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I've lived in Utah (SLC) mostly for the last 30 years. I think overall living here is safer than in many parts of the country and especially if you're in the over $100,000 per year salary range and can afford to live in the nicer neighborhoods. Mountains are gorgeous! Drivers are egotistical and there are a lot of low self-esteem issues here making people keep mostly to themselves rather than reaching out to people they don't know. If you have a foreign accent other than british, australian or if you're not blond, blue eyed, well, people will be nice to you but at a safe distance. Most Utah employers love illegal immigrants from Mexico and farms and service industries are packed with them.
They're in every restaurant kitchen or hotel here and most of them keep to themselves and have a strong support group in the ever growing Hispanic community.
The LDS Church caters to the elite and has a stronghold on Utah laws and how things are run in the state, after all, they own Utah basically, even historically speaking. There is a growing non-LDS population, less conservative. There is also a growing less educated population as well. Obesity is a serious issue here but not as bad as in some other states. Winters can be depressing as they last a looong time. Great if you're into skiing and snowboarding, not so good if you want high air quality.
Outdoor sports are fine. Soccer is growing here and locals seem to think their Salt Lake Real is any match for Brazil or other top soccer countries. However, there are some decent athletic skills here.
Culturally, well, there isn't much to speak of. People tend to segregate among friends and family and are not so eager to make friends with strangers. It's a Utah thing that you only learn after youv'e been here for a while. I was a real estate agent here for many years and 99% of all my out-of-state buyers didn't last 5 years here and their complaint was mostly about how unfriendly people were if they weren't interested in "the church."
On the positive side, people will leave you alone here if you're not part of their culture.
Restaurants here are pretty average and you get what you pay for. Most hostesses have no clue where to sit you so don't be surprised if you want a nice quiet dinner for you and your date and she will sit you next to screaming children. Utahns are also cheap when it comes to eating out. $6-$10 is where they max out, mostly because of large families. Also, if you're a male, most restaurants will pair you up with a male waiter to avoid liabilities or lawsuits from "flirting" with the waitress. Don't be surprised if at times you get crappy service. It happens like anywhere else.
If you ride a motorcycle or a bike on Utah roads, you're 10% closer to the grave and the next life.
[mod] personal attacks [/mid]
On the positive side, most mormons are very decent people. I must admit that. You will find many generous kind-hearted mormons if you look for them. There are some odd balls like in every religion, but overall I rate Mormons as a good 8 out of 10 on the decency scale.
The Gay scene is pretty strong in SLC, especially in teh avenues area and park city so if you're gay, there is a strong community here.
Jobs are in the < $10 range and consider yourself lucky if you find one. Like other states, all top-paying jobs are reserved for the elites, business owners, etc. Don't be shocked if Utah employers expect you to do a job that would require 3 people to do. Utah employers like to cross-utilize their employees. Most low wage people live in fear of losing their jobs.
You will find a bit of everything in Salt Lake City now. Spring-Summer and Fall are decent. If you can afford a house that's over $300k-$400K in price and you move to the west side (south Jordan and farther south areas) you can actually get a pretty decent home for the money.
Utah's work force tends to be relatively honest and reliable. But >50% of the people out there either live from paycheck to paycheck or have filed for bankruptcy protection at some point in their lives.
Utah is also big on MLMs that originate here but make their money in Asia, Europe or South America. Utahns are burned out with MLMs.
Social life can be difficult. Many people move away because of that. If you're into the dating scene (as a male) forget it. Most Utah women prefer to go out with their girlfriends and do not date strangers very much. This is due to recent tragedies, rapes and murders. Utah women are scared to death of strangers so beware. They prefer to hang out in groups with their girlfriends where they feel safe. Don't blame them.
The dating scene is pretty lame unless you're in High School. If you're a Mormon and over 35, there are dances for older LDS singles but after you attend any such dances, you will think you joined a geriatric ward. So beware.
Utah is a great place to raise kids but beware of drugs. Utah has a high suicide rate as well and big Prozac users (depression).
