How can I make friends in the NW suburb of Chicago? (Glenview: transplants, renting)

[Southern girl in Chi town]

Moved to a northwest Chicago suburb in June. We were very excited about the adventure. My husband loves his job but is traveling more than i thought he would & i am stuck parenting our 2 elementary school children. After being here 6 months, I have only made 1 friend. I understand that Midwesterners are more business like. However, how am I too make friends if no one does small talk? I am surprised at the number of people who went to high school here and have their extended families are all here. I thought there would be more transplants. I have joined area book clubs, played scrabble at a local library, taken special interest classes at a local college, & have done a few meetup things. Any other suggestions? I have never had issues making friends in my whole life....

[hihochicago]

What suburb? I'm moving to Glenview soon...if you are near there, I'd be happy to meet up! I have a 6-yo daughter.

I think 1 friend in 6 months is good, actually...I've lived a number of different places, and the first year in a new place tends to be difficult. Typically I pick up momentum in the second year.

[thePR]

Originally Posted by Southern girl in Chi town

Moved to a northwest Chicago suburb in June. We were very excited about the adventure. My husband loves his job but is traveling more than i thought he would & i am stuck parenting our 2 elementary school children. After being here 6 months, I have only made 1 friend. I understand that Midwesterners are more business like. However, how am I too make friends if no one does small talk? I am surprised at the number of people who went to high school here and have their extended families are all here. I thought there would be more transplants. I have joined area book clubs, played scrabble at a local library, taken special interest classes at a local college, & have done a few meetup things. Any other suggestions? I have never had issues making friends in my whole life....

Look into a Newcomers Club in your area.

Illinois Newcomers Clubs, Moms and Dads Organizations, Womens Clubs Directory

The suburbs do have a higher amount of people from the area than Chicago does.

[cubssoxfan]

Are you a church or synagogue goer? Finding one you like and attending can lead to friendships.
Are you a runner or cyclist? They have running clubs and I can recommend cycling clubs.
Do you have time to volunteer at school? This can be a good way to get to know others.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Southern girl in Chi town

Moved to a northwest Chicago suburb in June. We were very excited about the adventure. My husband loves his job but is traveling more than i thought he would & i am stuck parenting our 2 elementary school children.

It is NO different than when I relocated from the Midwest to a small Southern town.

You have to show some interest in becoming involved within the community. Generally, when you have school aged children, school activities are a great way to meet a lot of other parents. (And being able to provide some of the Southern specialties like pecan pralines is a definite asset, I might add.)

Joining a church is also another great way of meeting people as is working with one of the charities, like the Salvation Army.

I will admit that Chicagoland is much less friendly than most of the Midwestern cities (Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland, etc.) so breaking in can be a lot more difficult.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

It is NO different than when I relocated from the Midwest to a small Southern town.

You have to show some interest in becoming involved within the community. Generally, when you have school aged children, school activities are a great way to meet a lot of other parents. (And being able to provide some of the Southern specialties like pecan pralines is a definite asset, I might add.)

Joining a church is also another great way of meeting people as is working with one of the charities, like the Salvation Army.

I will admit that Chicagoland is much less friendly than most of the Midwestern cities (Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland, etc.) so breaking in can be a lot more difficult.

?

How much time have you spent in Chicagoland? People in the suburbs and outer neighborhoods of Chicago are more like those from other midwestern cities. At least thats my experience. As a native Chicago suburbanite who grew up in an outer suburb 25-30 miles from the loop, I feel more connected to other midwestern cities than inner Chicago itself. I grew up going to downtown Milwaukee almost as often as downtown Chicago, since we were 1/3 the way up the distance.

Its only those who spend most of their time in the hustle and bustle of the dense Chicagos core that are have the more in-your-face that are more like east coasters.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

It is NO different than when I relocated from the Midwest to a small Southern town.

You have to show some interest in becoming involved within the community. Generally, when you have school aged children, school activities are a great way to meet a lot of other parents. (And being able to provide some of the Southern specialties like pecan pralines is a definite asset, I might add.)

Joining a church is also another great way of meeting people as is working with one of the charities, like the Salvation Army.

I will admit that Chicagoland is much less friendly than most of the Midwestern cities (Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland, etc.) so breaking in can be a lot more difficult.

I will say in addition to my first reply to you, that there are a few areas in the suburbs that are a little more like how you describe.

The area that I'm thinking of in particular is the near northwest suburbs close to O'Hare. I think the overwhelnig business of that airport area plus the large foreirn born population.

Don't get me wrong, I love diversity, and foreign born, but that area close to O'Hare stands out in terms of being overwhelingly relatively recent immigrants. At a level you don't find in other parts of midwestern metro areas. (except for in a few small enclaves). And in that environment, people might be withdrawn, suspicious of outsiders, etc.

In communities in Chicagoland where you haven't overwhelming growth of recent immigrants.

Again, not to say immigrants are unfriendly, but I they stick to their own kind until they become more assimilated.

And the more spacious collar counties (even DuPage county) and certain parts of Cook I think are just as friendly as anywhere else in the urban-suburban midwest.

[ToriaT]

what about knitting classes, yoga classes or cooking classes. churches. Meetups. volunteer work.

[williameconnors]

So I know this is s pretty old post. But I'm hoping that you still receive the messages. We relocated to the north west suburbs from Pittsburgh Pa about a year ago. We have yet to meet anyone since we moved here. I feel I'm very outgoing and have tried talking to everyone. My wife and daughter even done some baby groups. I got sent here for a promotion and love it. But because we have met no one it's really taking a tool on my wife and she wants to move back. Any suggestions?







QUOTE=Southern girl in Chi town;22111361]Moved to a northwest Chicago suburb in June. We were very excited about the adventure. My husband loves his job but is traveling more than i thought he would & i am stuck parenting our 2 elementary school children. After being here 6 months, I have only made 1 friend. I understand that Midwesterners are more business like. However, how am I too make friends if no one does small talk? I am surprised at the number of people who went to high school here and have their extended families are all here. I thought there would be more transplants. I have joined area book clubs, played scrabble at a local library, taken special interest classes at a local college, & have done a few meetup things. Any other suggestions? I have never had issues making friends in my whole life....[/quote]

[4122]

Originally Posted by williameconnors

So I know this is s pretty old post. But I'm hoping that you still receive the messages. We relocated to the north west suburbs from Pittsburgh Pa about a year ago. We have yet to meet anyone since we moved here. I feel I'm very outgoing and have tried talking to everyone. My wife and daughter even done some baby groups. I got sent here for a promotion and love it. But because we have met no one it's really taking a tool on my wife and she wants to move back. Any suggestions?







QUOTE=Southern girl in Chi town;22111361]Moved to a northwest Chicago suburb in June. We were very excited about the adventure. My husband loves his job but is traveling more than i thought he would & i am stuck parenting our 2 elementary school children. After being here 6 months, I have only made 1 friend. I understand that Midwesterners are more business like. However, how am I too make friends if no one does small talk? I am surprised at the number of people who went to high school here and have their extended families are all here. I thought there would be more transplants. I have joined area book clubs, played scrabble at a local library, taken special interest classes at a local college, & have done a few meetup things. Any other suggestions? I have never had issues making friends in my whole life....

[/quote]

What suburb did you move to? There are suburbs that are friendlier than others. Also, do you at least have any acquaintances? If so, maybe you invite them over or go for a cup of coffee with them or something?