Single Young Professional Relocating to North Scottsdale (Phoenix, Tempe: transplants, home)

[MollEMurph]

Single young professional here, relocating to North Scottsdale from my hometown of Kansas City. My family is spread out throughout the Scottsdale/Phoenix area, and I'll be staying with the rents until I decide where I want to end up permanently (because being 26 and living at home is a huge score right?).

I've heard from several friends that have moved to the valley after college that it can be REALLY hard to meet people, and I'm not really setting myself up for success since I'm living (hopefully temporarily) at home and work remotely. Suggestions from other transplants on the best ways to get involved, build up a personal and professional network and find some friends/dating?

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by MollEMurph

Single young professional here, relocating to North Scottsdale from my hometown of Kansas City. My family is spread out throughout the Scottsdale/Phoenix area, and I'll be staying with the rents until I decide where I want to end up permanently (because being 26 and living at home is a huge score right?).

I've heard from several friends that have moved to the valley after college that it can be REALLY hard to meet people, and I'm not really setting myself up for success since I'm living (hopefully temporarily) at home and work remotely. Suggestions from other transplants on the best ways to get involved, build up a personal and professional network and find some friends/dating?

You know, I hear this a lot too and although I'm no transplant, I don't understand it. This is a huge city of people everywhere you look. You can't get away from people there are so many of them. Surely you can meet them?

[locolife]

I had to lol about being 26 and living at home, but for real it's all good, I'm sure you'll figure things out and make a better decision then rushing into a decision in a city you don't know anything about.

Whoever told you making friends here is hard must be crazy, the city is literally full of transplants. If you're bored, just ask the person next to where they're from and you'll get a conversation going just like that. I find that the people who claim making friends are hard tend to not really try that hard, I find it incredibly easy here. I was a transplant to Phoenix back in the early 2000's, it's been a while now but keep in mind that patience is key. You're not going to establish a huge base of BFF's over night, it takes a while (like years) but generally speaking it's not that hard here.

Since you're working from home you should for sure find some groups for whatever activities you like, meetup.com is super active around here and I made a lot of hiking and biking friends when I first moved here through that. It's a pretty natural evolution to go hiking, then grab dinner/drinks, and before you know it you've got a regular routine going on. If you happen to be into hiking or the outdoors, you'll meet a lot of like minded folks here. Hiking is practically a religion here, I see the same folks regularly on the trails and know quite a few on a first name basis now.

Besides the meetup groups I've made friends at the smaller gyms that are more class oriented than just a big LA Fitness type place. Also, go volunteer at whatever catches your interest- the animal shelter, habitat for humanity, feed my starving children and so on... I've met friends through these events as well. There's a ton of on-going ASU programs as well, not sure what your professional career is but being next to the largest school in the country you can find just about anything and will likely meet a lot of friends at the classes think arts, cooking, history, culture, science and so on...

The only thing that may get old is living in North Scottsdale, I find that area tends to be more family/retirement focused then say central Phoenix, Tempe or Old Town Scottsdale. I'm sure you'll want to venture south after you get more established.

Hopefully that helps, I really have no idea who would have a hard time making friends here. We made friends with some folks we sat next to at a comedy club a few weeks ago, now were all going to a concert together next month...

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

You know, I hear this a lot too and although I'm no transplant, I don't understand it. This is a huge city of people everywhere you look. You can't get away from people there are so many of them. Surely you can meet them?

Native Phoenicians won't make friends with new people. You have to make friends with other transplants who more often than not leave too.

Trust me, I know this personally,

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

Native Phoenicians won't make friends with new people. You have to make friends with other transplants who more often than not leave too.

Trust me, I know this personally,

As a native Phoenician I call doubt onto this. You make friends at school, work, the bar, the club, wherever. It's not like we have native tattooed on us. I usually assume people are transplants anyway from California/Midwest.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

Native Phoenicians won't make friends with new people. You have to make friends with other transplants who more often than not leave too.

Trust me, I know this personally,

Pretty sweeping claim here, I'm a transplant and I can tell you I've got at least 10 native friends including the best man in my wedding and his wife.

If everyone is leaving then how is our population continually growing? We are closing in on 5 million people now!

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by locolife

Pretty sweeping claim here, I'm a transplant and I can tell you I've got at least 10 native friends including the best man in my wedding and his wife.

If everyone is leaving then how is our population continually growing? We are closing in on 5 million people now!

Lots of people are consistently leaving.

It's not that Native arizonans won't make friends but won't actively make them or put in lots of effort to do so. Like classes or whatever. In other words if it doesn't come natural they won't force it, because they already have a support system here.

[Burkmere]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

Native Phoenicians won't make friends with new people. You have to make friends with other transplants who more often than not leave too.

Trust me, I know this personally,

That's a generalization and more often than not likely false. Must have had a bad day or night? LOL.

[Burkmere]

Originally Posted by locolife

Pretty sweeping claim here, I'm a transplant and I can tell you I've got at least 10 native friends including the best man in my wedding and his wife.

If everyone is leaving then how is our population continually growing? We are closing in on 5 million people now!

It's like the Yogi Berra saying: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Burkmere

It's like the Yogi Berra saying: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

Lol, yeah no kidding.