How to Make Friends After Moving (Brainstorm)

My friends and I started a brainstorming group in early 2007. Each month, we meet at a cafe and each person gets to ask one question. We follow a process for brainstorming answers to each question. A very creative stay-at-home-mom was moving to a new city and asked this question.

How to Meet People After Moving to a New City?

• Take an art class in a cultural/artsy part of town.
• Volunteer to teach a class or give a speech @ Early Childhood PTA (ECPTA) or PTA meeting or for a volunteer organization.
• Get involved in the local Destination Imagination group, potentially assisting a team.
• Take a class - knitting, literature, book-binding, photography, creative writing, yoga...
• Volunteer as a docent at a museum.
• Join a recreational soccer/dodge ball/tennis team.
• Join a writing group or book club.
• Try out for a part in a community theatre production.
• Do "letterboxing" with your kids to meet other moms and their kids and get to know the city: http://www.letterboxing.info or http://www.letterboxing.org. "Letterboxing is an intriguing pastime combining navigational skills and rubber stamp artistry in a charming "treasure hunt" style outdoor quest."
• Find interesting stuff about your new city at the YELP website... review local stuff and read people's reviews and rankings. http://www.yelp.com
• Find a meet-up group of folks that share your interests at http://www.meetup.com/
• Take time to get acclimated and settled in.
• Introduce yourself to your neighbors. Chat with the local Starbucks staff.
• Join the local library and check for book clubs.
• Learn about the history of your new city/country through books and find out what is going on via local magazines and newspapers.

• Read Martha Beck's Finding Your Own North Star, focusing on coping with change.

Another brainstorm, How to Get Involved at Kids' New School, includes ideas for making friends as well. Check out more of our creative brainstorms!