Arriving in a new city and knowing how to adapt to an unknown urban environment is always a challenge. However, something that we often overlook is that when we change cities we not only move to another place; we also move to live with other people.

That’s why knowing how to meet people in a new city is important; being able to have a circle of friends and acquaintances, or even someone with stronger love ties, is part of the adaptation process that will allow us to enjoy a normal life.

Therefore, in this article we will see a series of recommendations and advice about how to meet people in a new city ; habits and specific actions that will allow us to get in touch with groups of people with whom we can have a lot in common.

How do you meet people in a new city?

Follow these tips to expand your network of friends and regular contacts wherever you go, something very useful when moving or going to another city to work or study for a few months.

1. Take into account the language factor

If we are going to live in another city, the first thing to do is to anticipate and find out about if a language we don’t know is spoken there . In some cases we may be surprised to discover that in addition to the one we already speak, there are other minority languages in that region but with many speakers.

In this case, starting to learn even the basics of it is very useful to meet new people: shows interest in the local culture and helps us to know the social complexity of the territory.

2. Get rid of prejudices

Many times, the fame of a region or city precedes it, as a moso that when we enter that region, we perceive what happens there judging everything from the stereotypes and prejudices that we have internalized.

Although such beliefs about city dwellers may seem harmless or simply unimportant details, they are not at all, since without our realizing it, they can lead us into biases that are offensive or reveal our ignorance.

Small unfortunate comments , in turn, can make the rest of us cling to their stereotypes about us as outsiders too; after all, no one is free to be guided by prejudice from time to time; what we should do is minimize the chances of their being expressed constantly, by putting the focus on what we share with others (wherever they are from).

3. Take advantage of the Internet

Far from being a machine that encourages people to isolate themselves in their rooms, as is often implied, the Internet is a tool that can help us meet people with whom we have much in common, regardless of where we live.

If we add to this the fact that it is increasingly common for virtual meeting points to appear for the inhabitants of a city , we will see that social networks, forums and certain websites are a good place to meet people in a new city before or after moving.

For example, you can search for Facebook groups of people your age who live in the neighborhood you’ve moved to, hobbyists who live near you, etc.

4. Attend cultural events

Cultural events have their raison d’être in facilitating the generation of contacts between the inhabitants of an area; that is, that favour social cohesion .

Music festivals, book clubs, talent shows, fairs… Any of these events take place in a festive atmosphere that encourages integration into groups of people who are engaged in conversation.

5. Betting on honesty

If you think about it, moving to a new city makes it much more understandable and easy to understand that you are starting a conversation with someone you don’t know or introducing yourself to a group; you just have to say that that city is new to you and you don’t know anyone or almost anyone. Just by revealing that information, it will probably be others who will adopt a friendly disposition and help you make friends.

Just keep in mind the cultural factor. In some areas, for various reasons, outsiders generate distrust, although in most medium or large cities in Western countries this is not the case.

6. Practice assertive communication

Working on assertiveness in your communication style is very important; if you express your interests and opinions in a direct way, without doing it as if that were something that generates uncomfortable and embarrassing moments, you will have a much easier time connecting with people living in the new city. It’s all about treating your ideas, interests and opinions with the same respect as you treat others.

Part of the process of meeting people consists of generating situations in which everyone feels comfortable, and to do this it is important not to be predisposed to any error or imperfection in communication being seen as a humiliation.

Bibliographic references:

  • Hurrelmann, K. and Bauer, U. (2018) Socialisation During the Life Course. London/New York: Routledge.
  • Patricia A. Duff, Nancy H. Hornberger. 2010. Language Socialization: Encyclopedia of Language and Education, Volume 8.