Hopefully this will help answer questions about moving here from across country (Salt Lake City: rent, condo)

[Tim Tim Tim]

its a tough one, we come back and take a drive up the canyons and sit out on the balcony at night and think about how we will NEVER see stuff this awesome in florida. The only views you get there are ocean and you have to be rich to have those.

[Jen38]

You know, another idea is to move back to Florida now, have your kids there and have them build that bond with your family at a young age. Then when your kids get older, like 6-10 years old, you can choose to move back to Utah. This way you will have created those family bonds so your family will want to visit often, plus your children will have the East coast foundation/mentality (which I love!) If you move your children at that age they are not completely brought up in the Utah culture. Also, remember your life will change a great deal when you have kids. All of that hiking, skiing and biking you do now will most likely be put on hold until your kids are more independent. Everyone thinks they will continue their active lifestyle after kids but it really doesn't work that well. You have to make sacrifices because changing a diaper on a dirt path or putting your child in the ski daycare is just not appealling to us wives. So basically, when you have little ones I think life is the same almost anywhere you live. It's when your kids get older and become more independent is when your life starts to become more fun again. This is another reason I can't understand the 6-10 kids that women pop out in Utah. When are they able to have fun with their kids instead of carrying around a diaper bag, stroller and wiping an ass every day? No wonder they are self medicated. I think I would be too if that was my life for so many years. Little children are a joy but it's also a lot of work and now that my kids are 6 and 10 we are all having the time of our lives! I completely enjoy being with them and taking them on hikes, skiing, biking. They are able to do just about everything I can do so it's a great time to live in Utah.
Come back when you can all enjoy what this wonderful state has to offer. Before that, be with your family and have the support that you may need.
In my last reply, I mentioned some negative points about living near family but I was thinking more of my life and my kid's ages. I forget that you have not had your children yet. There is a big difference in those two stages. So I guess I want to mention that when you are reading advice that all of us are giving you, remember that we are all in different stages of life and you have to do what's right for your current stage.
You moved here from Florida once, you can do it again!
Good Luck!

[eggalegga]

Originally Posted by Jen38

...This is another reason I can't understand the 6-10 kids that women pop out in Utah. When are they able to have fun with their kids instead of carrying around a diaper bag, stroller and wiping an ass every day?...

Loved this comment! Rep points to you.

[hueimo]

Originally Posted by Tim Tim Tim

I just moved here about 3-4 months ago from tampa, fl. I see on this site the same questions over and over getting asked. I dont blame people for asking but maybe with this it will answer a few questions and give some insite to people looking to move here.

Diversity
The LDS church is very big here, obviously. Is it somthing to be worried about? not at all. I am not lds and have not had a single issue. I have not met one lds person who looked down on me or changed the way they acted towards me after finding out im not lds. 99% of them are just flat out nice/good people. Most of the bad things you hear are people who ARENT of the religion who obviously have nothing better to do then bash it for no real apparent reason.

Racism
I was amazingly surprised on how LITTLE racism there is here. The main races here are white and mexican from what I have seen. Coming from florida which is much more diverse in race with 10 times the amount of racism. I was pleasently surprised to see how accepting everyone is here. if your of color, in an inter-racial relationship or anything in between, that would not be a concern of mine at all if I were you.

Cost of living
Comparing to florida where I came from, overall the cost of living is for sure a bit less. auto insurance dropped by about half. Houses are a bit cheaper (although there a bit cheaper everywhere now) but homeowners insurance and taxes are surely alot less then what we were paying. Gas prices are lower (still keep in touch with family in fl. and there paying about 20-30 cents a gallon more). The availability of alternative fuels gives you other options when purchasing a car, the main being CNG (compressed natural gas). Renting is comparable, posibly a bit less but nothing crazy.

