Moved here 8 months ago for work. Know my coworkers and that's about it. I'm in my early 30s. No kids. Don't go to church.
I've tried Bumble BFF. It's weird. I've gone to a few Meetup events. Also weird. Everyone is friendly but it never goes past surface level.
Back home I had friends I'd known for 15 years. Here I have people I say hi to at the gym. How do adults without kids or church actually build a social circle from scratch?
Volunteering. Pick something you care about, show up regularly, and you'll meet good people. Food banks, habitat builds, trail cleanups. Shared purpose builds bonds faster than shared drinks.
Brazilian jiu jitsu gym. I know it sounds random but hear me out — you train with the same people 3-4 times a week, you suffer together, and the community is insanely tight. Changed my social life.
Dog park if you have a dog. I've made more friends through my dog in 6 months than I made on my own in a year. Dogs are social lubricant.
Rec sports league. Volleyball, kickball, softball. You see the same people every week, you grab beers after games, friendships happen naturally. That's how I built my entire friend group here.
It takes like a year. I know that's not what you want to hear but real friendships take time. Keep showing up to the same places consistently. The people who keep showing up too become your people.
Be the one who initiates. "We should hang out sometime" means nothing. "Want to grab tacos Saturday at 1pm?" is a plan. Most people want friends but nobody wants to be the one to plan things.