Is SLC Right for us? (Salt Lake City, Park City: credit, smog, hotel)

[weasy]

I did mean to post the link I referred to earlier....

Salt Lake City Neighborhoods | Find Your Perfect Neighborhood | Search Salt Lake City Property Listings

[houstoniancityfanatic]

Originally Posted by Xpat

Hi everyone!
We've enjoyed reading all of the various threads on SLC and wanted to get your opinions on whether it would right for us.

We are a 40-something married couple with no kids. Democrats (go Obama!) but respect the opinions of others (the GOP is not inherently evil). Not Mormon - actually Universalist with strong Hindu/Buddhist leanings, though we are very private about our beliefs. That said, we've gotten along well with Mormon/Muslim/Catholic/Jewish/Protestant/Atheist people we've known over the years.

Show stoppers are places with lots of allergens, heavy traffic, high housing prices, and a rat race lifestyle.

We love climbing, hiking, and skiing and are not much into consumer culture (we don't judge it, its just not our thing). We love good food and I am a passionate singer/songwriter who likes to play small-medium sized venues on nights and weekends. I also play in a rock band with some friends (mostly for fun). We're not big drinkers - she does not drink a drop and I'll sip a beer once in awhile (after a gig, etc).

We're looking to downshift after many moves (to several countries) and working long hours which leave us drained. We've built a decent nest egg from which we can supplement our incomes and may just take part time work to to make up the difference. SLC looks like a good place to do it since it has proximity to the mountains, a low key/low crime reputation, low cost of living, low traffic congestion, clean air, and nice people. We're looking for a place where we can find some decent low key jobs, meet interesting people, go camping, ski/climb on the weekends, and meet some nice people to play music with.

We're considering SLC along with Albuquerque (which we know well) and Flagstaff (which is probably beyond our budget).

So, could we be happy in SLC? Thanks for any insights you can provide!

I guess it really depends on what you like. Although Salt Lake City proper has only 178,000 people (b/c the city limits are a very confined area) the Salt Lake Metro has some 2 million people. Albuquerque has 700,000 people so in terms of things to do Salt Lake would have Albuquerque beat. Since they are both in mountainous regions they have a lot of the same outdoor things to do. Salt Lake has a lot more ski resorts that are closer though - 8 resorts within a 50 mile radius of Salt Lake. As long as you are close Salt Lake proper you will not have too many religion or cultural issues. Salt Lake does get very nasty smog in the winter though. Albuquerque has a more mild climate in the winter. Salt Lake gets colder and hotter than Albuquerque in the winter and summer respectively. Salt Lake is a lot greener and prettier than Albuquerque, of course it is still in the desert and is no Seattle.

[trishp]

The biggest challenge of living in SLC is the influence of the Mormon church. It is both subtle and not subtle. The subtle influence is censorship in the media where you won't get programming that other states have and you won't know it unless you live somewhere else. The not subtle is having your kids told they are "going to hell" because they are not Mormon and being snubbed by your neighbors.

I lived in SLC for 30 years and I managed to make many friends and have a nice life. But, it is a very tough nut to crack and you must be aware of this if you are planning on moving there.

I worked in the entertainment industry there, where I produced local conventions, pageants etc. There are a lot of budding artists there, believe me. You may be able to find a venue for your singing, but you must know, that there are two different types of bars in SLC. The beer bar which serves just that..beer, and the "private club" which to everyplace else in the U.S. is known as a bar that serves mixed drinks.

Being a Democrat myself, I found it frustrating on the political front in SLC even though I never stopped trying. Utah is one of the states that gets called for the Republican candidate 30 seconds after the polls close.

As far as places to live, I would recommend the Avenues and upper Sugarhouse. They are both charming.

If you would like to have more specifics, please feel free to send me a private e-mail, and I'll be glad to fill you in. I don't want to sound like the complete cynic here. I did afterall, live there for 30 years....

I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide to do.

[Xpat]

Thanks to everyone for the great insights...lots to think about.

We may visit the area this summer during a swing through the States.

Not many bars eh? Since coffee is also a no-no for Mormons, does that mean there are also no coffeehouses to play?

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Originally Posted by Xpat

Thanks to everyone for the great insights...lots to think about.

