Thoughts: Meeting New People in a City

Snapshots of Columbus, Ohio

I’m sure it’s happened to a lot of people.

You move to a new city whether it be for work, school, family, etc. Either you’ve seen the city before, briefly visited or didn’t have any idea that the place existed.

The major issue that people with this experience have come to realize is that you don’t know ANYONE. No, your significant other, spouse, kids, dogs, cats, lizards don’t count. I mean no one else in the city.

You didn’t have the chance to meet anyone at the local college or high schools as you grew up, someone from work that you’ve known for years, someone from a sports organization or community project or random event in town. Nada. You don’t know any other Homo sapiens in the area.

And then it hits you like a ton of bricks falling off the ledge of a construction site. “I’m alone.”  ”I’m the newbie.”

Now, either the first thing you do is sulk, have a horrible case of home-sickness, call all your friends and family and tell them how much you miss them and how the place sucks, become depressed, become a hermit and just go to work/school/grocery store/doctor/dentist and refuse to be happy.

OR

You get out and explore. The first question everyone asks is “Where do I start?”

Unless you are a natural at socializing and being a cool butterfly in crowds, this is an easy question to ask that has a complex answer.

Currently, I’m faced with the same situation. I moved to a new city for work and hopefully grad school back in July of this year. I’m totally lost on where I can go to meet people who have the same interests as myself. It took me a while to get comfortable in the new area, as I had to move, become comfortable with my new job and learn about the surroundings. Now that I’m settled, I’ve found that I really do not know anyone outside of work (whom by the way, is a much older crowd, married and have kids or are about to retire) and a few friends that I’ve known for a while, but they are just too busy to do anything.

So, where do I start or look towards meeting new people?

Its ironic, since back home I started a meetup.com group called 20-somethings of Dayton, Ohio with the intention of meeting new people and helping people who are not native to Dayton meet like-minded individuals in their age group. It was a random idea that I didn’t think would get much notice, but it exploded after a good month, growing from 15 members to 50 in just a few weeks. Now, its well over 100 and is still growing strong, one of my assistants currently taking  over for me since I have moved away.

But, do I have the time and ambition to do such a thing here? Currently, I reside in Columbus, Ohio. Its home to one of the major universities in the country, The Ohio State University, several major businesses such as JP Morgan Chase, Nationwide Insurance, Limited Brands (The Limited, Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, etc.) and more. It’s a distinct city with several different districts that all have their own historical background such as German Village, The Short North, OSU Campus, and The Brewery District. Its one of the major stops for any touring band or musician, speaker and celebrity. It has a growing arts and music scene, as well as local businesses, large-scale events, organizations, non-profit groups and much more.

So, you would think that it would be easy to find some cool kids to hangout with, right?

Well, if you’ve lived here for a while or went to school here then sure. If not, then you’re as lost as a kid in a store that can’t find its parent.

Instead of just randomly taking my Macbook Pro, iPod and going to a random cafe/bookshop and just sitting there hoping that maybe I can strike up a conversation with a stranger out of the blue, I’ve resorted to trying one major outlet.

The Internet. 

After searching around, I’ve stumbled across a few sites that have been somewhat helpful in not only learning about the city I’m in, but the people who reside in it.

First, I’m going to start with some major sites that could be useful to anyone else in this situation:

Meetup.com – I’m sure many others have been told to use this site many times when it comes to meeting new people with similar interests and I’m going to have to agree with those inconspicuous individuals. This site is wonderful with meeting people and building friendships. And if you don’t see anything close to what you want, you can always start a group yourself. You’d be surprised just how many people think like you. I did and I didn’t think it would get so large.

City-data.com – This is an interesting site that is mostly full of data that is input from residents in the select city they reside in. Gives a lot of detail towards education, districts, nightlife and many other topics. It helped me in getting a close look at some parts of the city I’m not familiar with.

OkCupid.com – Now… let me explain how this site can be useful. True, this is indeed a dating site. But to take a different perspective, it is also a social networking tool. It is considered one of the most, if not it is, popular dating and social networking sites around. It can aid in helping you find people who are just looking to meet others in the area. I’ve actually met a few good friends on this site, some I may have dated and others I haven’t. You’d be surprised just how many people on the site aren’t looking to date, but just to hangout and chat.

Local University Websites – Like any major, or even small, city there is a university in the area that hosts their own organizations and events that are free to the public. Take a look at their pages to see if there are any active groups with members that share the same interests as yourself.

If anyone else has any other major sites, let me know! Adding to the list would be a huge help!

Now, I’m going to go towards sites I’ve found in the current city that I’m living in:

ColumbusUnderground.com – It’s a wonderful site that has a wide range of topics that have been and currently are being discussed about Columbus, Ohio and surrounding areas. They make sure to post the most active events in the area, as well as community issues and organizations, political issues, music and art events, etc. They also host events for members to gather and meet each other in person in the city.

The Ohio State Activities & Organizations Websites - As I am not a student of OSU (Yet, hopefully), they still have a website full of the organizations, clubs, community service groups that are active around campus and in the city. They have a directory of their groups set by interests and I’ve found it to be quite useful. I plan to give it a closer look to see what groups I can find in the area. Since the school year is currently moving, it shouldn’t be too hard to find an active bunch.

Cbusr.com - I’m still trying to remember just how in the world I stumbled across this neat little site. I wish every city had one like it. Cbusr is a local site started by residents in the Columbus area who were looking to meet new people in the city, as well as help out others who are new to the area and would like to do the same. They host their own events as well in different parts of the city and encourage face-to-face interaction with others on the site. I’m still fairly new to it and trying to get use to just picking a cool person and letting them know that I’d love to meet them without creeping them out or seeming odd. Its a neat concept and appears to be quite active.

I’m still looking around for many other sites and groups to help me get use to the new city I’m in, so if anyone knows of any others, feel free to post them!

But of course, if the web isn’t your style, then maybe meeting some cool people or strangers at a bookstore, book club, cafe, lounge, live music session, etc. would be the next step. If you have a knack of striking up a conversation with people, then don’t be afraid to do so. You have a skill some of us would kill to have. Use it!

Me? I’ll stick to be a cautious being and using the Internets for now until I can slowly branch out and explore.