Check out this guide if you haven't already:
http://wiki.project1999.com/Players:Newbie
There are definitely leveling guilds around. I couldn't tell you their names but if you hang around in popular newbie zones (like Greater Faydark) you'll see recruiters every so often, or you can look for people with guild tags and ask if there are any officers on to invite you.
Don't expect to see a lot of people inside towns. If you start in Felwithe as a high elf, you might not see any people there. But the moment you leave the city and go to the newbie zone adjacent to it, Greater Faydark, you'll see a lot of people. People playing EQ spend most of their time killing monsters, not hanging around in towns.