A few Questions about moving to SLC (Salt Lake City: home, live)

[nacfsu]

My wife is a doctoral student in psychology and is applying to internships. She is considering one in SLC. We are both late 20's, non-religious and liberal. Would we be able to find any social groups that would not shun us due to the fact that we are not mormon? We have both heard horror stories from people that moved out there and felt completely alone from the time they moved there to the time that they left.

Also, I am finishing up my masters in urban planning. Are there many planning jobs in SLC, either with the state, city or private firms?

I'm sure that the mormon question gets asked and answered a lot, so thanks for putting up with me.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

She will have other non-UT interns with her and they are automatically buddies, as no one usually knwos anyone else. I moved here in my late 50s, non-religious, knew no one, and I have lots of friends.You just have to go find them, you can't sit at home waiting for them - but then that's true anywhere.

[frogandtoad]

You won't ahve a problem in SLC itself. I can't tell you how many non-mormons I know who were worried about when moving here, who came for a few years for residency or for their PhD who are still here 20 years later. This place is HIGHLY under-rated by most of the country (which helps keep it great!)

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by nacfsu

We are both late 20's, non-religious and liberal. Would we be able to find any social groups that would not shun us due to the fact that we are not mormon? We have both heard horror stories from people that moved out there and felt completely alone from the time they moved there to the time that they left.

Of course you will be able to find social groups that will not "shun" you. You will probably be pleasantly to surprised to find that Mormons will not "shun" you either. The horror stories you have heard are likely from people who have come here bound and determined to be "shunned" and who found that they were, in fact, "shunned." There is something really tragic about those self-fulfilling prophesies.

I'm sure that the mormon question gets asked and answered a lot, so thanks for putting up with me.

More often than you can possibly imagine. Read some of the threads on this forum and see what other people in your situation have had to say on the subject. You can probably get a pretty good feel for what to expect from reading their posts. Good luck in making the best decision for the two of you.

[Zionide]

I echo what everyone else has said, but must also add that you, as an urban planner, may be pleasantly surprised with Salt Lake City. I'm in a planning master's program as well, and Salt Lake is beginning to come into its own as a viable urban city. There aren't a ton of planning jobs in SLC itself, but many smaller cities along the Wasatch Front have recognized the need for formally trained planners and are hiring. Most the private firms here are looking for environmental planners or landscape architects.

[msfoom]

In downtown, you find plenty of like minded people. You can also go to meetup.com to find a variety of different groups that you wouldn't expect from SLC.

I haven't lived here long and I was also afraid of the Mormon thing. So far, everything has been fine! All my neighbors are mormon and they all seem very nice. We've gone to dinner with friends that are mormon and it's no big deal. I find the bigger thing is that we don't have kids. Other than a job, kids really help adults meet other people when you are new in town. Since the area is so family focused, it's a bit hard. But honestly, I have found that when I lived in Arizona and California as well - so it's just something you deal with.

[trvlnstyl]

We are moving to SL from OR, but I lived in NV for 24 years and believe it or not, Vegas is a huge mormon town. We lived across the street from the bishop and his family and they were great! Now we also lived down the street from other mormons that wouldn't even talk to us and thought they were better than us, Oh well! But in 45 years I have found that this is true no matter where you are. So for those mormons that don't have the time for us, Oh well, and for those who want to co-exist and have respect for everyone in the world, I will always welcome you!