Pasadena vs. Salt Lake City (living, best, cost, state)
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I am trying to decide if I should move to Pasadena, CA or Salt Lake City. I am a lesbian single mother, so LGBT friendly and the quality of public schools are important. Public transportation is important as well. Which place has a stronger job market? Which city is a better place to raise a family? Which place has more family friendly activities year round? I have been doing some research into this, but I think getting advice from people who have lived in these places might be a good idea as well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
It's very LGBT friendly, has a super stong job market, is,much cheaper than LA, and it probably wouldnt cost an arm and a leg to live in a decent to good school district.
But you really should check out both. I prefer LA personally because of the amenities, endless things to do, constant great weather, but for you SLC might be better.
It's very LGBT friendly, has a super stong job market, is,much cheaper than LA, and it probably wouldnt cost an arm and a leg to live in a decent to good school district.
But you really should check out both. I prefer LA personally because of the amenities, endless things to do, constant great weather, but for you SLC might be better.
I agree with all of this and the OP should be able to save more money there. The one caveat is that the LGBT friendliness will be lukewarm at best in the outer suburban and exurban areas of SLC and especially not in the nearby conservative Provo/Orem region to the south. The OP should just be aware of that in their regional travels and they will be fine.
I agree with all of this and the OP should be able to save more money there. The one caveat is that the LGBT friendliness will be lukewarm at best in the outer suburban and exurban areas of SLC and especially not in the nearby conservative Provo/Orem region to the south. The OP should just be aware of that in their regional travels and they will be fine.
One of my best friends is gay and lives in Provo. It's not that big of a deal down there.
One of my best friends is gay and lives in Provo. It's not that big of a deal down there.
I'll bet he is reserved about it there. If it has changed for the better, I am glad to hear it and stand corrected. I have heard otherwise, but if you know someone that is gay there then that counts for something and the other commenters also may have slightly dated information.
Provo had been one of the state's most conservative cities for a long time. There was also a documentary I saw about five years ago, but can't remember the name of it, that portrayed it as very conservative.
Pasadena is very expensive. Summers are also too hot for my tastes since Pasadena is more inland. Rail transit to Downtown Los Angeles is available though if you plan on working Downtown, but most of the good jobs that I know of are in West LA that you'll have to drive to, meaning that Pasadena won't be a great option for commuting to those top jobs.
Pasadena is very expensive. Summers are also too hot for my tastes since Pasadena is more inland. Rail transit to Downtown Los Angeles is available though if you plan on working Downtown, but most of the good jobs that I know of are in West LA that you'll have to drive to, meaning that Pasadena won't be a great option for commuting to those top jobs.
I don't have any experience with SLC.
For LA, it is not that expensive, especially north of 210 / east of 110. Very LGBT-friendly area.
Pasadena does have a poorly-performing school district.
PT-wise, Pasadena has Metro bus lines, Foothill Transit bus lines, a municipal line and has rail service to DTLA and East LA via the Gold Line. In the future it will change to DTLA and Long Beach and the line's color will be the Blue Line. Access to the Westside is limited - in fact I turned down a job because of its near-Westside location and the corresponding commute or train ride. There are tons of good jobs in Pasadena though, as it has a large downtown core for a medium size city - with jobs along a few corridors that are transit access.
For LA, it is not that expensive, especially north of 210 / east of 110. Very LGBT-friendly area.
Pasadena does have a poorly-performing school district.
PT-wise, Pasadena has Metro bus lines, Foothill Transit bus lines, a municipal line and has rail service to DTLA and East LA via the Gold Line. In the future it will change to DTLA and Long Beach and the line's color will be the Blue Line. Access to the Westside is limited - in fact I turned down a job because of its near-Westside location and the corresponding commute or train ride. There are tons of good jobs in Pasadena though, as it has a large downtown core for a medium size city - with jobs along a few corridors that are transit access.
I was focusing on my criticisms of Pasadena. It's one of my favorite cities in SoCal and I can easily see myself living there.
One of my best friends is gay and lives in Provo. It's not that big of a deal down there.
I don't know about this one. Provo is one of the more conservative and religious cities anywhere in the US. This is home to BYU and a city that tried banning Victoria Secret from displaying mannequins wearing lingerie on their window fronts. Your friend must be living a real low key lifestyle. I would NEVER recommend anyone live in Provo unless they are LDS. But that's Utah County and OP is asking about Salt Lake.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GatsbyGatz
Pasadena is very expensive. Summers are also too hot for my tastes since Pasadena is more inland. Rail transit to Downtown Los Angeles is available though if you plan on working Downtown, but most of the good jobs that I know of are in West LA that you'll have to drive to, meaning that Pasadena won't be a great option for commuting to those top jobs.
I don't have any experience with SLC.
Summers in Salt Lake can be quite comparable to Pasadena. Summers in Salt Lake can often be above 90, mid 90's about half the time, and even reach over 100s. I'm pretty sure its been hotter in SLC this summer than Pasadena.
I wouldn't even factor weather into the equation unless you hate cold winters (which SLC gets).
I would chose Pasadena over SLC on every category except cost of living and possibly public transportation. SLC has a good public transportation system of rail, but you'd have to live close bye as their public bus system is not that great. As for cost of living, Pasadena is more expensive but then again, there is a reason why people in SoCal pay more to live in this area (even though its not really within our control).
Last edited by latino_esq; 07-28-2014 at 02:32 PM..
Reason: Editing
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