The Ultimate Guide To Making Friends in the South East

Commuter towns, coastal communities and university cities all shape social life differently in the South East. See how friendships form here and which setting fits the way you live.

Relaxing at home: four women play backgammon on the floor, picturing how friendships grow in the South East

9.6M+

People in England’s most populous region (ONS, mid-2025)

Local authority districts, more than any other English region

1 in 5

South East residents aged 65 or over (ONS, mid-2025)

Building a Social Life in the South East

With more than 9.6 million residents, the South East is England’s most populous region, ahead even of London. Much of it rarely feels crowded, though. It stretches from the Kent coast to the villages of Oxfordshire across 64 local authority districts, and many of us live in one town, work in another and spend weekends somewhere else again. That can leave a social life spread very thin. It helps to anchor one fixed part of the week near where you live, such as a choir, a running club or, near the coast, a sea-swimming group, rather than hoping the commute will introduce you to people. The local pages below cover towns and cities from Brighton and Oxford to Portsmouth and Maidstone, with practical ways to meet women where you actually live.

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The Team Behind This Guide

Claudia Gard and Ulrika Lilja have built their editorial focus around one question: how does friendship actually change as women move through different stages of life? That grounded, real-world lens shapes this guide.