General attitude of utahn's
Well it was ranked as the happiest state in the country, that goes to tell a little bit. Generally 90% of the people I have met have been extremely nice. with my job i am at several peoples houses per day so I meet quite a few people. driving is SOOOO much easier, the commute here is my favorite part about this place. pretty much any place in the main salt lake valley is within 30-45 minutes away. thats including going up to the canyons. people here tend to get used to not having to drive far to reach anything therefore they will say that this and that is far, in reality comparing to most other places. its not far at all, everything is just so close here. snow removal is awesome, I drive a low, small rear wheel drive car (everyone says there the worst to drive in the snow) and have not even gotten close to getting stuck yet, I was also living up on the east bench for most of winter where they tend to get a little more snow then in the rest of the valley. my advice is just to buy a decent set of tires just for the really bad days.

Things to do
If you have even done a search on utah and need to read this section you have problems. This place is so full of things to do its rediculous. with summer time there are tons of lakes and rivers to do activities in (sking, boating, wake boarding etc, river rafting, hiking, offroading etc.) in the winter there is obviously tons of skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing etc. If your into hunting and fishing there is plenty of that as well.

so as an overall opinion, I love this place. There are very few things I dont like about it. I think its about as close to perfect as they come. The traffic and commute times are good, tons of things to do, nice people, tons of jobs and opertunities and the best scenery you could imagine. if your into the really big city thing; new york city, miami etc this may not be the place for you. If you want somthing with a bit more of the small town feel but all of the conveniences of a big city then you will love it here

ho ray! this is exactly how I feel moving down here!

[Rickd203]

Well, I'm in Utah now. I'm just SE of SLC. It's a great place if you like cookie-cutter housing developments and urban sprawl. It's starting to resemble LA. Sure, my brother's in a rural area for now but it doesn't look like it's going to stay that way for very long. The traffic jams are so bad that one radio host was telling people to stay out of SLC today. Sure, the people here are really nice; I just wish there was a lot less of them. Once my brother's situation is stable, I will probably be looking for someplace else to live. I really need to live someplace that isn't going to be overrun by housing developments anytime soon.

[Tim Tim Tim]

the traffic is so bad? are you kidding?

[stycotl]

Originally Posted by Rickd203

Well, I'm in Utah now. I'm just SE of SLC. It's a great place if you like cookie-cutter housing developments and urban sprawl. It's starting to resemble LA. Sure, my brother's in a rural area for now but it doesn't look like it's going to stay that way for very long. The traffic jams are so bad that one radio host was telling people to stay out of SLC today. Sure, the people here are really nice; I just wish there was a lot less of them. Once my brother's situation is stable, I will probably be looking for someplace else to live. I really need to live someplace that isn't going to be overrun by housing developments anytime soon.

me too! i thought utah was crowded back in the 90's. i might have to move to wyoming or something, but then i'd miss the red rock. lose-lose situation. sigh.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Originally Posted by Rickd203

Well, I'm in Utah now. I'm just SE of SLC. It's a great place if you like cookie-cutter housing developments and urban sprawl. It's starting to resemble LA. Sure, my brother's in a rural area for now but it doesn't look like it's going to stay that way for very long. The traffic jams are so bad that one radio host was telling people to stay out of SLC today. Sure, the people here are really nice; I just wish there was a lot less of them. Once my brother's situation is stable, I will probably be looking for someplace else to live. I really need to live someplace that isn't going to be overrun by housing developments anytime soon.

That's why the city is so much better than the suburbs! No cookie cutter houses in Sugar House, the Avenues, Federal Heights, Foothill area, Millcreek, etc. And not so much traffic, either.

[Tim Tim Tim]

I dont feel the traffic is bad at all, its really not bad AT ALL here in holladay for us. I get stuck in stuff every once in a while that can be a bit annoying but that was every day traffic where I was before I moved here. Im sure there are places with even less but I think its easily tolerable here.

[twola]

I am thinking of getting a condo up there in MillCreek. Currrently in Dallas, TX and I tired of this place! Nothing scenic about it. From the convo here it looks like a good place to move to. Would love the change of scenery for one! Food wise, can anyone tell me how is that like? I'm a fan of multicultural food.

Oh and I know someone told me about this condo in Mill Creek called MillCreek Condos. Anyone know of this development?