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Old 05-27-2010, 12:20 PM
 
8 posts, read 110,314 times
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Hello everybody,
I'm not sure how this forum works but I am moving to Utah in about 6 months and was just looking on getting the 411 as I have only been to UT once before to visit for the weekend.
I saw its beautiful but Im not really sure what I need to know and was hoping some current residents could clue me in to anything I might need to know.
I'm from Long Beach CA and have also lived in Orange County CA and L.A. CA. Im sure these places are all different from UT. I have family that is Mormon (I am not) and they said that UT is very Mormon. Hopefully it wont be an issue that I am not. Im still a good person, friendly and polite.
I'm looking for an apartment in a suburb of SLC. Im not sure what all the suburbs are but Im looking for the most highly recommend suburb. I have been looking at Midvale, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan areas.
I want to be a 15 to 20 minute drive from the city and places like good places to eat and the malls and shopping and concert halls and movie theaters and jobs but I want to be far enough away from the city that its more suburban and safe then the city area. Im looking for the Orange County of UT basically, not the L.A. But I still want to be close to things. Kind of a happy medium. Somewhere between city and suburb? Safety is very important but I will need to be close to jobs/businesses too.
Im not really sure what questions to ask about relocating to UT because I have never moved outside of CA, but I am just looking for any valueable information I might need to know. Something I cant just find on Google, like the weather statistics. Is there anything I should avoid in UT or be part of?
I'm a single white female in my mid 20's (not looking for a husband or kids) but looking at starting college classes and finding a really good job out there. I have been looking on indeed.com. Any other good places to look? Im currently a career woman here in CA with a good paycheck, currently in advertising and marketing. Looking to switch to a new career. Preferably something in demand within your area so I can continue to make good money. The reasons for my wanting to move is 1) 12% unemployment rate in CA 2) good schools very expensive 3) people in my area are not the most respectful or polite 4) looking for a religious (any religions) republican area with friendly and polite people 5) want a place where houses and apartments are more affordable.
UT has always been a place I have been interested in so Im taking the leap. Any advice?
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Old 05-27-2010, 12:32 PM
 
Location: Mostly in my head
19,855 posts, read 65,665,464 times
Reputation: 19375
Start reading the threads in this forum as all of your questions have been addressed before, some of them many times (like the LDS thing).
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Old 05-27-2010, 03:37 PM
 
Location: Utah
5,118 posts, read 16,562,176 times
Reputation: 5341
Murray & Sandy have enclosed malls; West Jordan has a large shopping area known as Jordan Landing which is a bunch of stores & strip malls concentrated in a given area.

There are plenty of chain and non-chain restaurants in each of the cities you mentioned.

Downtown SLC has several indoor & outdoor concert venues; West Valley City has the E Center; Sandy has Rio Tinto stadium and an amphitheater; Not sure what Midvale has; Murray has an amphitheater, and I'm sure there are more but those are the ones I can recall.

Do you own a car? Have you ever driven in snow?

Do you like outdoorsy activities?

I haven't rented an apt in the SL valley in over 10 years so I don't have any advice for you there.

Do you want to attend a university or a community college? I suggest you start with that plan and/or finding a job then decide where to live, etc.

Manufacturing and medical field related jobs seem to have the most growth. Not sure how that fits into your plans. I haven't searched for a job in over 11 years so again, I'm not much help.
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Old 05-28-2010, 03:21 PM
 
8 posts, read 110,314 times
Reputation: 14
Thank you eggalegga. I will check out those malls/shopping centers. It sounds like there is a lot of concert options so thats nice.
I dont own a car because here in CA the weather is nice enough to take the bus everywhere. However I plan on buying one in UT as I know the weather may require it. I know how to drive, and in the rain, but never in the snow before.
Im not a sports person but I like walking, jogging, hiking, and laying in the sun. I enjoy being outdoors if its not too hot or too cold. I like swimming too. Our beaches here in CA are dirty so I stick to swimming pools. Not sure where people swim in UT. Lakes? Pools? I dont think you have a beach.
I would like to go to community college or a trade school but not an expensive school, so I think that would leave out universities.
I dont know anything about manufacturing but would be open to medical related things. My experience is in sales, customer service, management. Is it hard to find a job in the SLC area right now? Here in CA its VERY hard, and having a degree doesnt help you right now out here. I think its because the people with degrees generally ask for more money then the people who dont, so they are having the hardest time finding jobs. Maybe they need more money because they have to pay back student loans. But I believe your unemployment rate is lower? Here on city data its quoted at 4%. Is that correct? Here in CA its 12% unemployment.
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Old 05-28-2010, 05:26 PM
 
Location: Utah
5,118 posts, read 16,562,176 times
Reputation: 5341
I think state wide our unemployment is just over 7%.

