Meeting New People? (Houston, Dallas, Lancaster: school, university, living in)

[FourFiftyFour]

Hey all,
I moved here in early December, and am getting the hang of working a crazy schedule (I work 12 hr rotating shifts) and am ready to start trying to make friends and meeting new people. I am originally from south of Houston, and lived there for 25 years before moving to finish up some school, and then finally, I moved to this area after school.
I really am not the bar scene sort of person (and kind of do not feel safe going there alone!), I am in my upper 20s, single woman with no children. I live in a fairly rural area, so I know I probably will have to do some driving to get anywhere to socialize. I am more of an active outdoorsy person, but unfortunately I am pretty shy so that has always gotten in the way. Any suggestions? I am going to join a local gym in the next week- but it is fairly small and did not seem to have too much activity in it so I am not sure about the opportunities with meeting people there.
Thanks in advance everyone. =)

[TrueDat]

Have you tried going to any events through meetup.com? You can find people in your area who share your interests -- whether it's sports, music, speaking a foreign language, going to ethnic restaurants, etc., and whoever's in charge of that particular group puts together events for members. It's a good non-date, non-work environment way to meet people.

Find Meetup groups near you - Meetup -- and then filter for Dallas.

[FourFiftyFour]

I have tried and am a member on some groups, but have not found many groups that have much activity. My time on weekends off is fairly limited due to me working half of them- it seems like most of the activity for the outdoors is limited to weekends (I knew this coming into this field it would be like this, but did not know I was going to have such a hard time meeting people and finding things to do!) I am going to keep plugging away with it and maybe might find something that will be available when I am off of work!

[PlanoGirl]

Meetup.com was going to be my suggestion too.

Another good avenue is volunteering. Find something that interests you (SPCA, homeless shelter, boys and girls club, etc), and you will meet other adults that may have similar interests.

Did you attend a particular university/college? They may have an alumni group here.

If you like being outdoorsy, join a running club or bootcamp that meet outdoors. If you have a dog, or have been thinking about getting one, a dog park can be a great place to strike up a conversation.

If you join a gym, try to go to some of the classes. You will tend to see the same people each time and it will be easier to start a connection with them.

I know when you are shy if is hard to be the one to initiate things. Try to give yourself a goal each time you are in a potential social situation....like "I will initiate a conversation with at least 2 strangers while I am here." The person may not be receptive, or they may become your new best friend...ya never know until you try

[jdallas]

Living in a rural area like Lancaster is going to limit your options somewhat. If you can't find any meetup groups, perhaps start one yourself centered around things you like to do. That's one way to find others that share your interests and it sounds like your demographic is rather underserved around there. Meetup groups can attract some...interesting...individuals so if you go that route, be prepared.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by jdallas

Living in a rural area like Lancaster is going to limit your options somewhat. If you can't find any meetup groups, perhaps start one yourself centered around things you like to do. That's one way to find others that share your interests and it sounds like your demographic is rather underserved around there. Meetup groups can attract some...interesting...individuals so if you go that route, be prepared.

That's one way to put it.

[hell_storm2004]

Bars! Meet people and if you are single... women!

[jdallas]

[quote=FourFiftyFour;28500410]
I really am not the bar scene sort of person (and kind of do not feel safe going there alone!), I am in my upper 20s, single woman with no children. [quote]

[pepper131]

You mention that you are outdoorsy - try Sierra Club - Dallas Sierra Club.
OR
Volunteer Trinity River Audubon Center | Audubon
OR
Try a workshop. Oil and Cotton — Workshops I always think when all else fails, make art!! :-)

[hell_storm2004]

Come on.... There are some nice bars out there with good people. Just go there talk and come back home. That is what i would say!