Why Can’t We Be Friends?: 10 Ways to Make New Friends in Grand Forks

Making friends as an adult is not easy. Especially when you move to a new place without any connection. It feels like you’ve been thrown back to your playground days. I remember when I first moved to Portland (North Dakota, not Oregon) with my husband in 2013, it was my first time moving somewhere without any other people I knew. I was not working at that time, I had no children, and my husband and I were the only Muslims in the small town with a population of a little over 600. It was the smallest town I had ever lived in my life and the town had one post office, a gas station, and one bar.

Hanging out at a bar is not my scene, and I thought to myself, “Should I Google how to make friends?” I know there’s a first time for everything, and it was my first time googling how to make friends. I laugh thinking about it now.

I know making new friends can be intimidating, but it’s rewarding. Friends play a big part of our life. They are the ones who walk through life with us, share our ups and downs, and pains and joys. Whether you just moved to Grand Forks or have been here some time and are still struggling to connect, you can avoid a Google search! In this blog, I’m going to help you out and lay out the top ways I’ve found to make new friends in greater Grand Forks. After all that is what friends for and I’m your friend now.

Remember when I said Portland only had a bar to meet people? Luckily, the town next to Portland (Mayville) had a gym. I went to the group exercise classes and made my first friend there. Then, I joined their running group and made more friends! Not only was it good for my health but exercising with friends was way more fun than going by myself! So, when I moved to Grand Forks five years ago, the first thing I did was to join the gym at the University of North Dakota (UND), and of course I met new friends there. We have quite a few gyms in town for you to choose from. The gym at UND also offers group exercise classes like Zumba, yoga flow, and many more. If you’re into high-intensity training, we have Orange Theory which is a heart rate-based HIIT total-body group workout. If you like cross fit, check out Cross Fit Tundra on the north side of town. If you want a family-friendly gym, look no further than Choice Health & Fitness on the south side of town. With a swimming pool for the kids and built-in childcare drop-off, it’s perfect for a little mom-only exercise time.

Can we thank Mark Zuckerberg for creating Facebook? With the rise of social media, one of the best ways to make friends in a new city is to join the local Facebook groups. To find Grand Forks groups, navigate to the groups tab on your Facebook homepage and search by Grand Forks to get more local results. I know I’ve made friends with people online first, and eventually met up to get to know them in person.

Some of the local groups that have a big number of people joining are:

• Grand Forks Rants, Raves, & Reviews – This group is somewhere to find recommendations for businesses in town or learn about upcoming things. I’ve been seeing a lot of newcomers posting in this group for recommendations about housing, food, neighborhoods, etc. before they even move to Grand Forks.
• Grand Forks Area Mothers – This group is for mommies who are usually discussing their kids and motherhood. Many topics are covered from health concerns, recommendation gathering, and sometimes just sharing their own stories. There are other mom groups to find in our area, as well that focus more on playdates or childcare.
• Things to Do with Kids in Grand Forks – This is the perfect group for finding the next awesome activity for your kids to try. Bonus, these events are also packed with potential new friends!

There are other groups out there like board game groups, pet groups, gardening groups, and many more. When I became a new mom, I made a few friends through Facebook groups!

It didn’t take me long to learn that signing up for various classes is one of the best ways to make friends in Grand Forks. If you have a shared interest, the chances of making like-minded friends in a new city are much higher. Some experts say art classes are where people go to express themselves and are more open to new friendships. So, art classes are definitely something you should give a try! We have a few places in town that offer art classes. Archives Coffee House has a painting class once a month by Paint4fun Grand Forks. Bonus: You not only get an art class, but you can also have some coffee, tea, and delicious treats while you paint. North Dakota Museum of Art also offers adult art classes and Muddy Waters Clay Center offers pottery classes.

I love to cook so when I learned there was a cooking class in town, I signed up right away. I remember the first class I attended was led by an Iraqi lady named Wafaa who taught us how to make Mediterranean food. Not only did I get to eat good food, but I also met my friend Kristen, whom I now call mama because I consider her my North Dakota mom. Since my mom is in Malaysia and I have no family here in North Dakota, you can imagine how nice it is to have a friend like that to rely on. It’s amazing how talking over the dish we learned to make that day, blossomed many great friendships. Now, from time to time I host get-togethers like cupcake decorating classes and many new friendships have been built over food.

If you check our city’s website or local Facebook events tab, you will find many cultural events here in town. These events are another brilliant way to meet people in a new city, learn about other cultures, and have fun at the same time. We have festivals, concerts, and much more. Here are some of my favorite cultural events that happen every year:

• Feast of Nations: Feast of Nations is an annual event celebrating culture and showcasing diversity from around the world. You get to watch performances from different countries while trying food you’ve probably never eaten before! Since this is an event that is celebrating diversity, people are attending with a passion to learn about or enjoy other cultures. You can simply mingle and talk to everyone around you by asking where they are from! You will find many people there that were once a newcomer like you, and they’ll totally relate if you said you just moved to town or you’re not from around here.
• Global Friends Coalition Community Picnic: I guarantee you will meet new friends at this annual picnic. Global Friends Coalition is a nonprofit organization that helps new Americans who are resettled in Grand Forks. At this picnic, you will see people in the community coming out to celebrate and hang out. They have performances and free food from all different places!

I know it can feel like such a big task to volunteer in a new town with no friends. But when you become a volunteer, it shows that you want to be part of the community – which screams that you deserve friendship! Global Friends Coalition and Love in Action are my favorite organizations to flex my volunteering skills. I created many friendships from these two organizations. In fact, my first friendship in Grand Forks started on the first today I moved here. A group of volunteers from Global Friends Coalition helped me move in! If you’re looking for the perfect place to volunteer, the gfiscooler.com website has a whole list of organizations looking for volunteers.

Town Square Farmers Market is one of my favorite places to shop and eat food on Saturday. You not only get such great produce from local farmers, but you also support the community. It is so easy to have conversations with the local producers and vendors, and you’ll probably see some of your own neighbors there. It seems like everyone in town comes out on a Saturday morning, so it will give you a real opportunity to meet and befriend some great people.

I’ve made some incredible friends by attending events at churches and mosques. People in the faith community are usually very welcoming and always there to help you. They also usually have many events for you to attend with different people. When you meet the same faces at a few different events, they will start to recognize you and become your friend!

Grandforksians are known for their North Dakota nice! So, if you have neighbors next door, talk to them. Try to be nice to the people in your neighborhood, offer help if they need your assistance, and always thank your neighbors whenever you get help in any way. Friendships can come naturally when you’re friendly, polite, and respectful to the people in your neighborhood.

I don’t have a dog, but I noticed many people around me have dogs. I imagine you can make friends by taking Fido to a dog park or for a walk on the Greenway. Your dog can be the start of your conversation and making new friends. You and your pupper can make a great friendship-finding team!

I’m here in Grand Forks and I’m always up to have a coffee and dessert! In brainstorming for this article, I asked a few of my friends for ideas. They jokingly said, “Meet Fifi!”

Are you ready to make friends now? I know I’m ready.