- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 17, 2026
Make Friends in York: Where Locals Actually Meet
York has two universities and a steady stream of visitors, so if you live here for good, the trick is finding the people who are staying too.
209,000+
York residents, according to the latest ONS estimate (mid-2025)
31%
of York households are someone living alone (Census 2021, ONS)
1 in 9
York residents aged 16 and over is a student not in work or looking for work (Census 2021, ONS)
In York, a weekly routine does the hard work
The easiest way to make friends in York is to do what locals do every week rather than what visitors do once. That means the 9am Saturday parkrun on the Knavesmire, a walk through Rowntree Park, a talk or reading group at York Explore, or a club that meets on the same night each week. York is compact enough that you will keep running into familiar faces, and Gofrendly is a way to spot the women close by who are looking too.
York friendship questions, answered
Is it hard to make friends in York if you are not a student?
It can feel that way, because student life is so visible. But most adults in York are not students, and the city’s size helps: with one routine or club, you will soon start recognising people.
Are there ways to meet only women in York?
Yes. Gofrendly only has women members, so everyone you meet through it in York is looking for women friends too. Offline, regular classes and clubs are the most reliable way to keep meeting the same women.
What can you do in York with a new friend besides coffee?
Walk a stretch of the city walls, visit an exhibition, or do the Saturday parkrun together and get breakfast after. Having something to do gives you something to talk about, which takes the pressure off a second meeting.
How long does it take to make friends in York?
Longer than anyone would like, and shorter than you fear. A University of Kansas study found it takes around 50 hours together to go from acquaintance to casual friend, and about 90 hours to become friends. A weekly routine in a city as compact as York gets you there faster than occasional big nights out.
York beyond the tourist trail
Most days York has two populations: visitors on the city walls and in the Shambles, and the people who actually live here. Add two universities, the University of York and York St John, and you get a city where one in nine adults is a student not in work or looking for work. If you are neither visitor nor student, look for groups that mix ages and stages, such as parkrun, library talks and evening classes.
York can sometimes feel oddly lonely for a city with this many people on its pavements, as if everyone already has their group. The upside is its size: almost a third of households here are one person, the centre is walkable, and once you have a weekly routine, seeing the same faces again takes very little effort. Before long the barista, the parkrun marshal and the woman from the library talk can start to overlap, which is how a small city starts to feel like yours. Good places to build that routine:
1
The Knavesmire, home to York’s Saturday parkrun and plenty of dog walkers.
2
Rowntree Park, for riverside paths and a café in the park lodge.
3
Museum Gardens, where you can sit among the abbey ruins on a sunny lunchtime.
4
York Explore, the central library, which hosts talks and groups.
5
Shambles Market and its food court, just behind the Shambles, where locals grab lunch.
LOCAL TIP
Choose one, go back next week, and let York’s size work in your favour.
How to
Four habits that help you make friends in York
1
Run, jog or volunteer at the Knavesmire parkrun. Volunteering gives you a job to do and someone standing next to you.
2
Join a book group or a talk at York Explore, then suggest a drink afterwards with the person who asked the best question.
3
Message a few women on Gofrendly who live nearby and propose a lap of the city walls as your first meet-up.
4
Be a tourist with company: invite someone you have met once to the museum or exhibition you have both been meaning to see.
Stories and tips from our blog
Behind this York guide
Put together by the Gofrendly editorial team for women who live in York rather than visit it and want to know where locals actually get to know each other.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
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