I live in a town of approx. 80k people, where the entire town is essentially an upper-middle class community for families. Lots of schools, parks, and other suburban offerings. However, there are very few people around my age, as they mostly live in the more urban center about 30 mins away or are here raising a family.

The only place where I see women without masks is at the gym or at one of the few bars in town. Literally, everywhere else, 99% of people are wearing masks in public. I'm not going to approach at the gym (plus most girls are in their teens/early twenties), nor do I plan to spend a lot of time at the bars.

It's starting to look like my only option is online dating. I lived in a big city prior to covid and never used apps except for about a month to some success. Just not a fan of them

Am I shooting myself in the foot/missing out by not using Tinder/Hinge/Bumble? Do I have another option besides talking to girls with masks on?