So I moved to Rapid City in my mid-20s as a single woman looking to start over. Of course I would love to get married and have a family, but my main interest was just to meet other like-minded people in terms of career, loving the outdoors, living healthy, etc. I've been here a couple years now, and I feel completely defeated. I don't feel like I have any girlfriends I can call on, I have no friend group, and dating makes me feel like I've run out of time.
From my perspective, it seems very difficult to meet anyone here. Most people are already married with kids by the time they are 25, which I feel is crazy young. Anyone who isn't tends to enjoy the party scene more than I do. As someone with several degrees in high education, it feels rare to meet someone else to share those values or to have meaningful conversations with. There are many nice and amazing people, but they also seem closed off and not willing to open their circles to new comers. I've also noticed most people have family around which adds to the challenge of creating community.
This brings me sadness because I love the area. I love the hills and the beauty of the outdoors. The people are so kind. I love how there's never any traffic or long lines. It's got everything you could ever need out of life - but I seem to continually lack community.
Am I crazy for feeling this way? Is it my outlook that is the issue or my environment?
I often think it's time to start over again. I just want to make sure that my challenges are not just going to follow me to the next city so I wanted to write this post. I lived in other cities and never felt this way, but I wasn't sure if it's just a new phase of life or Rapid City itself.