How to make friends in a new city: helpful tips to meet new people
Moving to a new city is exciting, but building a social circle from scratch can feel overwhelming. To make this process easier, you can start by simply taking part in events within your new neighbourhood or visiting local stores. As family coach Grace Ademola-Oke suggests, the secret is not rushing or forcing connections but being open, patient, and genuinely friendly.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- Tips on how to make friends in a new city
- 1. Introduce yourself to your neighbours
- 2. Find friends of existing friends and colleagues
- 3. Visit local shops
- 4. Connect with your co-workers
- 5. Ask for assistance
- 6. Get involved in community events
- 7. Host a housewarming party
- 8. Lend a hand
- 9. Connect with a faith community
- 10. Spend time outdoors
- 11. Search for mobile apps to make new connections
- Take your time: checking into your new environment
- Effective ways to start a conversation
- How can an introvert make friends in a new city?
Key takeaways
- Inviting your neighbors to your housewarming party is an easy way to meet people right in your new area.
- Lending a hand, as an act of kindness, toward your neighbors or colleagues can initiate lasting connections.
- You can explore local hangout spots in your new city, like cafés, gyms, or even parks, to strike up casual conversations.
- Attend family-friendly or faith-based gatherings or events to meet like-minded people.
Tips on how to make friends in a new city
You may move to a new city for several reasons, such as wanting to know yourself better, becoming independent, or looking for greener pastures. Whatever the reason, this could be a scary endeavour as you are forced to leave your social cycle. Here are a few tips on how to meet new people in a new city.
1. Introduce yourself to your neighbours
Do not pass your neighbours without saying hello to them. It is an easy way of making friends, as it has less to do with shared interests and activities. The point of doing so is to form a basis for a satisfying relationship. A warm greeting accompanied by a smile upon initial encounter is a great way to facilitate that. You can also mention that you just moved in if you want to.
2. Find friends of existing friends and colleagues
If you plan to relocate to a new town, reach out to your friends, relatives or colleagues and ask them if they know someone from the new city they can connect you with. Ask as many of your old friends as possible so that you will have a good list of potential contacts, even if each friend can think of one person. These new people can help you discover the best spots to do your shopping or places to go to make more friends.
3. Visit local shops
Many people have embraced online shopping. But since you have moved to a new city, local physical stores will significantly benefit you. You will get to meet people who, in many cases, have a pulse on what is going on in the community and could inform you of an existing group which is off social media. In addition, they could connect you with someone in town with the same interest.
You can ask them something concerning your hobbies. For instance, if your hobby is reading, ask for a bookshop in the area. There you will meet new people with the common interest as you.
4. Connect with your co-workers
Source: UGC
If the cause of moving to a new city is because of your job, then meeting people in a new city becomes easy for you. There are various ways to connect with your new colleagues to build friendships. These ways include:
- Ensure you take your lunch in the break room or request them to walk together to a nearby restaurant.
- Invite a colleague for dinner.
- Take part in work events available in the company.
- Enter into small talks about common interests when you are taking tea or coffee in the office.
5. Ask for assistance
Most people love to willingly assist others. Do not hesitate to ask for help if you need it in your new workplace or neighbourhood. It can help form and sustain an excellent relationship if it's a minor imposition.
For instance, if you are going out of town, you can request your neighbour if they would be okay with keeping any packages delivered to your house and keeping them safe until you get back. At the workplace, you could request your colleague to assist you in solving any error codes you are getting.
6. Get involved in community events
In any city, you may find organizations hosting meet-up events to encourage mingling and welcoming new members in town. Neighbours might also hold meetings, such as housing association board meetings. Let them know you are interested in taking part in community activities or events. Being engaged is an excellent way to help connect with others interested in attaining similar objectives.
7. Host a housewarming party
Source: UGC
A housewarming party is another easy way how to meet friends in a new city. Host the event at your place and make invitations to your neighbours. You can go door to door introducing yourself to them as well as inviting them for a move-in party. Another way of asking them is by slipping invitations into their mailboxes. You probably won't get everyone to attend, but you will likely meet quite a few friendly faces throughout the day.
8. Lend a hand
People often recall what others do more than what they say. If you realize your colleague or neighbour needs help, be proactive and offer some support. It could also be a stranger you meet along the street. Unprompted acts of kindness are an excellent way to live your life in general and can spark a friendship with the person you offer to help.
9. Connect with a faith community
Are you a religious person wondering how to find friends in the new city? Attending the place of worship can go a long way. Make sure you join small groups in the church. Some of these groups meet at someone's house once a month to study the word of God and then have time for light refreshment and socializing. It is a great way to make friends.
10. Spend time outdoors
Spending time outside could be a challenging way for introverts. However, if you want to make new friends, you have no option but to go out of your way and place yourself in areas where there is the likelihood of meeting new faces.
You can sit in your curtilage or in general areas within your compound. The more people you come into contact with, the more significant opportunity you will have to spark a new friendship. If you find someone, greet them warmly and ask them a question that encourages a musing response. You can also take your dog for a walk if you have one. Dogs act as social icebreakers and help people start friendly conversations with others.