If you want peace and quite, a place away from New York or LA then Utah might be for you. If you want to live life to its fullest in terms of social intereaction, move to Texas, Florida or other states with more hospitality.
Health care is relatively decent here and doctors are usually vey competent at what they do. There are some great hospitals in Utah. The further up the economic scale you go in Utah, the better the quality of life, especially if you're a Mormon. The elite serves the elite very well here.
For me, I'm looking to relocate to Texas or Florida but I'd sure miss the gorgeous mountains. For that you can also move to Colorado.
I plan on leaving Utah ASAP. the only thing stopping me is about $15,000 I don't have right now.
Best of luck.
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 09-08-2013 at 05:30 AM..
I've lived in Utah (SLC) mostly for the last 30 years. I think overall living here is safer than in many parts of the country and especially if you're in the over $100,000 per year salary range and can afford to live in the nicer neighborhoods. Mountains are gorgeous! Drivers are egotistical and there are a lot of low self-esteem issues here making people keep mostly to themselves rather than reaching out to people they don't know. If you have a foreign accent other than british, australian or if you're not blond, blue eyed, well, people will be nice to you but at a safe distance. Most Utah employers love illegal immigrants from Mexico and farms and service industries are packed with them.
They're in every restaurant kitchen or hotel here and most of them keep to themselves and have a strong support group in the ever growing Hispanic community.
The LDS Church caters to the elite and has a stronghold on Utah laws and how things are run in the state, after all, they own Utah basically, even historically speaking. There is a growing non-LDS population, less conservative. There is also a growing less educated population as well. Obesity is a serious issue here but not as bad as in some other states. Winters can be depressing as they last a looong time. Great if you're into skiing and snowboarding, not so good if you want high air quality.
Outdoor sports are fine. Soccer is growing here and locals seem to think their Salt Lake Real is any match for Brazil or other top soccer countries. However, there are some decent athletic skills here.
Culturally, well, there isn't much to speak of. People tend to segregate among friends and family and are not so eager to make friends with strangers. It's a Utah thing that you only learn after youv'e been here for a while. I was a real estate agent here for many years and 99% of all my out-of-state buyers didn't last 5 years here and their complaint was mostly about how unfriendly people were if they weren't interested in "the church."
On the positive side, people will leave you alone here if you're not part of their culture.
Restaurants here are pretty average and you get what you pay for. Most hostesses have no clue where to sit you so don't be surprised if you want a nice quiet dinner for you and your date and she will sit you next to screaming children. Utahns are also cheap when it comes to eating out. $6-$10 is where they max out, mostly because of large families. Also, if you're a male, most restaurants will pair you up with a male waiter to avoid liabilities or lawsuits from "flirting" with the waitress. Don't be surprised if at times you get crappy service. It happens like anywhere else.
If you ride a motorcycle or a bike on Utah roads, you're 10% closer to the grave and the next life.
Moderator cut: personal attacks
On the positive side, most mormons are very decent people. I must admit that. You will find many generous kind-hearted mormons if you look for them. There are some odd balls like in every religion, but overall I rate Mormons as a good 8 out of 10 on the decency scale.
The Gay scene is pretty strong in SLC, especially in teh avenues area and park city so if you're gay, there is a strong community here.
Jobs are in the < $10 range and consider yourself lucky if you find one. Like other states, all top-paying jobs are reserved for the elites, business owners, etc. Don't be shocked if Utah employers expect you to do a job that would require 3 people to do. Utah employers like to cross-utilize their employees. Most low wage people live in fear of losing their jobs.
You will find a bit of everything in Salt Lake City now. Spring-Summer and Fall are decent. If you can afford a house that's over $300k-$400K in price and you move to the west side (south Jordan and farther south areas) you can actually get a pretty decent home for the money.
Utah's work force tends to be relatively honest and reliable. But >50% of the people out there either live from paycheck to paycheck or have filed for bankruptcy protection at some point in their lives.
