Is it easy to make friends in LA?? (Glendale, Santa Clarita: movies, to live)

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by the12ronin

I'm from the east coast...

Originally Posted by the12ronin

I'm an eastcoaster.

Now there's a stereotype we natives are all too familiar with.

[Ceece]

At some point in everyone's life it becomes hard to make friends. If you've relocated, if you don't have tons from your childhood or college days handy you have to either take what you get from the people you meet through work (and that can go either way) or go out and try to meet people with a similar interest. Fortunately that is easier to do today than ever before thanks to technology and Meetup groups.

It really only takes one person to change everything too, one person leads to others and pretty soon you have a whole new world of people to potentially be friends with. When my D relocated to LA she met one girl and through her met a bf and got to know his (small) social group then she got a temp job with people she hit it off with and a new roommate who knew a few people.....Now they all know each other and everyone's social life has improved. Not saying they are all close friends or even that they all like each other, but options are there. It also helps if you are the type to invite people out/over for food, people always go whether they know you or not! LOL

[Tex?Il?]

I find LA VERY easy to make friends - well, maybe not exactly lifelong friends necessarily, but thats only because you meet so MANY people, that its hard to keep in touch and hang out with everyone.

I'm dead serious. After spending a year and a half here, there are times, where I occasionally feel like Southern California may indeed be overrated or whatever, but that usually doesn't last long (I went back home to visit friends and family in Illinois/Chicago area and loved the summer greenery - its been wet, and felt like a week wasn't long enough) but I quickly got over it, when I got back. I feel like there, I have a few lifelong friends, but thats ONLY because I found it so hard to find my niche that I got close with the few friends I do have.

Here are the reasons why I feel like my social life has never been better. A few key points that others may or may not relate too:


1. The higher % of people that are transplants, the easier it is to have a social life. You may have the "Hollywood-douchebags" in LA area that you don't elsewhere - but you simply SO many people that DON'T have roots here. Living somewhere where most people are from there - you WILL be a fish out of water, you try too hard to fit in, feel self-conscious.

2. LA, as in all of California, if you love nature and the outdoors, you can find A LOT of people, through meetup groups, etc. that love hiking, going to national parks, No one does this stuff in cities east of the Mississippi, or only as an alternative novelty very rarely. So if this is your thing, forget Chicago, New York, and Boston, you WILL be doing this stuff on your own and alone. The weather really brings people out to the parks.

Other western cities have a lot of this, but Denver, Seattle, etc. are frankly well . . . sausagefests. If you're a guy, you will In LA, so many women feel self conscious because of the models, etc. and lament the difficulty of finding good guys, that women here give me their numbers! Intermountain west and Pac-NW women? They have the upper period. I don't care how down to earth women are, the slightest difference in guy to girl ratio - you will be left out in the game of musical chairs.

Besides, if you want to be peoples' tour guide for nature and the outdoors? Forget it. If you are from an eastern metro area, you will be pegged a newbie "easterner" in Oregon or Colorado as someone who doesn't know about mountains, public lands, etc. SoCal? people are like "I've lived here all my life, and I never knew about the Angeles National Forest, and you've been here only a year - wow!.

I could go on.

Basically I meet my friends in a couple avenues: meetup groups primarily, only a very little through work, through my roommate, and the progressive church I go to.

[skyway31]

Originally Posted by the12ronin

Be prepared for some extremely boring, extremely sheltered, extremely vanilla people if you're going to play -kickball- in a league with a bunch of adults.


Not my type of people, but hey that's just me and I'm an eastcoaster.

Oh you've played WAKA before? What league(s)? There are many popular WAKA leagues all over the east coast...

[tigerprint456]

Originally Posted by young-east-coaster

Just curious. I'm 31, black female. I hang out doing stuff like swing dancing and volunteer work. I totally never visit bars. But I still want to make friends. I recently spent half a year in Michigan. I found Detroit to have very friendly people. Ann Arbor was really cool too. However, I might make a move to LA for a job. Will I wish I had waited till I found something in Michigan long term? Will I make friends in LA or are people stand offish. I've spent a few weekends there. Seems cliquish at first impression. I even went swing dancing. It was so so. Definitely not over friendly. But I wanted to hear it from those who live there.

If you don't like going to bars or clubs have you tried BlackPlanet or BlackPeopleMeet.com?

[the12ronin]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Now there's a stereotype we natives are all too familiar with.

Ah yes, and only said small-minded /sheltered natives would have the type of perceptions to keep it perpetuated.

Too true.

[Missmoraira]

Hey, my name is Sara, 21 from Norway and just moved to Hollywood, LA. I feel very lonely here and willing to find ppl to socialize with. Send me a message. Gay and feemale only, as Im in a relationship I only want to make friends where there is no intention of anything else.

[radiolibre99]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

1. No... This isn't the 1950's, if anything women and minorities have just as many good jobs as white men. At least in LA.

2. Yes about the entertainment industry

3. I dont' think so at all. Skinny blond men aren't taken as seriously in LA as dark. This is an LA thing

Speak for yourself but if you're not a trendy yuppie hiptserish looking cool geek its hard to make serious strides in the industry or any line of serious venture. All I see and hear from the crowd that's made it on this city reminds me of type of people the Family Guy makes fun of who engage in useless insular banter. The types in faux indie dramadies.

I'm not saying that its necessarily a bad thing but its just the biz culture here much like the South has a good ol boy culture and the Northeast with blue blood or Ivy educated types.

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

Speak for yourself but if you're not a trendy yuppie hiptserish looking cool geek its hard to make serious strides in the industry or any line of serious venture. All I see and hear from the crowd that's made it on this city reminds me of type of people the Family Guy makes fun of who engage in useless insular banter. The types in faux indie dramadies.

I'm not saying that its necessarily a bad thing but its just the biz culture here much like the South has a good ol boy culture and the Northeast with blue blood or Ivy educated types.

You're basing it off your personal experience/stereotype which I don't think you've met that many industry types. Since I've worked in the industry I have seen firsthand. All races, ages, sizes, both genders.

[FlowerpotFlowers]

Originally Posted by young-east-coaster

Just curious. I'm 31, black female. I hang out doing stuff like swing dancing and volunteer work. I totally never visit bars. But I still want to make friends. I recently spent half a year in Michigan. I found Detroit to have very friendly people. Ann Arbor was really cool too. However, I might make a move to LA for a job. Will I wish I had waited till I found something in Michigan long term? Will I make friends in LA or are people stand offish. I've spent a few weekends there. Seems cliquish at first impression. I even went swing dancing. It was so so. Definitely not over friendly. But I wanted to hear it from those who live there.

Maybe try Craigslist? There are many women who fit your description who are looking for friends.