Neighbors do tend to stick to themselves and socializing here is DIFFICULT. It’s worth it, but it’s hard. Depending on the part if the country your in affects it a lot as well. I met a lot of people when I started going dancing; there was a regular group and the activity itself is social. You could audit a class at a university perhaps. Depending on your age you’ll find a LOT of people willing to study or work together and you can build friendships that way. I would also suggest just going to the neighbors if you’re interested. You could bring some sort of sealed food (in America it tends to be weird to cook for someone when you don’t know them) and invite them to something. It’s hard, but if you ask the people you see regularly to go and do things it’ll work out. If you’re in a club for pickleball then just ask someone if they’d like to play once or twice more a week.

I know I’ve given a little of information, but let me say that a lot of people my age tend to be in your shoes so the whole environment of meeting people is changing. But a lot of them meet people at university. When I meet new people, I usually just chat with them for a few weeks then ask them for help with something and offer to buy them a lunch as payment. Hopefully the lunch goes well and you go from there

This may not be the best advice here, but as someone who has struggled with making friends here in America, the one thing I know for certain works is befriending your coworkers. Some of my dearest friends, to this day, are people I met on the job 6 years ago!

This depends entirely on your work environment/climate, but there’s something about shared work stress that makes after hours bonding a lot easier. I know you don’t drink or go to bars due to religious reasons, so this may be more difficult for you. Instead of a bar, maybe propose something fun like laser tag or an escape room after work or for a staff outing!

It’s easier to find shared interests/make friends at that point because you’ll have been working together for at least a little bit, so the initial hurdle of “meeting someone new” has already been taken care of!

Anyway, I said all that to say, start with the people around you. Maybeeee not your neighbors, though, unless they’re having a yard sale/block party.

Throw a house warming party, with some of your heritage based Cuisine. Invite club members.

Food… … Quickest way to people’s heart…

Depending on your state and whether you live in a city, suburbs, or somewhere more rural the answer will vary.

Some places casual conversations with strangers is normal others people tend to ignore each other.

Regarding neighbors if you live somewhere with a yard or garden it’s not uncommon to borrow or lend tools like a pressure washer or snowblower. You could also offer to help them do yard work. If you want to make a good impression I’d offer help before asking for it from them. (If you do borrow one make sure to return it in a timely manner)

You should also look to see if there are any local community events like your town celebrating the anniversary of it’s founding.

If you go to a church, temple, or mosque you could probably ask there, they might have cook outs or other events.

I moved from the Midwest to the east coast after college. I found that the city I was living in didn’t like people that weren’t originally from there. The only friends I made were other people who didn’t grow up there. And some of them were from like 45 minutes away, and they were still not wanted. I was never happier to move back to the Midwest.

So, maybe where you live just isn’t receptive to newcomers?

People tend to meet and socialize doing the things you mentioned: sports, hobbies, and clubs. You might try hobbies like disc golf, hiking or other things that give lots of chance for conversation. It's not uncommon for people to have their guard up in general, but if you approach people with an upbeat attitude and are polite you will generally make a good impression.

Meetup.com might have some groups on your area. I just moved from the West Coast to the East Coast and have made friends and contacts. Some local areas might be standoffish for reasons, but just keep putting engaging people as you come across them. I wouldn't go around knocking on doors but if you see them outside, wave, smile, ask them if they know a good restaurant, etc.

In some cities, there are other places where you can accomplish some of the socializing that happens in bars, without being in a bar or around alcohol at all. In older towns and cities you can often find breakfast places and cafés that don’t mind if you stay a while longer than it takes to eat a meal or drink coffee, and where customers at bar-style seating or outdoor tables often are interested in striking up a conversation with strangers.

It makes so much difference if you gravitate toward old cities and towns, and away from suburbs, especially modern suburbs (and their accompanying shopping and entertainment districts) built in the 80s or later. The latter tend to be completely, totally oriented toward the isolated and car-dependent lifestyle. Older, much longer established communities are more messy and sometimes even dysfunctional, yet they usually have some places where people actually meet and interact.