What non-Mormons should know about moving to Utah

[ut new]

I choose Utah in every way

I agree. Although not religious, I think the church does a good job of keeping things in order, compared to my previous location in California. Take these current google street map photos for example; the links will change so I attached photos too:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0280...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0273...7i16384!8i8192

The google camera only comes through ones every 6 months or so, but at this one instant, a practically dead person is on the ground being looked at by the security guard from Universal Music, and the second photo is on the same block, at the same moment, but only shows one person on the ground where there was usually 3 or 4. This was not rare; this was every day an night, and these people carried knives and stabbed many people. Now they carry guns too. And the rent for 1 bed apartments is over $2500 to live in this.

Please don't let the homeless drug front crowd make inroads here.

[kavm]

Are you able to write a post in the forum without referring to California? Or, does everything needs to framed as a contrast to whatever you think of California?

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by kavm

Are you able to write a post in the forum without referring to California? Or, does everything needs to framed as a contrast to whatever you think of California?

People from California tend to do this. It's not unique to that poster.

[ut new]

Correct. Being non-LDS and non-religious, I only care about what good the church does for living. And compared to CA / LA, it seems to do a lot of good. You might not notice the good though, if you don't look outside much.

[kavm]

I was just making a polite observation. Lived in 4 different countries and 6 different state and - and can confirm that is more to it than Utah or Southern California. And, every place has good and bad. Every religion has good and bad too - and there is plenty good (and some not so good) about the LDS church. That said, I always have problem with conflating the religion with the state as you seem to be doing - regarding of state and religion. I would still politely urge you to make your points without peppering every thread with how you feel about Southern California.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by ut new

Correct. Being non-LDS and non-religious, I only care about what good the church does for living. And compared to CA / LA, it seems to do a lot of good. You might not notice the good though, if you don't look outside much.

You seem to ascribe many of the advantages of UT over LA/CA to the church. I'd suggest that as much, or more, is due to the fact that SLC/UT is really a small place with recent rural roots - far more homogeneous, a far smaller population, far less complex economy and far fewer socioeconomic issues. It's like comparing an electric scooter to a racing motorcycle. I think you'd find that many of the mountain states would be similarly advantaged vis-a-vis LA/CA in the ways you speak of.

[Axiomatic]

Originally Posted by Texan in Utah

My husband works for a large corporation and has never experienced any religious issues. I work in insurance agencies and religious conversations are common. My co-workers have learned not to direct the conversations towards me at the current agency I work in. However, I was "laid off" from the first agency shortly after my reaction to being told I wasnt really baptized while I was trying to work and had already asked them to leave me alone.

Sorry this happened to you. I hoped things had changed since I lived in Utah. Our family moved to Ogden several decades ago, when my dad got a transfer from the Van Nuys Marquardt plant to the Utah plant. We loved living there. However, after two years, my dad, who was a non-practicing Presbyterian, was called into his boss's office and told "You're smart, motivated, hard working, and an asset to our company. But you'll never get a major raise or promotion until you become Mormon." We relocated back to California the next year.

Hope things worked out for you, Texan.

[irman]

Knowing what "The LDS Church" Teachings really are, I often find it hard to believe that people have been told certain things that are completely against Church teachings.

I am not disputing the stories, but it is simply hard to believe and accept.

It is just really sad that there apparently are people who are LDS members and then treat people completely wrong!!

[Angel-A]

I hope it’s still okay to comment, given that the last reply was over a year ago. We’re Lutheran, and lived in Utah for 11 years. We had mixed experiences. When we moved there I was a young SAHM to a toddler, so I spent much of my time exploring our new neighborhood with her in the stroller and finding the parks and library. The first time we went to a local playground two other young moms came over and made conversation...are you new to the neighborhood? How old is your daughter? What ward are you in? As soon as I said that I wasn’t Mormon they looked at each other and walked away, leaving me stunned and convinced that this would be a lonely life for however long we lived there.

We ended up having four more children during our time in Utah, and I soon learned that this experience wasn’t typical. My oldest two children did experience some exclusion in school, but never to the extent that they didn’t have friends, and while my closest friend there was non Mormon, several other friends were. Young men, elders, did come buy several times, but the leadership knew that my husband was a Lutheran pastor, and they never tried to convert us. They left a card and asked me to call if I ever needed anything. There was recently a high wind event in our former neighborhood, and a friend texted me pictures of damaged trees from their house and our former church. She also said that the next morning volunteers from the local ward were out helping with the clean up of all the houses, Mormon owned or not.

We really enjoyed our time there, and I would love to go back one day. I miss the mountains, our friends, and most of our neighbors. I definitely don’t miss the inversions, and I wish I could buy a bottle of wine at the grocery store rather than having to make a special trip out to the state liquor store! I am glad that we moved as my kids were approaching junior high, only because that’s an awkward time already, and as they got older there seemed to be more events that they were left out of. I do agree with those who said that much of the youth social life is through the church. I know of very few examples of my kids being deliberately excluded; I think it just sort of happened.

I apologize for the length of this comment. I just wanted to share our experience as “outsiders”. There were good experiences and bad, but I definitely don’t regret our time there, and would be open to going back.