Do you find it hard to make/keep friends in atlanta? (Roswell: apartment, living in)

[sportslover]

Originally Posted by BobbyJayATL

People are WAY overthinking this.

It's simple. Live near the people you want to get to know and hangout with.

If you live in Morrow but all the friends (or people you want to be your friends) are hanging out in Midtown or East Atlanta or whatever, you should be living in Midtown or East Atlanta or whatever.

You know the type of person you are, and after living in Atlanta for 7+ years, you don't need a bunch of randos on city data telling you what type of people live where. You know.

Are you the type of person that lives in Morrow? Doesn't seem like it.

Move.

I want to move BADLY. I need a roomie to afford those other areas, though , and I have not found one yet.

[bigup]

Originally Posted by Smocaine

I've never really thought about it, but having natural friends as an adult in Atlanta seems kind of impossible. There's minimal truly urban areas, most people are white collar corporate employees, leans both transient AND conservative (baby and large house asap). No one's from here so there's no natural networking, at best you're limited to work or church connections. I don't think the US has any areas hospitable to friend-making besides LA/Chicago/the old New England cities.


Also, trying to lure people to Morrow. Woof. That's a tough sell. The south metro really is just a blah, pointless area. There's no reason to ever spend time there voluntarily. I end up going to the southside area fairly frequently and it is all incredibly uninspiring. The perception exists for a reason.

This is a very bleak view of the metro area and doesn't fit at all with my own experience. The social scene is (or was) just fine intown! And I never found the "old New England" cities that I know to be any more conducive to making friends as a working adult.

[seussie]

Originally Posted by sportslover

I want to move BADLY. I need a roomie to afford those other areas, though , and I have not found one yet.

Seems like a done decision then. Good luck, because like I said, people still say the same things in the city. You just have to put yourself out there.

But also, if you let residents who are proud of a north vs. south divide color your view, you'll never like anything outside of the northern burbs. You'll encounter the same hoity toity feelings in Midtown ("Oh, I'd never go to southwest Atlanta! Oh I only go to O4W and the Westside ('West Midtown' to them)," so it's better being comfortable and knowing what you like to ignore all the hullabaloo.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

Why?

Oh, the fact that people can be so lonely. That a city can be structured so that the social activity is concentrated in one area to the exclusion of the rest. That folks have to drive many miles or move to have friends. Things like that.

[ATLTJL]

It's simple. Live near the people you want to get to know and hangout with.

I don't know if it's quite that simple.

For example, most of the people I like to know and hangout with live in the East Atlanta/Grant Park area.

Doesn't mean I want to live there.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by sportslover

I want to move BADLY. I need a roomie to afford those other areas, though , and I have not found one yet.

Why move? Can’t you just hang out in town ?

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Oh, the fact that people can be so lonely. That a city can be structured so that the social activity is concentrated in one area to the exclusion of the rest. That folks have to drive many miles or move to have friends. Things like that.

Part of the social scene might be enough venues. I think living in an area with fewer options will simply limit who is willing to go there. It’s not just a snobbishness as someone alluded to, but the amount of options. Why would people want to leave an area with many options and take time to drive to one with not many?
People do what they have to do. I was in a car club. Most meetups were 90 miles away. I could either drive to hang out or lament why the group wouldn’t all drive down to meet me.
I drove and had many great times.
When you want something, if it won’t come to you, you go to it.

[Citykid3785]

I think you need to be careful here, it's like the old saying "wherever you go, there you are....." We can take pokes at Morrow all we want, but every human being needs friends despite where they live. Morrow is closer to the action than a good portion of the US.

I just don't want you to put all your eggs in the "I live in Morrow, if only I could afford to move....." basket. That's not to say some places aren't more conducive to making friends than others, but I'd be willing to bet that not all your neighbors feel the need to move to make friends.

Hang in there, it takes time, it's certainly not like it was in high school, and be vulnerable. COVID not withstanding, some of the best advice I ever got was someone telling me "I noticed it seems like you are always waiting for the other person to want to shake your hand. Why don't you reach out your hand first.....???" Metaphorically speaking, be the person that looks to shake someones hand first. I think you'll find that 95% of people want that and won't reject you.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

Why move? Can’t you just hang out in town ?

Sorry I meant in town Atlanta.

[BobbyJayATL]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I don't know if it's quite that simple.

For example, most of the people I like to know and hangout with live in the East Atlanta/Grant Park area.

Doesn't mean I want to live there.

To each his own. I lived in Gwinnett and hung out with friends in town enough between high school and a couple years back home post-college to know it sucks.

If you already have a base of friends scattered about town by virtue of being a native/long time resident, and have no qualms driving 90 minutes round trip to hang out, pick wherever you want.

But given OP says he/she has no friends after moving here a few years ago, recalibrating makes more sense.

Further, living somewhere you can make friends with/hang out with your neighbors is an underappreciated virtue.

You might not end up being besties, but occasionally pulling up folding chairs in someone's yard for a bbq, or simply knowing who belongs and who doesn't, whose got the relevant stockpiles (guns, beer, food), or whatever when stuff goes down, is good to be able to do.