How to Meet Awesome People in Your Area with Similar Interests

I stumbled upon a website called http://www.meetup.com/.  It is not a dating site.  It is a social activities site.  I highly recommend it.  I was having a hard time finding some dependable outdoor volleyball players in my area who want to play on a regular basis.  Found 'em.  So, search for meetup groups in your area that share your interests.  I saw language/culture groups, athletic groups, religious groups, mom groups, activity groups, business connections, etc.  There has to be something in your area that you might be interested in.  If not, you can start your own group and wait for people to find you.  I joined two outdoor groups.  One started about a year and a half ago and it has about three hundred eighty-something members, so they can get at least twenty to thirty people together for a given activity.  The other group just started two months ago and they already have about twenty-five members.  I live in a pretty small city so that's a nice following.

Anyway, I definitely advocate taking a class to develop a new interest and meet people that way.  On the other hand, meetup groups are free, and free is awesome.