I concur with the thoughts that
@KathyLauren expressed :
Getting involved in clubs, charity events, volunteer organizations, accepting churches, meetings with others that have similar hobbies and interests, etc are probably the best ways to safely find compatible others. Over a period of time when encountering those possibly like-minded individuals in recurring circumstances, one can get a feeling for their personality, their reliability, their financial responsibility, their good qualities, their bad qualities, whether they have a job or not, etc.... all in a real-life environment that one has a much more difficult time hiding in like the do in so many on line dating sites where deception and false "advertising" is often the norm.
Almost 2 years ago I moved to a new far away town, not knowing anyone.... I immediately got involved in civic events, frequenting my next door local coffee shop which is a popular place in my town, got to know a lot of the townspeople as they got to know me, I got in a book club, a gym girls club, hiking activities with others, etc, etc...
...and as a result I have developed a lot of friends and acquaintances... and I even discovered some suitors as well... in a place that when I first moved here, I knew absolutely no one.
The basic premise for me was "if I want friends, I need to be friendly" and be the first to smile, introduce myself and to make myself available to the kinds of various opportunities that I mentioned above.
Danielle