From Birmingham, Alabama to SLC!! (Salt Lake City, Sandy: transplants, renting, condo)

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

More compliments to you! Great info "from the horse's mouth" for OP and anybody else wondering about the same thing.

[eggalegga]

I would also recommend the avenues, downtown, near the U or Sugarhouse.

Here's a link to City Weekly.

[Mtn. States Resident]

No answer to my question about UA or Auburn, huh. Disappointing. However, grads of both have trained and work in UT- a fair amount of housestaff either attended medical school or completed residency at UAB, who are now completing residencies/fellowships/research or additional training at the U. and affiliated hospitals.

You should encounter a some people from AL at the VA. That is, if your job, encourages problem solving with those who provide direct care to patients.

Have you considered living somewhere like Foothill Apts.? Very close by VA (can bike in summer/fall/spring), they probably meet the majority of your requirements. Can be noisey at times, but overall, you'll probably find you know a large amount of the residents (pun intended) after some time.

Also, you may want to talk to a Real Estate Agent about purchasing a condo on Foothill so your money is buying you equity. I'm clueless currently of their cost, but it may be worthwhile. Foothill is the main road to the VA from all directions, but the apts/condos I'm thinking of are south of it. All, easy access to Park City or Emmigration Canyon.

Or rentals in the 3300 -4500 South and 9th East area will yield you many of the same types of neighbors, but closer access to Millcreek Canyon.

I'd encourage you to pull up different areas on Google, Bing and other Internet sites that allow you to view the areas?

The first time I saw Mountain Brook, and a deer, I was pleasantly surprised at the similarity of plants, shrubs etc. in AL and areas of the Intermountain West. However, I did not see any of the quick escapes to the mountains and canyons like UT has. Be it biking, hiking or a lunch/dinner up in Emmigration Canyon, nothing like living in one area and being so removed in minutes. A little bit like canoes and the Cahaba River type of thing (almost instantly removed from the stressors of the day within minutes, while enjoying nature).

Let me know if I can help, either by DM or a post.

Good luck moving. I am not fond of that necessary aspect in building one's career.

MSR

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by markg91359

Al,

My suggestion is to look for a rental in a highrise apartment in the area of Salt Lake east of State Street, south of South Temple, and North of 400 South. The University of Utah would be the boundary on the east. I know there are several and if you can afford that high of a monthly rent, I think you can find something.

As others have already said, nightlife in Salt Lake City for someone in their twenties who is used to living out of state is probably going to be disappointing. The local culture caters far more to married people with families. However, if you have a sport that you can use to make friends (particularly an outdoor sport like hiking, skiing, or climbing) it will allow you to develop a decent social life. Perhaps, the VA has groups or a support system for single employees that will be of assistance too.

I'm not really optimistic you'll find alot of the music you mentioned here.

Thanks Mark!

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by Mtn. States Resident

Hi,

You may be surprised how many people move from AL to UT. I work with three. Two almost everyday, and one - everyday. You will find UT doesn't eat, drink and breathe college football at the same level. $40 Million is steep for someone like Nick Sabin. That isn't to say I'm not aware of Tommy T. and his resignation this year.

Interestingly, about 3-4 major offensive/defensive coordinators in the SEC all coached/went to school in UT.

So before I offer you any suggestions, let's get the really important question out-of-the way: Did you go to UA or Auburn?

I know what matters in 'BAMA. (Oh, I guess that shows my ties doesn't it?)

MSR

Sorry to disappoint MSR but in the football right I am not your typical Southerner, cause I could care less. LOL!

Some of my friends rag on me reg during football seasonfor not being a die hard fan but I've never been into fb.

As far as Alabama or Auburn, neither. I went to UAB.

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

My 29-year-old son DJs downtown and, unless I'm mistaken, likes all of the kinds of music AL mentioned, except for R&B. He's also non-LDS and has lived downtown for several years. I'll be seeing him tomorrow and will try to maybe ask him what he thinks about the "nightlife" in Salt Lake and where he might find places that would cater to his taste in music.

That would be awesome Katzpur thanks so much!

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

Okay, I've talked to my 29-year-old non-LDS son and here's what he told me: Salt Lake City's nightlife is definitely not great by big city standards, but it's not really all that bad if you know where to go. He suggested picking up a City Weekly when you first get into town and checking out the places it recommends. He said that no one place has good entertainment, etc. every night, so you have to know which nights to go to which places. He DJs every Tuesday night at Kristauf's and plays, Jazz, Hip Hop, Soul and Funk. He also recommended Gracie's (which is brand new) and Jackalope. He said that Salt Lake actually gets quite a few more good out-of-town live performances coming through, more than most cities of our size. Hopefully these suggestions will help some.

Again thanks so muck Katz and believe it or not Birmingham is the exact same way. You just kinda gotta know where to go on what nights and if you don't know, the city can seem a bit like Snoozeville.

While Birmingham is the biggest city in AL, it is not at all a "big city". I have friends that come from big cities (DC, Atlanta, New Orleans) and are bored to death here!! Birmingham Metro area has only about 20,000 to 30,000 more people than the SLC metro area! That is one of the things I like most about SLC. I hate the feel of really large cities. I like to visit them not really interested in staying in them.

Again thanks so much Katz!

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by Mtn. States Resident

No answer to my question about UA or Auburn, huh. Disappointing. However, grads of both have trained and work in UT- a fair amount of housestaff either attended medical school or completed residency at UAB, who are now completing residencies/fellowships/research or additional training at the U. and affiliated hospitals.

