Whew! It's actually a great relief to know I'm not alone in being alone ;-)
My wife and I moved to Long Island from NYC over 20 years ago. Though I've never lived any place longer, I haven't made a single close acquaintance all this time among Long Islanders, whom I continue to consider the "locals." At first I was isolated by the ridiculous working hours of being a commuter, hours that steadily worsened over the years as 24/7 corporate life became the norm. More recently, I've been isolated by the vagaries of being a freelancer, where my focus has been on worrying about getting that next assignment, not on cultivating social relationships. Pretty shitty karma, all in all. Am hoping to have a more advanced social life in my next incarnation -- perhaps as a coral polyp.
Carl