From Birmingham, Alabama to SLC!! (Salt Lake City, Sandy: apartment complexes, to rent, credit)

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

The UT Symphony performs year-round, in the summer it's at Deer Valley. There's at least one professional dance company plus several student dance troupes that do senior performances. There is a chamber group and another smaller group whose name escapes me. We get touring B'way companies, the 2 cathedrals have organ or music festivals, there's a jazz weekend coming up downtown. The Art Museum at the U has good collections plus traveling exhibits. Pilobolus is coming in Nov. (I think its' Nov). Lots of things to do that don't revolve around some kind of sports!

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by Mtn. States Resident

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

No I did not live around campus but the kind of area I am interested in would probably be something similar to our Inverness/280 area (without the ridiculous traffic) or our Historic Southside district. I prefer a place that definitely more modern and contemporary, than rustic.

Thanks again so much for all your help I will be sure to DM if I come up with any questions. Also, if you want to make a new good friend keep the unfriendly UAB nicknames to yourself. lol

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by Mtn. States Resident

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

The Birmingham Metro area includes Birmingham city, Mountain Brook, Hoover, Pelham, Inverness and Highway 280 areas respectively. We have an area that we call "the Greater Birmingham area" that encompasses other surrounding counties like Shelby and Talladega Counties, but that is a whole 'nother can of worms.

One thing I am looking forward to is being able to enjoy a full Fall. I like outside jut fine BUT I hate bugs and I hate hot so needless to say, I am not doing alot of outside rec here.

Thanks again so much for all your help! I will be sure to DM you with any questions I have.

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by eggalegga

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

Here's a link to City Weekly.

Thanks egga that City Weekly was REALLY helpful!

[ComingfromAL]

Yall have been awesome! Thanks for all your help!

I have more questions (of course). lol I was just wondering who is the leading cell phone service provider in SLC? Currently I am with T-Mobile and I really like them and would like to keep them as my CSP if it is at ALL possible.

Also what are some of the banks in SLC?

[kaytidid]

T Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T are the tops. You will have no trouble staying with T Mobile.

Zions Bank, Chase, numerous credit unions, depending on where you are going to be living. Mountain America CU, Cyprus CU, Tooele CU, Bank of Utah. Those are off the top of my head. I could look up some more if you need.

[ComingfromAL]

Originally Posted by kaytidid

T Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T are the tops. You will have no trouble staying with T Mobile.

Zions Bank, Chase, numerous credit unions, depending on where you are going to be living. Mountain America CU, Cyprus CU, Tooele CU, Bank of Utah. Those are off the top of my head. I could look up some more if you need.

No Kaytidid thanks that is wonderful. We have Chase Bank here so I think I will start from there. Thanks again!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Wells Fargo (which bought Wachovia so you'd have lots of check-cashing in the East). Mountain America Credit Union is open to all residents of the Valley. I have my mortgage with them and they are wonderful people.

[kaytidid]

Forgot about Wells Fargo. I have heard Mountain America is awesome. I had considered switching to them if it weren't such a PITA to do so!

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by ComingfromAL

No I did not live around campus but the kind of area I am interested in would probably be something similar to our Inverness/280 area (without the ridiculous traffic) or our Historic Southside district. I prefer a place that definitely more modern and contemporary, than rustic.

Thanks again so much for all your help I will be sure to DM if I come up with any questions. Also, if you want to make a new good friend keep the unfriendly UAB nicknames to yourself. lol

Hi,

I'm with you, I like more modern too. You're talking about some really upscale stores in the one development, with Sacs, Bose, Sony and others in some of that area. Salt Lake has a lot of planning and "jockeying" going on about where Sacs will be located here. There is a major $5 Billion dollar major mall being constructed downtown, but won't be finished for a few years. However, there are other malls.

UT has a great light rail system and the Front Runner. If you haven't checked out the in-state trains, it may be worthwhile. The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) operates buses that have their various routes in Salt Lake County, but also travel to and from Utah County, which is south of Salt Lake County and home to BYU . There are about 500K people in the Utah county. UTA also services Davis and Weber counties to the north.

UTA Trax is a great light rail train. Check out their website as given how the transfers happen, you may decide to look at condos in the southern part of Salt Lake County and take Trax to work. Welcome to UTA You can check out the Front Runner at that same website.

Given how many additional lines of tracks have been built this last year, it is very feasible to think of living in the southwestern part of Salt Lake County, or in the Sandy area and be able to make one light rail train switch downtown, and be delivered to the V.A. stops. In some ways, looking at the UTA maps of service, may give you a better idea about services in various neighbors.