You should encounter a some people from AL at the VA. That is, if your job, encourages problem solving with those who provide direct care to patients.

Have you considered living somewhere like Foothill Apts.? Very close by VA (can bike in summer/fall/spring), they probably meet the majority of your requirements. Can be noisey at times, but overall, you'll probably find you know a large amount of the residents (pun intended) after some time.

Also, you may want to talk to a Real Estate Agent about purchasing a condo on Foothill so your money is buying you equity. I'm clueless currently of their cost, but it may be worthwhile. Foothill is the main road to the VA from all directions, but the apts/condos I'm thinking of are south of it. All, easy access to Park City or Emmigration Canyon.

Or rentals in the 3300 -4500 South and 9th East area will yield you many of the same types of neighbors, but closer access to Millcreek Canyon.

I'd encourage you to pull up different areas on Google, Bing and other Internet sites that allow you to view the areas?

The first time I saw Mountain Brook, and a deer, I was pleasantly surprised at the similarity of plants, shrubs etc. in AL and areas of the Intermountain West. However, I did not see any of the quick escapes to the mountains and canyons like UT has. Be it biking, hiking or a lunch/dinner up in Emmigration Canyon, nothing like living in one area and being so removed in minutes. A little bit like canoes and the Cahaba River type of thing (almost instantly removed from the stressors of the day within minutes, while enjoying nature).

Let me know if I can help, either by DM or a post.

Good luck moving. I am not fond of that necessary aspect in building one's career.

MSR

See my post above MSR regarding my football chocies. Hopefully after you read it your offer to help me will still be on the table. lol

Nah I will be working more with Information Management, so problem solving but less regarding direct patient care and more regarding information systems, hospital patient info policies & procedures, etc.

I did some lookin on ksl.com and decided that I definitely want to rent a condo. I wouldnt mind buying a condo but I am worrying about my ability to re-sale but that's just some data I will have to research.

I look forward to meeting all my Utahans by way of Alabama! Thanks for all the advice!!

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by ComingfromAL

Sorry to disappoint MSR but in the football right I am not your typical Southerner, cause I could care less. LOL!

Some of my friends rag on me reg during football seasonfor not being a die hard fan but I've never been into fb.

As far as Alabama or Auburn, neither. I went to UAB.

Ah, a Blazer's grad. UAB is a great school for health-related work. I have a nickname for the Blazers, but it isn't popular, so I'll keep it to myself. But, in fairness, people outside of the AL, unless they have paid attention, don't even know UAB started as strictly an academic school and added sports much later. For the years UAB has had sports, that program is coming along too.

Please let me know if you have any questions I can answer. I can think of about 9 MD's off of the top of my head who have relocated to UT after doing either residencies and/or fellowships in the area.

Sometimes, it is nice to be able to talk to people who have spent time where you have, be it the Galleria, Cahaba River etc.

BTW - did you live near the UAB Campus? Since I know what some of those neighborhoods are like, I can compare what some of the neighborhoods in Salt Lake City would be like just so you have a better idea. Of course now you'll be making $ not shelling it out to go to school, so only you know for sure what type of a neighborhood you want.

Good luck in your move.

MSR

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by ComingfromAL

See my post above MSR regarding my football chocies. Hopefully after you read it your offer to help me will still be on the table. lol

Nah I will be working more with Information Management, so problem solving but less regarding direct patient care and more regarding information systems, hospital patient info policies & procedures, etc.

I did some lookin on ksl.com and decided that I definitely want to rent a condo. I wouldnt mind buying a condo but I am worrying about my ability to re-sale but that's just some data I will have to research.

I look forward to meeting all my Utahans by way of Alabama! Thanks for all the advice!!

Hi again,

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong starting by renting a condo. You can always decide to purchase, or if you want to be a different part of town you can move etc.

In your previous post about the metros of Salt Lake City and Birmingham being about the same, I sometimes get confused of what metro B'ham includes. Is it just Jefferson County, or is it more? Since Salt Lake City is really small geographically (South Salt Lake starts at 2100 South) and other communities are all around, the more accurate way to assess Salt Lake's metro population is either through the Metro Stats, or knowing that Salt Lake County has more than 1 million residents. The Wasatch Front has close to 2 million.


Those who are in UT who came from AL enjoy the fact we have an NBA franchise here. That and other sports, not sure if B'ham has pro Soccer Team or not currently, are available here. We also have AAA baseball, just like B'ham. There are also many different types of performing arts and other opportunities for recreation.

I agree with your comment about B'Ham being kind of "slow or dull," on certain nights and it being similar in metro Salt Lake City.

Please feel free to send me a DM if I can be of help. It's fine with me that you don't like football, it will be easier for you since UT beat 'BAMA in Jan at the Bowl Game. It took time for me to become "indoctrinated," by 'BAMA fans. ROLL TIDE! You should be able to tell how much time I spend with some from BAMA that I know that almost everyone in AL believes football is the most important resource the state has.

UT has families that tend to name kids after relatives or others they want to honor. We don't have a lot of people who name their kids after coaches here yet.

UT does not have any Bart Starr car dealerships and White Castle burgers are in the frozen food section of at least one local supermarket. However, we have the Larry Miller Franchises (the late owner of the UT Jazz) and foods found primarily in this area.

Make sure you take the time to try some of the unique summer berries before they are out of season. A weekend trip to Bear Lake with a Berry Shake, is something most consider a huge treat.

I'm sure you will be a positive addition to the Salt Lake Area. We look forward to your arrival.

MSR