Here's a link to SLCC and it's various locations. If you're going into a medical field, there are probably specialty schools/training centers that you can look into. I'm not familiar with those.

Lots of swimming choices here...both in the city and in the mountains.
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Old 05-30-2010, 12:37 PM
 
8 posts, read 110,314 times
Reputation: 14
Just to get a better idea about SLC/Sandy/Cedar City/Park City (the areas Im interested in) can you guys tell me what you think the top Pros and Cons are of living in UT so I can weigh them against each other? Im sure there are things that only UT residents would know that people who just visit wouldnt know. Can you give me some examples of the good and bad things about living in those areas of UT? Thanks everyone!
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Old 05-30-2010, 02:36 PM
 
Location: Mostly in my head
19,855 posts, read 65,665,464 times
Reputation: 19375
PC expensive and cold - this is the ski capital, tourists in winter, crowded, poor driving conditions any time
Sandy - suburb, dull to me
SLC - city, diverse, lots to do
Cedar City - cold, small
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Old 05-31-2010, 11:35 PM
 
8 posts, read 110,314 times
Reputation: 14
What are the pros and cons of UT as a whole? I know I want of CA. The only reason I have been here so long is the good weather.
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Old 05-31-2010, 11:37 PM
 
8 posts, read 110,314 times
Reputation: 14
I meant to say I know I want out of CA. Way too expensive. I like that UT is mostly republican and hopeful lower crime and nice polite people (I would think) since there are a lot of Mormons.
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Old 06-01-2010, 07:03 AM
 
14,349 posts, read 14,165,853 times
Reputation: 45641
]I meant to say I know I want out of CA. Way too expensive. I like that UT is mostly republican and hopeful lower crime and nice polite people (I would think) since there are a lot of Mormons.

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If you decide to move to Utah here are some things to bear in mind:

1. Jobs here tend to be much lower paying than in California. Our cost of living is lower, but there are other factors. We have all kinds of educated people here as well. Utah is preferred by a subset of people who like living here and will take a job at very low wages just to get their foot in the door, so to speak.

2. Low unemployment rates can be deceptive. They don't measure the number of people who are working at McDonalds instead of for an advertising agency. All people who want "a job" and "currently have a job" are treated as employed. They don't measure people who want a job and have just "given up" for some reason and are in school or are at home raising children. The recession has hit every state in this country. If you are intent on coming here than my advice is get a job first. You will find if you move here that most of the best jobs are filled from within an organization. Most businesses do not readily embrace outsiders from out-of-state unless they possess some unique skill that is just not available locally or unless the applicant has some sort of "national recognition" for what he/she does (this is a very small subset of employees).

3. I think you've mentioned this business about wanting an area that is "mostly republican" twice. Its true that Utah has a voting pattern of voting heavily republican. Salt Lake County where you say you want to move actually had a slight majority who voted for Barack Obama in the last presidential election. The area may not be exactly what you are thinking. There are plenty of us who "don't vote republican" and it might be a good idea to not be so vocal about this preference. I think you mentioned you were from "Orange County, CA". Orange County is a very conservative area that is not typical of most of the USA.

4. Mormons, as a group, if you want to stereotype, do tend to be a bit more friendly outwardly than other groups are. You shouldn't take this to mean it will be easy to make friends in this community. Much of what you see is stuff like smiling or waving. Its rather superficial.

5. Probably the major "pro" for living here in Utah are the opportunities for outdoor activities. We have five national parks, national forests, and some of the best snow skiing in winter in this country. If hiking, biking, and/or skiing appeal to you that's a good reason to move.
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