How to Make Friends in LA Who Share Your Interests
Everyone you click with in LA seems to live forty minutes away. There are people who love what you love much closer, and this is how to find one.
Team Alyke
You've done the LA math. The person you'd most like to get tacos with lives across the freeway, so “let's do something soon” becomes a thread that never picks a day.
What you want is one or two people who'd rather be on the same trail or the same stretch of sand as you on a Sunday, and who live close enough that seeing them doesn't need a podcast. They're on your side of town, and here's how to find one.
What you need to have in common
Living nearby is a reason to hang out and a thin reason to be friends. Friendships that last here run on two things: a personality like yours, and interests you'd both choose on a free Sunday. That's the coworker who also thinks a weekend starts on a trail at seven, or the neighbor who'd drive to the Valley for one specific taco.
A study of nearly 300,000 people found that friends are more alike in personality than researchers once assumed. So before anyone crosses town, find out whether you'd click.
A lot of people here are looking too
That's harder here, and the reason is nobody's fault. The average commute here is about 31 minutes each way, so friendships that depend on crossing town fade by the third reschedule. More than 400,000 people changed addresses in the past year, and plenty of your neighbors are starting over too.
One in five American adults told Gallup they'd been lonely for much of the day before. The good news: someone a few doors down is probably hoping you'll suggest a Sunday.
Three things worth showing up for
Each takes repeat visits, and each starts you among people who chose what you chose.
Join the Sierra Club's evening hikes
The Sierra Club's Griffith Park evening hikes are free, last about two hours and run at six paces, from the Upper Merry-Go-Round lot before 7. The ask is one weeknight a week for two months and a hello to whoever's at your pace; everyone there chose the hill over the drive home.
Clean a beach with Heal the Bay
Heal the Bay runs a public cleanup at a different LA County beach most months. Bending over the sand with a bucket beside someone is an easy way into a conversation, and when it's done you're already at the beach. It costs a Saturday a month, and everyone there cares about the same coastline.
Become a regular at ALOUD
ALOUD at the Central Library has run free author talks downtown since 1992; seats fill, so reserve. An auditorium isn't a conversation, so the work happens in line and in the lobby after: ask whoever's next to you what they thought. Everyone there spent a weeknight on the same writer.
They all work, and all take weeks of driving somewhere after work and opening conversations with people who may not be your people. If you'd rather begin with someone who already is, there's a shorter road.
The easiest way to meet a friend you'll click with
Alyke is built to help you find intentional friends, one person at a time. Most friend apps hand you generic recommendations. Alyke starts your feed with the people who share your vibe the most, based on your interests and personality instead of your looks. That matters when distance is the problem: before anyone drives anywhere, you already know you'd click, so you skip the weeks of hikes and the first awkward hello.
You pick interests and put a line under each. If someone's line starts an argument in your head, say it in a reply; that's the friend request. When they like your vibe, the chat starts under that line.
Alyke Pro can filter by state, language, ethnicity, star sign, personality or interest.
Questions people ask
Why do plans fall through so often in LA?
Mostly distance and traffic. The average commute in LA is about 31 minutes each way, so plans that mean crossing town are easy to cancel. Pick a spot halfway between you and confirm the time that morning. Alyke helps because a person's interests and personality are on their profile before you meet, so the drive is for someone you already know you'll get along with.
Is there an app that's only for making friends?
Yes. Alyke is a friendship app built for one-on-one friendships, so everyone on it is there for the same reason. Profiles show interests, personality picks and prompts, which are short questions you answer, like "Your first message should be...". Friend requests are comments on one of those, so every conversation starts on something you have in common.
What's an easy first plan with a new friend in LA?
A morning walk with coffee is easy and low pressure. Try the loop around the Silver Lake Reservoir or a stroll through the Venice Canals, which are short, outdoors and easy to leave. Every Alyke profile shows the person's interests, so check theirs first. Someone who added Hiking may want a trail, while someone who added Cafes may prefer a long coffee.
Is there an app to find a beach buddy in LA?
Yes, you can look for a beach friend in LA on Alyke, a friendship app for iPhone where Beaches is an interest you can pick for your profile. Write a short sentence about it, like your favorite stretch of sand, and the people who also love the beach show up first. Mention whether you swim, surf or just read on a towel, so you find someone who likes the same kind of beach day.
How do you make friends in LA who actually keep plans?
Alyke makes keeping plans in LA easier by starting you with people who enjoy what you enjoy, so it's simple to agree on something you both want to do. Your chat begins with your comment on their profile, so the first plan can come straight from it. Suggest a specific day, time and place, and keep the first plan short and close to one of you, so it's easy for both of you to show up.
How does Alyke help you meet the right people in LA?
Alyke helps you meet the right people in LA by leading with those whose interests and personality sit closest to yours, so a huge city starts to feel smaller. To send a friend request, you comment on one of their interests or prompt answers. Once they like your vibe, your chat opens with it. Alyke Pro also shows you everyone who wants to be your friend. Comment with a question, since it's easier to answer than a compliment.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau. QuickFacts: Los Angeles city, California.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, via Census Reporter: Los Angeles city.
- Gallup. Daily loneliness afflicts one in five in U.S., Oct 2024.
- Association for Psychological Science. Couples, friends show similarity in personality traits after all, 11 Feb 2017, on Wu, Kosinski, Schwartz and Stillwell, Psychological Science.
- Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, Griffith Park Section. Evening hikes.
- Heal the Bay. Beach cleanups.
- Library Foundation of Los Angeles. ALOUD.
