How To Make Friends In a New City: Austin
While relocating to a new city marks an exciting life change, it’s not without its concerns. One major fear of recent arrivals? Finding a group of friends in their adopted town, especially if they’re making the move solo. This can be a daunting prospect, but luckily for new Austinites, the Lone Star Capital has plenty of social groups, activist organizations, and athletic clubs to help you assemble your very own Austin crew.
Join Meetup
A popular online networking platform, Meetup offers a variety of multidisciplinary clubs and teams in cities throughout the U.S. Meetup boasts a particularly active membership in Austin, including special interest groups like Hiking, Walking, and Socializing, 20s and 30s in Austin, and Austin Salsa Dancers. Meetup membership is free, and you’re welcome to join as many subgroups as you like, so if you play your cards right, you can create a social circle around each of your favorite hobbies.
Find Your New Bestie on BumbleBFF
Female-empowered dating app Bumble has its headquarters in Austin, so it’s no wonder that its new platonic-friendship feature for women, BumbleBFF, is particularly successful here. BumbleBFF works almost exactly like its romantic equivalent; participants upload photos and a short bio, then they start swiping—but instead of searching for “Mr. or Ms. Right,” they’re trying to find a new friendship based on similar interests. The program currently only serves female-identifying people, so if you fall into that category and also want some new friend connections, BumbleBFF could be the perfect app for you.
Get Involved with Intramural Sports
Still have fond memories of your high school athletic experiences? Joining an intramural sports league is a great way to rediscover that sense of fun and camaraderie, and the Austin Sports and Social Club(Austin SSC) has a co-ed team for every sport. Whether you prefer basketball, soccer, softball, or playground favorites like dodgeball and kickball, you’ll find a tournament through the Austin SSC. Membership dues vary depending on the sport, and they all include a guaranteed 14 games per season, use of team-provided equipment, and access to post-game happy hours at local bars and restaurants.
Volunteer at Local Non-Profit Groups
Like most major metropolitan areas, Austin features plenty of opportunities to get involved with local charitable organizations. Not only can you make a difference in the community through volunteer work, but you’ll also meet people with a strong commitment to helping others. Not sure where to start? Check out VolunteerMatch, a search engine for volunteer opportunities. Nearly 500 open positions currently exist in Austin, like special-event work for the Austin Public Library, helping the Parks & Rec department with community-oriented activities, and even working concessions for the 2018 Kevin Hart World Tour.