The friends we still see/talk to were about half formed before I left school and half newly found through a post looking to form a D&D group in the new city we moved to. We aren't in to the bar scene at all. Most of my coworkers have kids - the younger ones who don't have similar interests but I just don't seem to hang out with them. The ones with kids never have time for anything, only the most well-off ones with stay-at-home partners even have hobbies to speak of. It's depressing.
Best option seems to sniff out the spaces dedicated to your area online. Subreddits, Facebook groups, and then see if you can find local events happening that are related to your interests, or other people looking to meet up, hang out, play games you like, etc. I'm not religious but I know a lot of people swear by meeting friends through church or church-related groups.