Welcome Sharon
As a relative newcomer myself, here only 3 years now, I can say that whatever your interests, you will find the locals and regular visitors welcoming. Very few of us in SoWal are natives, so we're all accustomed to making new friends. No offense intended to genuine natives, I just haven't met them yet.
You'll see lots of folks at the local eateries, Publix, the Seaside ampitheater events, the various art/wine/market/charity events at Seaside and Rosemary, the outdoor events at Gulf Place, Seaside Rep events, at Sundog Books. I haven't enjoyed the events at Alys yet, but they'll be handy for you. Trivia night sounds like fun.
As for me, I'll be contentedly munching some Q at Jambone. As a long-time Memphian, I've finally found a BBQ that has a pork shoulder I like. Now, if I could just persuade them to dump that Carolina sauce for a good Memphis recipe.