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I moved from Texas to NJ and didn't know anyone, but found mom friends through local fb mom groups pretty easily. It feels like home here 3.5 years later.

I did it once before kids and I hated it. Granted, the location I moved to was very, very small and I am not white, so I felt very isolated in a small former mining town. I wasn't able to find a job and since I didn't have kids, I had nothing in common with the women my age. I had no friends and that was part of the reason that we moved again so quickly (within 9 months).

However, that would not stop me from doing it again.

We just moved in June to a place with no one we knew. I found moms groups here to get into life with. I enjoy this new city, I make an effort to get out and meet people. Moving has made me be more outgoing because I am determined to not be lonely and build my village so to speak.

I have done it a lot, and completely alone, so having your own family through it will feel amazing! It can be very fresh, liberating, and exciting.

I have not done this but would. M works for a large publicly owned company with offices all over the year. Each year we fill out where we would be willing to move temporarily or permanently... Asia, Middle East, Europe, etc. I lived overseas with my parents so the concept does not scare me. I think as long as I lived in a walkable neighborhood or a downtown I would be happy. The hardest part would be having to rehome our dogs with family or friends. I did not catch where you currently live.

@BlueWolverine: I would do it again because I know that not every place is as a** backwards as the SE KY coalfields. Not every town constantly asks for your id when you buy things because "they don't know you" and not all people look at me wondering what I am and where I came from. The town was very isolated, down in a valley, and coal left a long time ago, so it was rural and poor. I just won't let that one bad experience ruin my sense of adventure and willingness to go different places.

@BlueWolverine: it's hard. I moved here (Raleigh) 10 years ago knowing no one. I joined some meetup groups and that is how I found my friends I still have today. I'll be honest - finding mom friends has been much, much harder than finding fun, single friends. I work full time but still try to find groups where I may meet some moms - an evening MOPS group, a working moms group (now defunct) and I try reaching out to moms at daycare.

I work for a small company so it's hard for me to make friends through work but maybe it would be an option for you? Also, when you move, hit me up. We can have coffee at my house to get you away from a half-unpacked house and let the kids play.

We moved from city to suburbs which for our area is a pretty big deal. We have our best friends nearby, but haven't seen them much with 3 year old struggles, etc. It's been an adjustment, but having the mom FB groups and nice neighbors has made the transition better. We moved right before winter again. I would recommend moving in nicer weather, so you can meet people and get the kids meeting kids. We're still working on it. I miss our friends in the city and need to find a way to get them up here or see them in the city somehow.

@BlueWolverine: When you note you'd like to live in the country - would it be in a neighborhood or not? I think it would be easier to move into a big neighborhood - there are some in this area in NC that are more in the country.
I have friends who moved here not knowing anyone and they have lots of friends through FB mom groups, church, exercise groups, their kids, etc.
Before I had kids I moved away from NC to a smaller city in the north not having a job and not knowing anyone. I made friends through work and exercise. I ended up joining the Junior League there and that helped me connect with more people when I moved back to NC.

we did this for DH's job and it was really tough, especially because it was a city i NEVER (like, never ever) thought i'd live in and we didn't know more than 3 people from a distance. i tried to meet people right away and got lucky and met some mom friends like the 2nd week i was here. they were all wanting to meet up, so it was a great reason to get out of the house with my toddler.
we're planning on moving again soonish to be closer to family, but it's still going to be in a city we only know 1 person in! DH and i plan to get involved with a church right away, join the YMCA, get DD1 into a preschool, etc to immerse ourselves in the community. we know it takes a while to find your people, so we want to get involved right away. we're also planning on buying right in the heart of the city so everything is walkable, etc. so we can't help but run into people! maybe one day when we finally have friends, etc, we would move more rurally to have more land!

@BlueWolverine: I went to grad school in Durham and my husband went to grad school in Winston-Salem. We ended up in Raleigh where we didn't know many people besides coworkers (and my grad school friends, most of whom left after graduation). It's been a little tough for us because the area of Raleigh where we live is not known for having many Northeastern transplants (which we are). We have found that it can be hard to make couple or mom friends if you're not active in church (we aren't religious at all). But our neighborhood is great and there are lots of young kids so having a LO has opened up our social circle a little. I wish I would have joined the junior league when I first moved here and didn't have kids, but I'm pretty active with my sorority's alumnae organization so that has helped me to meet people. This area is absolutely great for kids, and on the whole, I love living here! My husband and I sometimes think it would be nice to move back to our hometown area where we know more people, but the quality of living here is so great that we never consider it seriously. Actually, since moving here, 4 of our 5 collective siblings have moved here too!

Feel free to wall me to chat or if you want more specifics

@Ginabean3: ironically this move would be to Southern California.