Must one be mormon to be happy in SLC? (Ogden: transfer, neighborhood)

[symea]

I just moved to Sugarhouse from Laguna Beach CA! I LOVE IT. It actuallty reminds me a little of Laguna. There are cool coffee houses, tattoo parlors, art galleries, fun shopping and instead of looking out at the ocean I have the most beautiful mountains in the world! I don't have the traffic headache and I can afford to do things again.Im not LDS but it doesn't matter in Most areas (Southern Utah and some real out-there suburbs maybe)--Downtown Salt Lake is cool too, lots of bars and fun restaurants (it's about 4 miles from Sugarhouse whopee )...loveitloveitloveit!!!

[urbanlemur]

I live in NYC now after living in SLC for 18 years and there are a good number of things I miss there. Mormons are dominant but there are other religious groups there. Nightlife may not be like other cities comparatively but it is good. Can't beat the mountains though...one thing I miss the most!!!

[rideon]

Don't move south of Draper and all will be good. I have non-LDS freinds in Lehi that seem to have a decent life, but they spend a lot of time at work or enjoying the outdoors. The social scene for non-LDS people south of Draper is pathetic.

[Steve Poulos]

The Salt Lake Area has become a very mixed religious community. I left in the mid 80's to raise my children outside the sphere of influence as I had been through public school in SLC (graduating Skyline high in 1972). In the 40-60's nearly 3 out of 4 today I would speculate 50/50.
A wonderful place to live, smog has become a hamper to the area in winter especially during what is refered to as as inversion. If you like spending time outdoors, you'll love the area. I've actually snowskied in the morning and water skied in the afternoon one day.
Life is good! By the way, Mom was Mormon (non practicing) Dad was Greek orthodox, first wife catholic, second wife Babptist and I'm confused.

[lemon&lime]

and plenty of things to do. No, you would not need to be Mormon. I have not read the whole thread but I'm guessing that a lot of people have mentioned the many good things about Salt Lake (liberal feel, shopping, bars and clubs, etc.) However, the Mormon Temple is still downtown and it's not like there are no Mormons in Salt Lake. If you live here, you will eventually have to go outside the city proper and in to the suburbs, and that is where the real problem is in my opinion. I moved here as an outsider from another state (I'm originally from Texas) and I've never encountered such hostility against outsiders in my life. There are some people who seem to feel that areas like Sugarhouse and downtown are the places that "non-Mormons" will feel best, and that is generally true, but I've been treated rudely everywhere I've gone in this town, and on a regular basis. I hate Salt Lake. It is cold and the people are mean. I've lived in Albuquerque, Portland, Corpus Christi, Austin and the Texas hillcountry, and this area is very strange in comparison. But some people love it here. If you are very young and flexible (I'm mid 30s, I'm past that) you will too. If you are getting to an age where your whole life "should" be defined by either marriage or kids, this is not the town for you. Period.

[eggalegga]

Originally Posted by catrinac

...But some people love it here. If you are very young and flexible (I'm mid 30s, I'm past that) you will too. If you are getting to an age where your whole life "should" be defined by either marriage or kids, this is not the town for you. Period.

ITA. Very well said.

[Moving2UtahfromNJ]

I am not Mormon and I like Utah a lot. There are a lot of things for "us" non-mormons to do!!! Live here b/c you want to live here not for any other reason than that. Sugarhouse is an awesome area to live in for young hip adults. I live in Sandy and love the fact of being 15 minutes away from Skiing. Utah is what you make it to be. If you are so hung up on the Mormon culture than most likely Utah is not the place for you. Treat people the way you want to be treated and you will be fine.

[dojilynn]

Originally Posted by Moving2UtahfromNJ

Utah is what you make it to be. If you are so hung up on the Mormon culture than most likely Utah is not the place for you. Treat people the way you want to be treated and you will be fine.

Exactly. If you come here, filled with dread, to be living among so many Mormons, then you will feel bombarded by the Mormon influence that is here. You can't escape their influence, but if you truly want to be here, you will most likely notice the positive effect the influence has on the area. Just like the quote above, Utah is what you make it to be. You can't say it any better than that.

[cinnabon]

Originally Posted by catrinac

If you are very young and flexible (I'm mid 30s, I'm past that) you will too. If you are getting to an age where your whole life "should" be defined by either marriage or kids, this is not the town for you. Period.

Then again, if you reach an age where you don't care what people think (mid 40's), and you develop a thick enough skin that little stuff doesn't bother you, then maybe it will be fine. There is no way people could possibly be anywhere near as rude as many people are in NJ (it's the norm), so what you are used to is also a factor.

My only concern about there being a lot of Mormons is being able to find lots of people to make friends with, date, etc., as the pool is somewhat reduced. But from what I have heard and read there are many people in SLC who have come for the scenery and lifestyle, as I am doing, so I am not overly concerned about it. There also seem to be a lot of positives because of all the Mormons, such as safety and low crime.

[SergeantL]

Originally Posted by cinnabon

There is no way people could possibly be anywhere near as rude as many people are in NJ (it's the norm)

It’s sad to read this but not surprising. I was stationed at Fort Dix in the early 70s as a drill sergeant and later worked for the Philadelphia Police Department for a very short time, while commuting from New Jersey. While living there, my wife and I encountered some of the rudest people we have ever known. Philadelphia wasn’t any better—so much for the “City of Brotherly Love.” It was as though the words “please” and “thank you” had been removed from the dictionary. It was always “gimme” this and “gimme” that. We tried adapting to the lifestyle, but we just couldn’t seem to manage. It was actually a shame; my favorite uncle lived within five miles of us, and it broke my heart to leave and move back to California.

Unfortunately, moving back to California was simply jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Over time, California deteriorated into the same condition as New Jersey. I’m hoping I have a gravestone for a pillow before Utah becomes a state I want to leave.