The abundance of internet articles, books, and Youtube videos on this subject should demonstrate that your problem is shared by many others. There really are a lot of helpful courses of action, but they generally require motivation to get up or out and do something about changing your situation. Staying home and finding some penpals through various web sites can be a fun and worthwhile distraction for spending your lonely time, but it won't really solve the problem. Most of us need live, personal relationships, and that need is harder met by those of us without family.
I know, after a lifetime of being single, moving constantly, and having an independent life myself, that it's hard to make friends, and in your remote location, it's probably hard to even have a daily dose of casual aquaintances. That's a good formula for loneliness - worsened by having no caring family. It's manageable though, so don't lose hope. Let me offer a different perspective than the others above.
If you're used to having full time companionship, any empty house is going to feel lonely. Since you've no desire to find a new companion now, you might give serious consideration to your living environment. No doubt, living alone in a rural setting with no good family or friends around intensifies your problem. It's hard enough going out, meeting people, and building a social life in a populated environment, but your sparse choice of interaction with marginal neighbors may be too much to overcome. I of course cannot know your financial means, job situation, or physical ability to move your residence, but that would be my first recommendation for consideration. Perhaps you've already pondered such an idea but have a number of reasons for disqualifying it. But, since you've indirectly excluded family ties from the equation, I wonder if you have any valid reasons not to. It certainly would be a major step in changing your situational environment - potentially from a bad one to a good one. Even if you had to downsize to a cheap apartment, I think you could do better in a nice, friendly, small town. Such an environment would allow for daily interaction and aquaintances just by taking walks, going to the library, shopping, and dining at the same places routinely as others. And in time, some of these aquaintances could very well become friends. A small town would also offer a number of other assetts helpful for you: 1) social clubs - providing opportunities to meet and mingle with others, with the likelihood of making real friends, 2) volunteer opportunities - providing a conduit for you to help others in some way while gaining pleasure, satisfaction, and strength yourself, and 3) churches - providing you the spiritual and social support that everyone needs. Should this thought intrigue you, I'd suggest you dream big. Don't limit yourself unnecessarily to something nearby. If you're young and working, I understand that new job prospects matter; if not, then you might focus on your preferred geography (like ocean, mountains, and climate). To this end, of searching for a new place to live, I like these 3 websites: nich.com, bestplaces.net, and ideal-living.com. I spend a lot of time on these sites myself, looking for my eventual new home, and find them very helpful for browsing the best options and ruling out the bad ones. If you're retired, you might seriously consider moving to an active retirement community where you'll automatically be surrounded by people and potential social interaction. I'm researching this option as a possibility for myself and have found 55places.com to be another good web site in conjunction with the others above. Finally, if you are retired, you might also consider the option of living overseas. If you move to a popular expat area (like Lake Ajijic in Mexico or many others in central america or southeast asia), you'll not only find warmer climates and cheaper living, but also an instant, easy surrounding of potential friends. Really, after years of world travel myself, I find it much easier to meet and interact with people overseas than stateside - partly because english speaking people tend to feel a sense of mutual attraction, and partly because most expats aren't busy with careers and families. The expat life has other challenges of course, but it is a viable, interesting option to consider for someone that really wants a change in life.
Whether you make a move or not, and whether you succeed in getting out and building a social life or not, I have a final message to share that's equally important and applicable to your lonely life. I don't know if you're a Christian or not, but if you don't have a close relationship with your creator who loves you more than anyone ever will, then you're short changing yourself and missing the whole purpose of life. Through good times or bad, a close relationship with God will give you the strength you need to make it through life. Reading the Bible, praying, and listening to some good sermons won't negate your need for human interaction, but it will put your life and this world into a proper perspective. You see, the Christian perspective is that life is about love and relationships, and the most important one is with your maker and savior - Jesus. Family, friends, and others fall in line after that. So while you're working on the human side of the relationship problem, you should also be working on the spiritual side of things. Doing this right should, in time, not only make any lonely life more manageable (if not negated), but should also result in you looking outward more than inward. In other words, the best way to forget your own problems is to help others with theirs. Being a Christian helps prompt the desire to do this.
I'd suggest that not only does bible study, prayer, and a close relationship with the Lord offer you the knowledge and strength you need to steer through these hard times, but that a good church with small groups is exactly the type of human support that will uplift your social life. I caution though that all religions and churches are not right or equal. That's another discussion if you want to pursue it. I've said enough for now, but will say a prayer tonight for you, that God grants you strenth and guidance on getting your life back on track.
Should you respond to my post, know that I check this site just one a week, but do have time for you.