11. Search for mobile apps to make new connections
There is a likelihood of an existence of a community-built group that matches your interest. Social apps such as Meetup make this easier. You can search by location for people, themes and grounds in your neighbourhood. These groups could focus around hiking, knitting, writing or practising another language. If you can't find a group that excites you to join, you could form one yourself.
Take your time: checking into your new environment
When you move into a new location or environment, the pressure to build a community can trigger social anxiety. Grace Ademola-Oke, a certified family coach, advises that the first step is simply to slow down, take time to settle in, and observe your new surroundings. She explains:
- Be receptive – Start by being nice and receptive to people around you, like neighbors, flatmates, or block mates. Coach Grace reminds us of this principle from a Bible verse: 'he who wants to have friends must first show himself friendly.'
- Self-reflection – Ask yourself honestly: 'If I want to have a friend, would I want to have a friend like me?'
- Start small – Begin by making acquaintances: say hello, respond to greetings, and wear a smile. She also advises understanding that not everyone you meet will become a close friend.
Effective ways to start a conversation
Sometimes, friendship could start with just two words: Good morning. Grace emphasised that, “the most effective way to start a conversation is by greeting, saying hello.” She shared the following tools to use when building rapport with strangers:
1. Power of approachability – “Someone who wears a smile shows that they have made themselves approachable and welcoming. If someone wants to say hello to you and your face is squeezed, or you are frowning, looking away, or carrying your face, the person will likely think, ‘maybe this person doesn't want to be bothered.’ A simple greeting like good morning, good afternoon, or how are you? goes a long way.”
2. Stay open to small talk – This works best when it’s grounded in your immediate environment because such of conversation can slowly grow into trust and eventually friendship. The expert said you can:
- Ask about certain resources, like where the grocery store or car wash is.
- Ask for help when facing environmental issues like a faulty water-pumping machine.
- Reach out by introducing yourself to your neighbours.
3. Don’t judge the cover – Grace also warned against judging people prematurely, she said: “Some people you think are not in your class might be the ones who will come in handy for you. They might be helpers of destiny who have been positioned for you in that new location.”
4. Get involved in local events and activities – Since making friends in a new city is not a competition but a journey, the easiest way to transition from acquaintances to meaningful friendships is to engage in a common, repeated activity in which community spaces are the perfect match, such as:
- Family-centered fun: If you have children, this is your fastest way to connect with other families. Look out for funfairs, parks, or pools where kids can play. The result of doing this is that parents will naturally lean toward each other. “As a parent, if I see my children playing with a particular child, I’ll look out for that child's parent. The moment they play with others, within 5–10 minutes, they come to you and say, ‘See my friend! Mommy, I have a friend, her name is this and that.’ Children just make friends like that,” she noted.
- Look for like minds: Engage in gatherings centered around your beliefs or hobbies. Also, those who are Christians can attend church programs and similar gatherings, as a great way to meet like-minded people.
5. Build the chain – Once you connect with a family, whether in family-centered events or church services, let the network grow. “(That one family) might say, ‘Oh, we do this every Thursday,’ or ‘I have this group with my friends,’ and one family introduces you to another family. Before you know it, you’ve found your footing in that place and established friendships.”
How can an introvert make friends in a new city?
Source: UGC
Being an introvert can sometimes be challenging, particularly when you want to make friends in a new city. But this doesn't mean that you can't have friends. Gather new courage and exercise the following tips to make friends in the city.
- Make friends online.
- Join a sports league in the area.
- Volunteer at social events or fundraisers.
- Try out new hobbies in your new area.
- Ask for recommendations.
- Make use of welcoming body language.
- Say hello to people.
- Don't say no if someone invites you out.
Making friends in a new town doesn't have to be a scary process. Take it less as connecting and more as a nice way to further integrate yourself in your new locality. The above tips on how to make friends in a new city will assist you in making and meeting new friends at ease in order to make your life more rich and complete in the new place.
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Isaac Wangethi (Lifestyle writer) Isaac Wangethi has been a content writer at Legit since September 2021. He has gained valuable experience working on various projects, such as celebrity biographies, lifestyle, news and many more. Isaac won the Writer of the Year Award on Legit in 2023. He earned a Bsc. of Science in Information Technology in 2017 from the University of Nairobi and a Higher Diploma in Computer Software Engineering from Gretsa University in 2021. In 2023, Isaac finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. In March 2024, he completed the Google News Initiative course. Email: Wangethin@gmail.com
Mary Ugbodaga (Lifestyle Journalist) Mary Ugbodaga is a Legit.ng journalist with 7 years of experience in journalism and media communications. She graduated from Covenant University in 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication/Media Studies. Mary previously worked as a journalist at TheCable, CNBC AFRICA, Voice of Nigeria, KPMG Nigeria. Email: mary.ugbodaga@corp.legit.ng.
