Meeting new friends in Phoenix AZ (Surprise, Buckeye: appointed, HOA, homes)

[observer53]

Originally Posted by LocoAZnative

I would think meeting people is the same as anywhere else. If you are outgoing you will meet people everywhere. IF you are a hermit then you wont meet anyone.

True enough. You will find, unless your neighbors are recent transplants from the South or parts of the midwest, that they will not turn up on your doorstep with a pie or cookies and welcome you to the neighborhood. Like lots of other places, that's just not the style here. So, if you put yourself in places to meet people with whom you'll have things in common, you will succeed. Can't stay home and wait for them to show up!

[MotleyCrew]

We have a friend who moved last year from Chicago and she joined these groups called Meetups, which are different clubs of interest. I am sure you can find information on them, just be careful what pops up on the search, lol.

[ILtoAZ]

Thanks all!!! I think you have confirmed what I assumed was the case about everyone being from somewhere else! We moved to our current area 14 years ago and everyone was born and raised here and it was tough making friends with people who have lived here for generations. We are looking forward to our new friends in Arizona!

[goolsbyjazz]

What city are you planning to move to out here? I ask that because cities like Tempe create great opportunities to meet people. Since most people here are from someplace else you already have much in common with perfect strangers! I have found, for the most part, people here to be warm and open to meeting new people. Of course your activity will play a great part in how quickly you assimilate. Good luck and welcome to AZ.

[phoenixmike11]

maybe this link is a good idea
Meetups near Phoenix, Arizona - Meetup

[Neo-Westerner]

I moved here a year ago from the Northeast, because of my husband's work. Didn't know a soul. Didn't have kids in school. But I signed up for a course on desert yard care through Chandler's recreation department, and met a bunch of really nice folks that way. Most of them were from back east!

[ILtoAZ]

Right now we are looking in the North Phoenix area. Phoenixmike11, great website. The wife already found some scrapbooking groups! thanks all and looking forward to contributing to the greater Phoenix area!

[DR2012]

Originally Posted by observer53

True enough. You will find, unless your neighbors are recent transplants from the South or parts of the midwest, that they will not turn up on your doorstep with a pie or cookies and welcome you to the neighborhood. Like lots of other places, that's just not the style here. So, if you put yourself in places to meet people with whom you'll have things in common, you will succeed. Can't stay home and wait for them to show up!

I'm from the midwest and spent a good part of my life in the south, no one ever brought me cookies or pies.

Course, I don't take anyone cookies or pies either.

[43north87west]

The only challenge in Phoenix is getting into a social setting to meet people; the rest is easy.

No offense meant, but you are probably afraid of moving because, like most people back east, you have lived in Illinois (or MN, WI, IN, OH, MI, PA, NY, NJ, etc) for most, if not all, of your life. You still have the same friends you had 20 years ago, and maybe one or two of them fell out of your circle of friends for that entire time, because of relocations.

Out in Phoenix (and much of the west), people aren't nosy like they are back in the east. There are so many people who come and go, new faces aren't a novelty like they are back east. That, IMO, is the reason why people in Phoenix are blamed as being standoffish--because they aren't pressing their faces up to your windows the minute you move in.

The same reason is why some people find parts of the east so full of "cliques". People already have groups of friends, and they've been friends for years. Decades. Making friends with people like this is a process. It takes years. They're not looking for new friends because they already have all the friends they had 20 years ago.

If you can distance yourself from the Midwestern "never go anywhere" mindset, you'll be better off. Again, absolutely no offense meant. Just don't expect faces pressed against your windows.

[amrehu88]

I am originally from Texas and have been living in the Chicago area for five years. My husband (from Chicago area) and I are moving to AZ to escape the treturous weather and loads of unfriendly people here. Therefore, I'm hoping the Chicago transplants and those similar are more inclusive in the Phoenix area than here!