When looking to make new friends, the city of San Francisco, known locally as “the city” or “SF,” has a lot to offer you: Career opportunities, proximity to the beach and forest, a prolific art and music scene, and so much more. But for many transplants finding community in Karl the Fog’s city can be challenging with the constant revolving door of new people moving here every day. 

The challenge with building a community in San Francisco requires an active willingness to explore its many pockets, neighborhoods, and people. San Francisco will have what you need; you just need to look! 

Keep reading for recommendations on how to find a community in San Francisco that plays to your strengths and interests.

Know your neighborhood

The number one recommendation we can make is to take the time to learn about your neighborhood inside and out. This city can be lonely until you make your neighborhood your own. 

Take Hayes Valley, for example. Use the weekend for sitting in Patricia’s Green Park in the middle of the bustling street with a book or a friend. While you’re there, you can catch murals being painted or see an outdoor movie at the free Proxy Outdoor Movie Night. Coffee shops are everywhere in the city. In fact, from Patricia’s Green, you can see four different places to get coffee. Then mosey over for a meal on the patio of A Mano and enjoy a nightcap at your local bar, like, Noir Lounge. Find the spots that neighborhood locals frequent and get yourself in there! Then relish in the thrill of a server or barista knowing your name and order.

Attending a rowdy trivia night every week in your neighborhood is a positive way to connect and have a weekly ritual. We recommend The Bitter End’s trivia night or Anchor Public Taps. It’s also easy to invite friends to play or make new ones by joining forces with another team. 

Nothing brings a neighborhood together quite like a farmers’ market. The weekend farmers’ market on Clement Street, in the Richmond neighborhood, is a true gem to stroll through and purchase fresh goods. 

Ultimately, the best way to set yourself up for success in this city is to live in a neighborhood that reflects your interests—the Mission: arts and nightlife, Richmond: parks and families, Hayes Valley: Coffee and shopping, Marina: bars and restaurants, etc. 

Get physical

Do you thrive most when your heart is pumping? Moving your body can be a great way to meet new people. Park hangs may as well be mandated in San Francisco. They’re where the people hang out—rain or shine or fog. On Sunday mornings near the DeYoung Museum, you can find swing dancers lindy hopping in the park or join the weekly roller skaters grooving to disco and funky beats. Either way, you will leave with a smile on your face. 

SF Social offers a variety of sports leagues wherein beer games like flipcup are common, making it a great way to meet new people with a competitive edge. We recommend the North Beach league, which ends at legendary neighborhood bar Maggie McGary’s. On Wednesdays, Maggie hosts a fantastic karaoke night with an actual stage to perform on and a 500+ songbook to select from.  

Another way to get connected is through running leagues training for the countless runs throughout the city. Bay to Breakers is an institution in the city. The run is through the entire city. It can be debaucherous with people dressing in costumes and running, always having a great time. Find a group to train with for this run and have fun. 

For a slower pace, Yoga to the People offers free yoga classes full of young people looking to be mindful after work. Their Sunday candlelit class is extremely popular. This studio is an excellent source of community in San Francisco.

One of the unique elements of the Bay is its proximity to state parks and national monuments like Muir Woods. These enormous and inspiring redwood trees are right in your backyard. There are dozens of hiking clubs to join if you want to get fresh air.

Slightly unconventional communities

Are you looking to meet the artists and the unconventional communities of San Francisco? Every third Wednesday of the month, Nerd Night is hosted at Rickshaw Stop. Think: what happens if a Ted Talk encourages alcohol and audience interaction? Nerd Night is an engaging way to learn a niche topic with the community.

Improv, sometimes deemed a cult by those who love it most, is immediately a community for those with a flair for the theatrics, want to work on public speaking, or maybe seek a dedicated time slot to play and laugh every week. Endgames Improv is a very inclusive improv community to check out. 

“Coliving” is a big phenomenon in San Francisco. Typically, these spaces are Victorian mansions with at least 15 bedrooms. Everyone in these houses connects to the group’s mission like innovation, arts, health, professionally, etc. You’ll need to apply or get referred by a resident before meeting with the other residents to determine that your goals and interests drive the mission forward. 

Also in the Mission is Dolores Park, arguably the central social hub for most young people during the weekend. If you’re interested in slacklining, hula hooping, or even fire-throwing, there will probably be someone open to showing you the ropes at the park. Enjoy the beautiful chaos of Dolores and offer your neighboring park dweller a beer. 

Volunteer

A tool like VolunteerMatch can uncover the right volunteer opportunity for you. You might even find yourself doing incredibly cool things in the nooks of the city that no one else gets to explore. For instance, you can volunteer with the San Francisco Film Society or San Francisco Opera Guild and get to have some first-hand experiences that not everyone gets to witness. 

Community through education

Learning together is a great way to bond with new friends. San Francisco City College offers free classes and extension programs for residents. We recommend taking a dance and cooking class to not only grow your skills but show those skills off later with your new pals. 

The Exploratorium, Palace of Fine Arts, and other unique community centers in the city often host “After Dark” events that are adults only and serve wine and drinks, too. 

San Francisco practically invented the organized meet-up. If you want to network and build community professionally, there is a group for you. Meet with like-minded professionals: Tech Meetups, Empowered Women Meetups, LBGT+ Meetups, and many more to discover. 

The beauty of San Francisco is that, at heart, it’s a big city within a small 7×7 mile square. This means that, on any given day, you will probably bump into someone you know on the street. Don’t give up on putting yourself out there! Over time you will look around and realize you’ve built a unique community all on your own in a city of almost a million people.

The post How to Find Community & Make New Friends in San Francisco appeared first on The Zumper Blog.