Hello from a small town with big dreams!

I recently moved here and am looking for advice on finding community, hobbies, and making new friends in an unfamiliar environment — I used to have a massive network of people my age but now everything is different and the change has been harder than expected. There was this time when I lived alone for six months without knowing anyone within twenty miles, just me and my books and a very judgmental cat named Barnaby who seemed to sense my isolation better than any human ever could. He used to sit on top of my bookshelves staring at me as if asking why I hadn't made friends yet, which is probably unfair since the nearest cafe was an hour away and I had no car — anyway, that story reminds me how lonely it gets when your social circle shrinks overnight and you have to rebuild from scratch. But enough about Barnaby, I'd love to hear any advice anyone has on establishing roots in a new place because this transition has been overwhelming and every day feels like navigating an uncharted territory without a map or compass — if someone could share their experience with starting over in a new city, that would be incredibly helpful right now.