We may visit the area this summer during a swing through the States.

Not many bars eh? Since coffee is also a no-no for Mormons, does that mean there are also no coffeehouses to play?

Oddly enough, there are coffee houses everywhere. Several drive-ups (even Starbucks). It amazed me when I moved here, thinking there just wouldn't be many. But every area of the city has several. Go figure!

[Xpat]

SouthernbelleinUtah,
Ooooh! Very Nice. Are there often musicians playing at them or are they more of the Starbucks canned music (but great sweets) variety?

I notice that you live in Sugarhouse. What can you tell me about the neighborhood that an online search won't?

Specifically:

- Any Thai/Vietnamese/Indian restaurants/takeout?
- Any music venues?
- Is it a safe area to get around by bike?
- What is the average age of Sugarhouse residents?
- Any streets fairs or block parties?
- How bad is the smog during an inversion?
- Lots of allergens?
- Is the area mostly transplants from elsewhere or SLC natives?

Thanks!

XP

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Originally Posted by Xpat

SouthernbelleinUtah,
Ooooh! Very Nice. Are there often musicians playing at them or are they more of the Starbucks canned music (but great sweets) variety?

I notice that you live in Sugarhouse. What can you tell me about the neighborhood that an online search won't?

Specifically:

- Any Thai/Vietnamese/Indian restaurants/takeout?
- Any music venues?
- Is it a safe area to get around by bike?
- What is the average age of Sugarhouse residents?
- Any streets fairs or block parties?
- How bad is the smog during an inversion?
- Lots of allergens?
- Is the area mostly transplants from elsewhere or SLC natives?

Thanks!

XP

There are both Thai and Indian retaurants on Foothills Blvd, which isn' too far, maybe 10 min. There's a great Vietnamese place, Indochine, on 1300 East, up near the University, also about 10 min away.

I don't know about music as I am not into anything except the Symphony (which has a year-round schedule, in the summer up at Park City).

Average age seems to be 30-55, hard to tell as I only really know my block. I see lots of people, iwht babies or dogs, walking over to Sugar House Park. And on Sunday mornings, my fav breakfast place has both strollers and dogs outside it.

The area has fireworks at the park on July 4, one of the best shows I've seen. Also a fest in the center of Sugar House, 100 East and 2100 South. My block has a summer party, don't know about others.

The smog is fairly bad during an inversion. You can actually see a brown/gray cloud hanging over the valley from the benches. Tomorrow is supposed to be a "red alert" day, stay inside if you are young, old, or have respiratory problems, reduce driving if possible, etc.

Allergens depends on what you're allergic to, I suppose. But when you move, you get a few years 'free" until you get new allergies!

Not sure about transplants vs natives, more sure about LDS vs non-LDS - seems to be at best 50% LDS.

Coffee houses are more of the canned variety, or small. I don't go out much at night so don't know about any music. Most that I've seen are too small.

[eggalegga]

Sugarhouse: 9th South & 9th East area


9th & 9th Street Festival Home Page


9th and 9th - a Salt Lake City Neighborhood Shopping, Dining and Residential District

Ninth & Ninth Community - Salt Lake City

[lolagranola]

There seem to be a good number of transplants here, especially from Cali.

I suspect there are so many coffee places (particularly the suburban drive-thru's) because coffee isn't *as* rebelious as beer, but just a bit naughty!

There is a REALLY good Indian restaurant on Main in Bountiful. So good! And an Ethiopian place on Redwood (just S of N Temple maybe?). In fact, we have had trouble finding good non-franchise places to eat, EXCEPT ethnic.

SLC likes to have festivals. This past weekend was Living Traditions, which we really enjoy. Pioneer Day there is a big on in Liberty Park, there is Sundance, there is a Bellydance festival late summer...and in my opinion these things are always easier to attend than in a bigger city, so we go to more things.

Listen to KRCL (90.9) local radio for events. They have alot of info on local music and off-beat happenings. Same with City Weekly free newspaper. Good places to find things.

I have had allergies all of my life, and here in Utah is no exception. Mar, Apr, May... I thought it was over, but not quite for the year.

[trishp]

City Weekly is a great source - you can find it online too. Another place that will help you is Utah City Guide - Recommendations and Reviews by Citysearch