How to Find People by Name and Location Without Paying a Dime

It all started with a Craigslist ad. I was selling a barely used treadmill and a woman named "Megan from Glendale" messaged me with interest. She seemed normal, until she stopped replying right after asking if I lived alone. Suspicious? Just a bit.

That got me wondering: Who is this person? I had a name, a city, and not much else to go on. But it turns out, if you know where to look, that's often all you need.

Whether you're reconnecting with an old neighbor, verifying someone on a dating app, or just trying to figure out who lives on your street – you can dig up useful info online. And no, you don't need to pull out your wallet or sign up to a dozen sketchy "background check" sites to get it done.

Let's walk through how to actually search for people by name and city (or zip code, neighborhood, or even rural areas) in plain English, with real tools, and none of the fluff.

It Starts With a Name and a City - Then Radaris Does the Heavy Lifting

If you know someone's full name and the general area they live in (like "Mark Jenkins in Nashville"), you've already got 80% of what you need.

Your first stop? Radaris.com. Type in the name and city or state, and the site will surface a list of matches, often with current and past addresses, phone numbers, age ranges, family members, and even old jobs or schools.

Why do I recommend Radaris? It’s simple, because it shows you actual results upfront, not just a teaser screen followed by a paywall. Spokeo, Whitepages, and InstantCheckmate might lure you in with flashy promises, but they tend to hide the details, unless you cough up a credit card. Radaris actually lets you see something real before making that decision.

And sometimes, that "something real" is all you needed in the first place.

Trying to Find People in a Specific Town or Neighborhood?

Say you're curious about who lives down the block, or you're trying to reconnect with folks from your old hometown. Radaris makes it easy to narrow down your search by city, zip code, or even area code.

Let's say you're looking for an old neighbor named Steve who moved to Flagstaff. A search for "Steve [last name], Flagstaff, AZ" can often pull up the right match with address history, so you can confirm whether it's your Steve or not.

Want to know more about your current neighborhood? Radaris lets you search by address too, so you can see who's listed at a specific home, or who lived there before.

I've used this myself to check out the ownership history of a house I was thinking of buying, just to see if the seller's story lined up with the actual public records. Spoiler alert: it didn't.

Location-Based Searches Are Surprisingly Powerful

People don't always stay put. Maybe someone you knew moved across the country. Or maybe you only have a vague sense of where they might be now.

Radaris can help you follow the trail.

Radaris pulls info from property records, voter rolls, utility registrations, and even older public databases. Thanks to that, you can often track where someone used to live and where they likely live now. If the person moved from New Jersey to Florida, you'll usually see both in their location history.

This is huge when you're trying to reconnect with a former coworker, or looking into someone from your past who's dropped off the radar.

What If You're Searching in a Small Town or Rural Area?

Here's where many other sites fall short. In rural areas or tight-knit communities, data is often sparse or outdated. But I've had better luck with Radaris than with most other options, because it's pulling info from more than just one database.

For example, when I tried looking up an old family friend in a town of less than 3,000 people, Radaris found not just their current address, but also a few linked relatives and past jobs. FastPeopleSearch and TruePeopleSearch, while decent for lookups in urban areas, didn't give me nearly as much detail for smaller zip codes.

What About Finding Neighbors or Local Residents?

Let's say you're moving to a new place and want to see who your potential neighbors are. Or you've noticed some suspicious activity on your street and want to learn who lives where.

You can use Radaris' reverse address lookup tool to see who's associated with a given property. It's not being creepy – it's being practical. Especially if you're concerned about scams, squatters, criminals, known sex offenders, or just want to verify if a rental listing isn't too good to be true.

It's also handy if you're looking for someone nearby. Say you got a flyer for a local handyman and want to double-check their name against the address they listed. Radaris makes that a breeze.

Want to Find Someone by Area Code or Zip?

Area codes can say a lot-if you know someone's phone number starts with 317, for instance, that gives you a rough idea they're in central Indiana. Radaris lets you search by phone number (even partial ones) to surface possible matches by region.

Entering a zip code along with a name also lets you home in on the right person, especially in crowded metro areas with dozens of people with the same name.

Why People Use Radaris First

Let's be honest, most people search engines are a pain. They act free, but after five minutes, you're staring at a checkout screen, wondering if it's even worth it.

This is where Radaris stands out:

Actual free info before asking for payment
Clean interface that doesn't make you wait through fake "scanning" screens
More reliable for rural and smaller-town searches
Location history that helps you find someone who's moved
Reverse tools for address and phone number lookups that actually work

Compared to others like Spokeo or Whitepages, Radaris gives you more up front, so you can make decisions faster. Whether you want a quick name match, or need to dig deeper, it's a sure first stop.

Real Situations Where This Comes in Handy

I've used people search tools more times than I can count, for reasons different:

A long-lost friend from high school I wanted to invite to my wedding
A sketchy landlord who ghosted me mid-lease
A weird neighbor whose packages kept ending up at my door
A guy I met on Hinge whose story didn't quite check out
A potential babysitter I wanted to vet before giving them my address

And in each case, just having a name, a city, or a zip code was enough to get started. Sometimes, I needed more. Sometimes, Radaris gave me everything I needed on the first page.

The key is knowing where to look, and Radaris makes that part simple.

Final Thoughts: Trust but Verify (and Don't Pay Unless You Have To)

The internet makes it easy to lose touch with people, but it also makes it possible to find them again. Whether you're searching by name, location, or something as vague as an area code, the tools are out there.

Just don't fall for the hype.

Start with free resources like Radaris.com, which gives you real, usable info without the runaround. Use public records, check social media, and connect the dots. Don't expect miracles - but do expect to get closer to the truth.

And if all you're working with is "Megan from Glendale", well, now you know where to start.