Free Local Chat Rooms

Sometimes a local chat room is a much better way to meet people in your town than going out, simply hoping someone fabulous crosses your path. In a free chat room you don't have to worry about the money you're wasting on books or beers, and you're probably not stressing about that zit in the middle of your forehead, either.

Find Chat Rooms for Your Area

Most chat rooms are set up so that you can search for other people in your local, but aren't necessarily geared specifically to one region.

Speed Date

With SpeedDate.com, you may want to worry about what you're wearing and concealing that zit. SpeedDate.com allows you to chat with people in your area, and have a quick "date" face-to-face via webcam. Once you sign up, you get five, five-minute speed dates. You'll be asked for your zip code in a short questionnaire so you can meet singles in your area. There is an option to upgrade to a premium membership as well. While the site is a good way to meet several people in one sitting and it's relatively easy to navigate, several of the reviewers at AllDatingWebsites.com feel that it's a scam. According to DatePad.com, some people were actually tricked into opening Speed Date accounts because they used certain apps on their phones.

Bring Your Font Chat

Bring Your Font is a collection of chat rooms, some of which are organized by location. If you have a webcam or a microphone, you can use those to get even closer to a real dating experience with someone new, but it's not the only way to chat. Even though the chat rooms are free to use, you have to register a screen name, and keep the chatter in the lobbies G-rated. There aren't many user reviews for the site, which likely means that it is probably not that popular and you may not have a wide variety of people to choose from. Also, a guest login is listed as an option, but you may still be required to register in order to use the chat rooms. You can also create your own room on this site.

Free Java Chat

Free Java Chat has a map of the United States. You simply choose your state to enter a general chat area or an adult chat (must be 18+) for that area of the country. This is a very basic format, which could be a pro, or a con, depending on what you're looking for. If you want an old school chat, this is a good place for you; if you were hoping for webcam and microphone capabilities, you may want to go elsewhere.

Singles Net

SinglesNet.com has a quick registration and questionnaire process, and once you get in, there's a Chat Rooms button at the top. You'll be dropped into a general room at first, but then you can select your state from a drop-down menu at the top to chat with others in your area. Before you enter the room, you will be able to see matches for you that are online, though not necessarily in the chat area, at that moment. If you do decide to pay the fee and upgrade your account, you'll be able to email other members, perhaps to invite them to chat. PFishy lists a mix of reviews, some stating that the site is highly-disorganized and others stating they've found true love.

Date Hookup

Once you've completed a profile with DateHookup.com, you can choose to visit the forums. You won't necessarily find a regional chat room there, but if you click "Groups" at the bottom of the list of forums, you'll be taken to another list. You'll see a section called Regional with a forum for your state. If you'd like to see other states, you can click "All States." While this isn't a traditional chat room that scrolls up as members participate, it is a group of locals talking about news, random thoughts, and more. It's completely free to participate and you don't have to worry about missing others' replies when you step away from your computer. The forums also seem to be fairly active.

Meeting the Right People

In order to meet the right people, you should be honest about yourself and what you want. In the questionnaires that you may have to fill out before entering a chat room, begin to get an idea of what kind of person you're looking for. Think of the things you'd like to have in common with him, then comment accordingly once you're in the room.

Think of funny or thought-provoking things to say before you enter the room, rather than "Hey, how's it going?" You'll need to stand out since you're vying for attention in a room full of people. Come up with topics ahead of time that you'd like to talk about, and see who has similar interests.

If one chat partner doesn't work out online, you're likely to have several other people available to chat with right after that. Local chat rooms are one of the most efficient ways to meet singles with similar interests.