Of course if you want to drive your own car, what is one more car in congested traffic?

We have Dillards, which I think B'ham does too? I'm rusty on that one. And Nordstroms, since it originates from Seattle. We'll have some new surprises for you and hopefully you'll be able to share AL favorites with others.

I don't know why I blitzed on the name of Shelby County in that earlier post - sorry. I knew the metro was more than Jefferson, but I went blank about Shelby. I think it is because I hear about it so often from one who commutes there daily from not that far away. Remind me to tell you a very real story about that person in a DM, as it indirectly pertains to your work and I won't post anything like that in the open format. But, it will help you to understand some things about healthcare in UT much easier...............not that the VA follows UT rules.

Oh, there are cool tunnels at the VA in SLC. But, given your job, it doesn't sound like you'll be running underground with patients.

Honestly, this is odd, or meant to be (depending on how you look at things). The neighborhoods I'm the most familiar with in B'ham are the exact areas you named as that is where I've stayed each time I've been in B'ham. Mtn. Brook, Inverness, Cahaba Heights, 280 traffic - yeah, I've seen it too. So I have a good idea of what types of neighborhoods you're comfortable in, based on what I've seen.

Very honestly, the Avenues, while perhaps more diverse in many ways, are not as safe as neighborhoods such as Foothill Blvd, or other addresses more south and east of the VA. That doesn't mean there aren't other safe neighborhoods in Salt Lake County, it is just a matter of how much traffic you want to deal with in interchanges much like 280, but called, "The Spaghetti Bowl," here. Certain other condo options (given our neighborhood to neighborhood comparison) would be safe too. If you want an Inverness/Mtn. Brook or Cahaba Heights area to live in, please feel free to DM me a general address so I can tell you what neighborhood it would be comparable to B'ham, or at least what it was like the last time I was there a couple years ago.

I'm glad SouthernBelle added some of the art options here. Honestly, there is a lot to do in UT. I got the same concert tickets to see a group for Energy Solutions Arena (or the E Center in West Valley Center - where there is a Hockey Team, and a smaller, arena where many concerts are held) as I got for the BJCC in B'ham. I got tickets to see the same concert a second time at the BJCC complex - which is something I wish UT would study more, and expand some of those concepts to a venue here.

I think there is more that is similar in the two cities, in many ways, than is different. The differences will be discoveries you'll enjoy finding, I think. Canyons less than 10 minutes from where you'll work. People do go to Ruth's Dinner, or other places in Emigration Canyon for LUNCH who work at the V.A., Research Park, or the Univeristy of Utah. That should be a new experience to look forward to.

Ok, I'll stop teasing you about the sports. Just know that meeting others from your home state, they may think you are more of a "geek," (no offensen intended, as I think you understand what I mean by this), than residents of UT who have either lived in UT their entire lives, or relocated from elsewhere. The other 'Bama transplants, may question your lack of interest in sports, but others in UT won't. You'll be fine. I do watch SEC football every Saturday now (didn't use to, but it's part of my life now). Plus, with Charles Barkley, Joe Namath, Bart Starr, Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings among others, being on national stages (so-to-speak)....AL is known for so many decades of athletic domance. A lot of positive press for AL comes from the athletes who go pro and such winning records.

Not as many know that Dr. T. Harrison, the expert who wrote the Internal Medicine textbook used by most medical schools in the U.S. was at UAB. However, mention Stallings or Bear Bryant and people can connect easier.

I did want you to be aware that in UT, people really don't name their kids after coaches like they do in AL. Some will think I'm joking, but honestly I'm not. Marriages are still forbidden in some AL families if the potential spouse didn't attend "the right school." Of course that depends on which family it is to know what is the "right school." Work, vacations and other things all are planned around the Football Season in the SEC. It's not that intent here about sports, for most people.

BTW - my nickname for the Blazers was very mild, nothing offensive. However, it doesn't matter since you're not into sports.

Groans and moans for me to stop this. Gotta go. On banks, I also agree with Kaytidid. Plus, don't discount that the VA probably has their own credit union. If not, they will have a branch of the University of Utah Credit Union, which has several branches.

I like the suggestions others gave you for banks. Zions in locally owned and is secure. I have a brother-in-law who use to be a branch manager for many years. Hope this all helps. There will probably be experts at the VA who will plug you into all their favorites for everything and you'll wonder why you asked us. Smart to ask, though.

Later-

MSR