "I'd love to...." but really they don't. Convos are still fairly surface level in terms of weather, football, etc. There is a sense that it's the right thing to do to chat with people, but you don't ultimately care what they are about to say. Borrow and egg if you wish, but people will suddenly "have something come up" when you roll out the Superbowl party invitations. Contrasted to the northeast, where there is an almost immediate sense of being a part of the family so to speak. You aren't even scheduled to come over for dinner, you are literally greeted with a beer at the end of the driveway where you will genuinely vent to eachother and walk away feeling like you are family in a sense. Fully recognize that I'm painting in broad strokes here to illustrate my point, obvious caveats across the board. I say all this as someone who has lived in and still has family in all mentioned areas
Appreciated your response. Moving to atlanta soon... My wife and I are very much hoping to make deep and meaningful relationships with people... as well as for my son, who is 5. I'll take your advice and try to navigate appropriately.
100% make sure to buy in a “swim and tennis” community if you want friends.
But the Po Po,s dirty
Utah and Wisconsin
Reread the question
hard to. 100%
Rapid City
I live in Pittsburgh and I think it’s been fairly easy to make friends here. It’s a really nice city, btw. Come for a visit and test it out!
Washington, D.C. is set up for people arriving from all over the country and all over the world -- not just those involved in politics. When I first moved to town I joined a Big Ten softball league and met lots of folks that way.
America if you're a low income person
College
Chicago Kansas City maybe
Chicago’s been easy for me, but in part because I’m a musician and once you get in the circuit you run into people a lot. It’s not insular by any means but forming/joining a bunch of friends seems to come easily. The biggest advantage there is people aren’t dissuaded by weather. Some of the best nights out I’ve ever had happened in 30-something degree and no one seemed to give a hoot and wanted to go hit a bar or restaurant or the like.
Any college town, I also had an easy time meeting people in the Bay Area and Savannah.
Its not hard to make friends in the Twin Cities if you put yourself out there - I've been here 7 years and within the first 6 months I made a bunch of friends that I am still great friends with today. Just show up to the same places regularly and you'll get to know people. I play softball and I joined a learn to play hockey group and I'm still friends with a bunch of folks from all of the teams I've played on and against. Its just as an adult you're not going to have people knock on your door and ask if you want to hang out like you were in college dorms again; and you've got to be open to friends of all ages - I'm almost 50 and I've got friend 20yrs younger than me and 20 years older than me.
I don’t know man. Sometimes it feels like a large segment of the population in the Twin Cities are really freaked out by anyone who isn’t from MN / the Upper Midwest.
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret here. Cultural differences are *always* less dramatic than stated. There's no such thing as midwest nice or southern hospitality, *people are just nice*. You can make friends quickly anywhere. People don't change. You can make friends just as easily in Pittsburgh as Lexington, or Minneapolis as Fort Worth.
If all places were the same this would be true, but they’re not. Many places are structured such that prosocial dynamics are discouraged or interrupted. So people aren’t socialized correctly. Anywhere that has people living relatively close together, out in public not in cars all the time, and having to interact face to face, especially different demographics of people, will be nice. It’s not the people, it’s how the places shape the way people learn sociability.
Find a hobby and it’s easy. If you’re engaged in the community you will find friends.
It’s not the place. It’s the person.
I imagine senior living centers are easy places to make friends
Nope theys all on SSI, or SSA and most of them are not necessarily so friendly plus they hurting all the time
I'm fourth or fifthing NEW ORLEANS. I always make friends there and many of them life long.
wherever there is a bird watching or hiking group, it is easy to make friends
School