I moved to a new town and I know nobody. I’m in my twenties and really want to be sociable and have fun… unfortunately, all I do is work and I can’t find an outlet to meet people.
So, have you ever been to a new town and had this problem?
How did you make a new set of friends? My weekends are getting pretty boring and lonely and I want to get out.
One bit of advice I always got was to attend a church, they always have social events (if you don’t practice a specific religion I’m told the Unitarians are very open minded and welcoming of all sorts).
What I’ve done is volunteer. Volunteers usually have good attitudes and if you find something you’re interested in doing (which you should if you’re going to be spending time working at it) you’ll be spending time with people with similar interests.
I don’t know how urban you are, but for instance in Chicago the museums and such have evening social events especially for young professionals: Evening Associates.
Good suggestions are to join classes and clubs and such. These really are good suggestions but have never worked at all for me. 
I’m sure they do for lots of people, though. Join a tennis league. Take a cooking class.
Throw a big party with free food and beer, and announce all this on craigslist. You’ll be meeting more people than you knew existed! 
Do you have coworkers? You can start by just having lunch with them during the week, you might find out you have stuff in common.
I guess it depends on the size of the town you live in.
If there’s an adult school, find a class that involves something you’re interested in (but not something like a welding class).
Most people seem to make friends from other friends. If you can find someone you like who knows a lot of other people, then make your interest clear in becoming friends.
But often it’s just about kismet; finding someone with similar interests. It took me almost a year in LA to make good friends (after I’d rejected the movie industry friends who were mostly vapid), to make a lot of good friends. It started when I went to my next-door apartment (the above listed digbat) neighbors to ask them if they could turn the volumn of their music a little, and they insisted that I join them (actually, they drunkenly grabbed me by the arm and pulled me in. They were short on men, they explained.) Upon listening, I really liked the music, and they then invited me to a Guatamalan night club the next night where I met a lot of Peruvians, and before long I knew just about every Peruvian in LA. LA can be really alienating when you don’t know anybody, so I was lucky–but it all started because I wanted to complain to the very poeple who eventually linked me up. If I’d been more annoyed (or they less drunk), nothing might have come of it.
You can try internet-type things, or those orginized dating things, but I wonder how much they really work.
Organize a DopeFest!
I don’t know if you’re in Denver (“Sweet Home Colorado”, after all…), but I would guess that Denver has more people like you per capita than anywhere else I’ve lived.
I find a group I want to be involved in (for me it is something to do with kids/parenting, like the PTA or Big Brothers/Big Sisters but the actual topic doesn’t matter; just choose something that is important to you) and then volunteer for grunt-work stuff. If you keep raising your hand for a few months and pitching in, you’ll get to meet people, and they’ll like you because you are willing to participate.
Trust me – this really really works.
Can you give us a list of your hobbies/interests, and a general idea of where you are? Never underestimate the research powers of the Straight Dope. I bet you’d have a listing of a few dozen *Specific * ways that would help you within hours of posting.
Thanks for all the responses… you’re all starting to get me on the right track.
I like to cook,
I’m from Chicago, currently live in Ft. Collins area of CO, (Northeast)
I’m not extremely religious but have faith
I’m a reader and movie/dvd watcher
shopping is a good hobby
I’m a single male
I love politics
When in groups, I tend to lead
I’m a fan of the finer things in life… nice houses, clothes, food, lifestyle… when it can be afforded.
I’d say my background is the strongest in the political field… partisanship aside.
I’d be happy to supply more.
What do you think?
My good sir, I present you with a large list of interest groups in your area. Try a few out! Personally, I like the looks of the Boardgames and Airsoft groups.
Keep an eye out for what’s going on at Colorado State, universities always have fun events that are open to the public.
I went to grad school at Colorado State and found Ft. Collins a very friendly town.
CSU used to have killer parties on Tuesday nights, you usedta could meet a lot of people at those … they don’t always remember you the next day, so you get to meet them again.
That’s pretty much all I know about Ft. Collins, and even that’s a few years out of date…
This is the same advice I give everyone:
Look in your local newspaper or your town’s Web site. Most of those have a calendar of events. Keep your eye on it and look for things you might be interested in, and go. Even if you don’t make any friends (unlikely, IMO), you’ll have a good time. A lot of the stuff in the calendar is free or cheap; I know that at my newspaper we provide it as free advertisement for free local events.
~Tasha
Take a bartending course and get a part time bartending job.
Join the repub/dem/ club in your town.
Take a class.
This will also get you additional income and quite possibly laid on a regular basis.
Join co ed sports. Softball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee. You meet a ton of friends and potential sex partners.
Are you a runner at all? If not, do you like walking and following trails? Do you like beer? If any of the above applies, you’ll not only have an instant group of friends (and great fun!) with the Fort Collins Hash House Harriers, but you’ll never go anywhere in the entire world (including Antarctica!!) and not be able to find fellow Hashers to welcome you.
Who the heck are the Hash House Harriers? Hash House Harriers - Wikipedia
Make no mistake – these aren’t a bunch of misfits and deadbeats who just like to get smashed. Hashers run the gamut from computer nerds and housewives (as well as single ladies!) to doctors and lawyers and such. You cannot NOT have a blast on a Hash, it’s really that simple. Give it a try!
On On!
You said you love politics. If you’re on the left, get involved in Democratic causes. You’ll probably meet Pat Stryker, she lives in Ft. Collins, she’s single, and a gazillionaire.
You might want to be very careful if you take up Lizard’s suggestion!
I’m trying to improve my social life at the moment, and there are lots of good suggestions in this thread. My problem isn’t so much knowing people, as finding people who share my views on life - I know loads of people, but for some reason a disproportionate number of them have views on life very different from my own, and in some cases I find their views pretty unpleasant. (You might ask why the hell I spend time with them then :rolleyes: … I know, I know. That’s just the way things have turned out, and I’m working on it.)
I think there are two types of social activities, those which are “activity-based”, and those which are “value-based”. For example, I go to ice skating lessons, which I would call “activity-based” - I meet lots of people from all sorts of backgrounds, and the main thing we’ve got in common is that we’re learning the same thing. On the other hand, I belong to a couple of Buddhist groups, which are “value-based”. I meet more people there who share my basic outlook on life.
I’m not saying one of these types of activities is necessarily better than another, but for me personally I think the “value-based” things are where I’m likely to meet people who will become good friends.
Good luck with your search!