The American social fabric is very damaged. As a result of focusing on isolation, the suburban lifestyle prevents most Americans from being communally minded.

The only places that Americans mix with other people tend to be:

• Work
• School
• Bars
• Church
• Social clubs

School is where most people make their lasting friendships, otherwise work is far and away the most common of the other 4.

In my experience social clubs are the easiest place to approach someone you don't know, second only to church... but most Americans are task oriented thinking only about completion of their "task" at whatever function they attend. (I'm here to play soccer, after the soccer game my task is complete so I'm leaving).

Small towns sometimes have friendlier and more approachable people but generally will be fairly insular and suspicious of outsiders... not to mention the drama that tends to fester in those little pockets.

All of which is to say: socializing in America is a complete mess and it's mostly driven by echoes of the cold war paranoia/white flight/sensationalist crime obsessed news that gutted our cities and made everyone suspicious of each other.