A new online service that matches families with similar interests opened last week to people in the Denver area.
FriendsForFamilies.com hopes to capitalize on shifts in Americans' moving habits. The United States is highly transient compared with other nations. More than 40 million Americans, or 14 percent of the population, moved last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Relocating families - often driven by job opportunities - are increasingly moving to areas where they have no relatives and weak social networks, said John McAuley, chief executive of the Asheville, N.C.-based company.
"There's nothing virtual about the sense of community we're trying to foster," he said in a statement. "Our site is for people who want to participate in activities with local families like their own, and continue getting together for years to come."
The site works in much the same way as online dating services. Only members of the service may view family profiles, which include information about family traits, interests and values. Families may communicate anonymously through the website until they decide to reveal additional contact information.
What's next? Online matching services for entire small towns?
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