Park City has about 8,600 year-round residents, and Summit County about 43,000. In a place that size you see the same faces on the trail, at school pickup and in the grocery line. For some people that’s the appeal. For others it’s the adjustment.

When we moved to Park City, it felt like the perfect compromise: small-town living with all the conveniences of Salt Lake a short drive away. My husband grew up here and immediately reconnected with childhood friends. For me, finding my people took a little longer.

I made friends through skiing and work, but it wasn’t until I had my first child that things really clicked. Storytime at the Park City Library was where it all began. Miss Katrina is basically a celebrity among the moms, and her weekly sessions were a fixture of those early years. We came for the stories, but those familiar faces became friends.

From there, our circle grew through community nonprofits, annual galas, sports teams and neighborhood families. In the beginning, my kids pretty much picked my social life. Fortunately, they had excellent taste. Those friendships have become some of the closest in my life, and even our husbands get along.

Places to turn up

• On the trails. The Mountain Trails Foundation builds and maintains the trail system and runs volunteer trail days. An afternoon with a shovel is a reliable way to meet people who love the same hills.
• The Newcomers Club of Greater Park City. It has been going since 1995, has around 600 members, and sets no limit on how long you can count as new.
• The rec centers. The PC MARC has pools, fitness, tennis and pickleball. Park City Ski & Snowboard runs masters programs for adults alongside its youth teams.
• The library. Park City Film screens in the Jim Santy Auditorium there most of the year.
• The preserve. The Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter offers guided walks and volunteer restoration work on 1,200 acres of open land at Kimball Junction.
• The markets. Wednesdays at the farmers market and Sundays at Park Silly, all summer.

The day the whole town gives

Each November, Live PC Give PC raises money for local nonprofits in a single 24 hours. Last year the total was $5.5 million, from a county of 43,000 people. If you want to understand what this place cares about, read the list of organizations. Then pick one and call it.

If you’re here part of the year

Choose one recurring thing and keep it every time you’re in town. The same class, the same trail day, the same table. Familiarity does the rest.

Keep showing up

You never know where you’ll meet your next best friend, but Park City gives you plenty of opportunities. Community programs through Basin Rec, seasonal sports clinics and local nonprofits offer ways to get involved, whatever your interests or experience level. My advice is to pick something you enjoy and keep showing up. Volunteering alongside people who care about the same things, or seeing familiar faces each week, can make a new town feel like your town a little sooner.