Getting people 30+ to be your friend is like pulling teeth if you didn’t grow up here.

32 M for reference.

I’m sure this isn’t just a St. Louis thing, but it’s where I live. It seems like the only people with robust friend groups have had them since High School.

Most people around here seem content to start a family and hide away in the suburbs and there are so many little municipalities and neighborhoods that there aren’t many centralized communities of any kind.

Dating is even worse especially if you are liberal and don’t want kids.

Yeah there are various clubs and groups but if you want to make more than a passing acquaintance it’s damned near impossible.

Most people also seem more interested in “networking” and if you aren’t someone valuable in that regard than they don’t have the time.

People will usually chime in here about volunteering or using meetup.com so lemme stop you and say, I’ve done both a lot and continue to use them.

I would like to hear from any transplants in their 30s who moved here alone and successfully found a friend group and/or partner. Spill the beans. What did you do? What can I do? (That I haven’t already mentioned)

I live in the endless cul-de-sacs of south county. There is no sense of community here. Not that I’ve felt since moving here in 2022. Do I just have to become a hermit?