Utah is also big on MLMs that originate here but make their money in Asia, Europe or South America. Utahns are burned out with MLMs.
Social life can be difficult. Many people move away because of that. If you're into the dating scene (as a male) forget it. Most Utah women prefer to go out with their girlfriends and do not date strangers very much. This is due to recent tragedies, rapes and murders. Utah women are scared to death of strangers so beware. They prefer to hang out in groups with their girlfriends where they feel safe. Don't blame them.
The dating scene is pretty lame unless you're in High School. If you're a Mormon and over 35, there are dances for older LDS singles but after you attend any such dances, you will think you joined a geriatric ward. So beware.
Utah is a great place to raise kids but beware of drugs. Utah has a high suicide rate as well and big Prozac users (depression).
If you want peace and quite, a place away from New York or LA then Utah might be for you. If you want to live life to its fullest in terms of social intereaction, move to Texas, Florida or other states with more hospitality.
Health care is relatively decent here and doctors are usually vey competent at what they do. There are some great hospitals in Utah. The further up the economic scale you go in Utah, the better the quality of life, especially if you're a Mormon. The elite serves the elite very well here.
For me, I'm looking to relocate to Texas or Florida but I'd sure miss the gorgeous mountains. For that you can also move to Colorado.
I plan on leaving Utah ASAP. the only thing stopping me is about $15,000 I don't have right now.
Best of luck.
Go with Florida. Texas has many of the problems you just listed, no scenery, dating is lame, only thing to do is drink, weather sucks (it's too hot in just about every area. 15 years here and only 3 weeks to go before I can leave this horrible place.
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 09-08-2013 at 05:32 AM..
Texas and Florida? Ahh... you sure you want to go there? That's like going from the frying pan to the fire -or just changing frying pans.
An idea for ya -South Carolina or Georgia. Lived in SC for a while and really liked it. Greenville, Columbia and Charleston are very nice. Not sure about the jobs situation in each, but the weather, although humid, doesn't have a lot of extremes. The seasons are three months long each as opposed to Utah where winters lasts 7 months, spring is a week long followed by 2 months of HOT summer and falls lasts about 4 weeks (yeah, I know, my math is probably wrong). And a place I REALLY wanted to live was Savannah, GA, which was a really cool town to hang out in. Oh, AND, both SC and GA have BEACHES! Granted, SC has the "Redneck Riviera" (Myrtle Beach) but there are a lot of nice secluded beaches along its coast.
....to continue from above -Just read a survey of the "Top 10 Friendlies Cities" and Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC were ranked in the top 5 friendlies cities in the US.
But, PanterBranca was right about most everything.
Go with Florida. Texas has many of the problems you just listed, no scenery, dating is lame, only thing to do is drink, weather sucks (it's too hot in just about every area. 15 years here and only 3 weeks to go before I can leave this horrible place.
This.
As a Texan - don't move to Texas. I would switch places with you if I could. I have lived here all my life, and I HATE the heat. HATE with a passion. It's oppressive. I would move tomorrow if my spouse wasn't firmly planted in the oil industry here. I just spent 5 weeks in Utah and loved every minute of it.
Not sure Florida is any better. I would second looking into S. Carolina, Georgia, etc.
One poster talked about the low wages paid in Utah, and that doesn't surprise me at all.
I work in a LTC/Rehab facility here in Las Vegas, and one of the nurses who works here lives in Mesquite, NV, and she drives everyday from Mesquite to Las Vegas to work. So I asked her, being that she was closer to St. George, UT for work, why she didn't find work there instead. She told me that, for an LPN, she'd only get something like $16 an hour, as opposed to the $21 an hour she was getting here in Las Vegas, so it was worth it for her to drive down here for work rather than St. George, a 75 mile drive one way.
I work as a CNA, and I was shocked at her telling me what they pay for CNA's up there! And given the higher cost of living, have no clue how they can survive on those type of wages up in Utah!
What is the fishing like in Utah? Any deep lakes? Coming from Michigan with a 18 foot fishing boat (deep v).
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