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They are exist worldwide even in Alaska. Your milage will vary as to what you get out of any given group, some are better than others. You can check out any area where meetups are listed to see if they have a group which features activities you may bs interested in. Indoor, outdoor activities, concerts, dinning, gaming, camping, kayaking, health, self-improvement, volunteering, as well as networking groups and on and on.
I've camped and beach camped a few times with various groups done other weekend activities with groups, often if you are in an area you don't have family, some members meet for the holidays either way there are almost always something going on around around such times. These activities don't take away from the time I do spend with long time friends I visit and engage in with doing other things the meetups are another way to spend time doing things you enjoy doing with others when you want to have others along who enjoy similar activities or you just want to expand you circle and engage with others in general. Its not for everyone, but for some, it's a nice way to past time when so inclined.
DH tried to explain what it was he did in Silicon Valley before he retired but I don't think anyone got it. One woman snowbirds from Chicago. The others are full-time residents.
I understand and sympathize with the difficulty meeting compatible folks. I almost never feel people truly "get" me. I fit into several niches, but never 100%. For example, I'm a vegan---but don't always enjoy being with other vegans because they can be judgmental and seemingly hate humans although they love other animals and say they are not into speciesism---that a human is no better than an ant. I like Buddhist philosophy and psychology but don't like to chant or prostrate myself. I love to read, but most book clubs don't work for me since I like literary fiction.
But----the reason why I don't feel understood or accepted is never because people don't understand what I used to do before I retired. That was me in the past. It's what sustained me financially and was a part of my identity, but it's truly not important if people know or understand what I used to do---it's more that I want people to understand my personality, temperament, current interests, and values.
I'm too old to worry about people getting me anymore, my closest friends barely get the very unigue being that is me; so over that stage. Only my therapists truly ever got me at this point. Now, I just am extremely happy to enjoy the company of others who seem to be pleasant, kind, respectful and non-judgemental and whom also enjoy sharing in activities which appeal to those coming together even if it's just to go see a movie.
I'm too old to worry about people getting me anymore, my closest friends barely get the very unigue being that is me; so over that stage. Only my therapists truly ever got me at this point. Now, I just am extremely happy to enjoy the company of others who seem to be pleasant, kind, respectful and non-judgemental and whom also enjoy sharing in activities which appeal to those coming together even if it's just to go see a movie.
I think you have stumbled onto a big secret for a happy life.
I’ve traveled a fair bit with my job, and would often use Meetup to get together with locals in the city I was in, including overseas. While not every group clicks for me, I think the goal of bringing neighbors together around similar interests is fantastic. The history of Meetup is interesting- from Wikipedia:
Early history
Meetup was founded in June 2002 by Scott Heiferman and five co-founders. The idea for Meetup came from Heiferman meeting his neighbors in New York City for the first time after the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers. Heiferman was also influenced by the book Bowling Alone, which is about the deterioration of community in American culture.
It sounds like the adventure has come to meet ups and board games.
LOL snarkiness aside, I've actually have had a few adventures as a result of meet-up groups and board games. Met a cycling enthusiast through my Scrabble group, and we've done some fantastic rides together. And some friends I met in another meet-up group took a nice trip down to Charleston together. We enjoyed the company, not to mention their nice timeshare near the beach and going out on their boat. I also got a chance to meet Jeffrey Walker, an author I like, through a book club that was started as a meet-up group. If you like to go to concerts or lectures and don't want to go by yourself, meet-ups can be a great solution. You do have to try a few to find ones you like, but that's part of the adventure, too.
All of these comments about not wanting to hear about someone's past life is just nuts to me. I love to hear the stories about something I would never have known about or considered in the past. It defines the person and is a window to a slightly different realm than mine.
Now if the purpose is solely to brag or to attempt to make others feel inferior, that's another issue. And unfortunately some people feel inferior just knowing they were slackers all their life, but seriously that must be a distinct minority since slackers don't care anyway.
LOL snarkiness aside, I've actually have had a few adventures as a result of meet-up groups and board games. Met a cycling enthusiast through my Scrabble group, and we've done some fantastic rides together. And some friends I met in another meet-up group took a nice trip down to Charleston together. We enjoyed the company, not to mention their nice timeshare near the beach and going out on their boat. I also got a chance to meet Jeffrey Walker, an author I like, through a book club that was started as a meet-up group. If you like to go to concerts or lectures and don't want to go by yourself, meet-ups can be a great solution. You do have to try a few to find ones you like, but that's part of the adventure, too.
I don't see anything that reflects "snarkiness" about my comments. It seems incredibly sad to me to pack up and leave behind a lifetime of friends and acquaintances and then start over with meet ups and board games. Leaving northern California and moving to a desert community is a whole additional issue which I can barely comprehend. At least when I moved to Phoenix, I was doing so for a great job and had also had enough of Chicago winter weather. I can only begin to imagine how difficult this might be for fluffy's DH, aka whats his name. It will be interesting to see how this works out over time.
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Your milage will vary as to what you get out of any given group, some are better than others. You can check out any area where meetups are listed to see if they have a group which features activities you may bs interested in. Indoor, outdoor activities, concerts, dinning, gaming, camping, kayaking, health, self-improvement, volunteering, as well as networking groups and on and on. 
I think you have stumbled onto a big secret for a happy life.
