<p>Thought I would start a thread for those parents who have kids that have moved for a job offer and don’t know anyone in their new city. </p>
<p>It came up on Limabeans’s thread on helicoptering. </p>
<p>I figure we can put some ideas down and send the link to our kids.</p>
<p>Unless that’s helicoptering :)</p>
<p>Here are a few:</p>
<p>Join your church.</p>
<p>If you run, cycle, dance etc : google clubs in your new city and join.</p>
<p>My first job out of college was a horrible, horrible experience for a variety of reasons. But I did get involved in my church and it was one of the things that got me through the horror. I highly recommend it.</p>
<p>Atheists/agnostics could check out the Unitarian Universalist congregation in their area </p>
<p>Meetups, e.g. [url=<a href=“Groups near Chicago, Illinois | Meetup”>Find Events & Groups in Chicago, IL]Meetups</a> near Chicago, Illinois - Meetup<a href=“Also%20great%20for%20empty%20nesters”>/url</a></p>
<p>Volunteering</p>
<p>Co-ed pick up leagues, ultimate frisbee, touch football, dodgeball, etc. I found some listed on Meet up dot com and also on Craigs list. </p>
<p>Also some cities have great alumni groups. DS’s gets together every Saturday to watch the football team play at a local sports bar.</p>
<p>That said, DS is pretty miserable in his new city, so the above suggestions don’t mask the difficulties of making new friends :(</p>
<p>Join a nearby gym(work or home) or utilize the the gym at work. Use. Often.
Join the work’s intramural teams.
Find a like aged group starting to train for a marathon/tri, you become tight with people suffering and sweating together
Join and volunteer at your work’s charity events-you’ll get to recognize faces and be recognized at work</p>
<p>Announce on your facebook page that you’ll be moving to _ and you’d appreciate introductions to friends of friends who live there. (I once read a wedding write up in the NY Times. Bride had done that; a college friend had brother (whom bride had never met) who lived in that city and the friend “introduced” the 2 via email. He showed up with a couple of guy friends to help her move in. They ended up getting married.) </p>
<p>If you live in a building with a tenants’ association, join and go to meetings. </p>
<p>If your job isn’t 24/7, take an evening class at the local Y, community college, etc. in something that interests you. </p>
<p>Join a young professionals sports league. In NYC, it’s Zog Sports.</p>
<p>If you’re religious, join a church. (There’s actually a new “religion” for atheists and agnostics.)</p>
<p>Kids have Facebook, etc. to keep up with friends and to find connections. It isn’t nearly as hard to find people because you can explore your interests on line and find people who share those interests. </p>
<p>One of my kids moved across the country as a 21 year old. Supporting herself. Living on her own in apartments I never saw. But with the internet, she could find work, meet friends, etc. For example, she joined in social groups for bike rides or hikes - and see if they worked for her. Some did and some didn’t.</p>
<p>In addition to the other things listed, the new person in town might consider online dating.</p>
<p>If you enjoyed singing in college (or even if you didn’t) join a community chorus. Regular rehearsals and the group effort of putting on concerts can foster friendships.</p>
<p>Take art classes.
Take language classes.
Another good religion for atheists (but much smaller than the UUs) is Ethical Culture. [Ethical</a> movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_movement]Ethical”>Ethical movement - Wikipedia)
Check out gyms, most aren’t very social, but sometimes the classes are. In our town the Y is the only place people actually seem to talk to each other regularly.</p>
<p>I have been thinking about giving my son a GC for a workshop at the community art space in his new city; I can’t decided if it’s too “helicopter-y.” Part me thinks I should just back off and let him figure it out.</p>
<p>Many high schools (at least the private ones) have alumnae groups in other cities, as do colleges and fraternities (even the service ones such as MuPhi, which is a music fraternity). That’s one way to blend old with new. The sports groups are great and if one is into music, larger cities have social events and reduced price tickets to encourage those under 35 to attend the opera or symphony. Look at bulletin boards in libraries, coffee shops, art spaces, galleries, etc and explore the “What’s going on this week” sections of the local papers and magazines.</p>
<p>Did your son do any sports in high school or college that he enjoys? Often there are adult teams in which one can participate. For example, my son-in-law was a swimmer in high school and college. He competed at both levels. After college, he didn’t do any competitive swimming. He didn’t even workout. About two years ago, he decided to get back in shape and started going to the gym. He also found a master’s swim team (I always thought a master meant over 40–he’s 31) that had competitions with other teams. </p>
<p>addition to training and competing, this group was very social and gathered together after practice and after meets. They also would invite one another to social gatherings. Son-in-law recently started grad school at UNC and looked at master’s teams in Chapel Hill and Durham and Raleigh. He eventually found one that was similar to the team he left. It’s been great for him and also for my daughter too because they’ve met a few couples with whom they have much in common and have gone out with them a number of times.</p>
<p>Look up ■■■■■■■■■■ for numerous one-off and continuing getogethers. These meetups often attract other newcomers to the city, along with people established in the city.</p>
<p>Some go on hikes, to sports events, comedy clubs or visit a weekend street festival as an informal group of singletons. These are the kinds of things a newcomer might read about in the community, but not want to try all alone. By going with a Meetup group, it’s not a commitment, just an easier way to socialize, one event at a time.</p>
<p>A number of my friends’ 20-something boys have gotten hugely in to home beer brewing. I guess it’s become quite the fad and there are organizations of home brewers who meet monthly to taste test, critique, swap technique suggestions, etc. It’s quite the burgeoning hobby…</p>