Interested in the St.George, Wash. Cty. area (St. George, Hurricane: short sale, 2011)

[BlueEyesAhead]

Something else about St George...TONS of building going on, lots of golf courses and many many homes - in the $300,000 range, BUT where will these people work? It's sort of isolated...cedar city is the nearest "bigger" city. Looked to me like it was turning into a retirement community. The realtor wondered right along with me how jobs would keep up with the home building.
& about the trees...stubborn as I can be I mentioned perhaps I could possibly just PLANT some trees in my yard...the realtor mentioned that yards and landscaping is governed by HOA rules. So a lot of yuccas and cactus and yes....ROCKS!

Pretty though...really...just rather to visit.
Anyone tell me what SLC looks like up close and personal???

Best,
BEA

[mommy3]

I've lived in Salt Lake City, Boston and Mission Viejo, CA and St. George by far has been my favorite. We left Boston because the cost of living was so high and it was too humid in the summer and too cold in the winter. St. George is absolutely gorgeous! The red rock mountains are stunning and the weather is amazing 9 months of the year. Although it gets hot in the summer it's nothing like the humid summers in MA. It's very dry heat, which I love. There are city pools and a couple of splash parks which are nice in the summer, there are also 2 lakes about 10 minutes away that you can go boating and swimming in. 20 minutes and you are up in the mountains( Brian Head, Zions National Park) where it is nice and cool The thing I love the most is the that you have blue skies, hardly any clouds, and a lot of sunlight almost the entire year. It stays light until 10pm in the summer. The air is clean, the people are friendly and if you like to do things outdoors such has hiking, camping, swimming etc, you can do it year round. If I were to recommend a particular area I would say either Ivins, or Washington. Ivins has the redrock mountains as a backdrop. The Washington Fields was more agricultural and is very green, but still has some great views. Washington Fields is a little less developed because the farmers have been refusing to sell there land to developers, and the lots that are available are between 1/3 of an acre to 1 acre. 1/3 of an acre is going for about 170K.Rightnow is the perfect time to buy because the cost of housing has cooled down. To get a 3 bdm, 3 bth, 1700 sq.ft on 1/5acre is about 285K they were selling for 350K last Sept. If you still want the climate and are willing to move atleast 20 minutes from St. George, I would say buy land in Virgin or Toquerville where it is much cheaper and you can get a bigger lot. You are just not as close to all of the amenities. They are also building an international airport in Washington, which should be done in 2008. I have 3 young children and I just love being able to go out all the time and do stuff with them. I couldn't do that in Boston because of the weather, and traffic. It really is perfect here. I would recommend it to anyone, who wants a better quality of life. If you have any questions you can e-mail me personally. My email is slcmommy3@hotmail.com

[elliecap]

My family and I recently relocated here from Denver. We only lived in Denver for a year and a half. We came from Minneapolis and my hubby was born and raised in WI. I was born and raised in CA. Out of everywhere I've lived (excluding the beach areas in CA- for beauty only) I will take St. George weather anyday. I love the heat (nice and dry... that's how I like it). It's snowed here this winter and I just laughed because it stayed on the ground for like an hour. Not like the frozen tundra of MN or the winters in CO. Also, I hated the winds in CO. The only thing I really dislike about this area is the shopping. I love big malls... I have Nordstom withdrawals. Also, I'm not a huge outdoor buff and some of those biking, hiking things are a little hard to do with a 22 month old (maybe I'm just a wimp). The LDS people here are super nice. I don't know a non-LDS person my age. And unfortunately it makes it a little tough to make friends since all the family activities and get togethers seem to be LDS oriented. I love my neighborhood and my neighbors are really nice. Unfortunately, in St. George right now the lots to build a home are super expensive. There's a lot around the corner with no view surrounded by homes that's for sale for $209,900! Ouch. We paid $399,900 for our 4 bed, 3 bath with 2350 sq feet, but we are on a large lot. I know that where my parents live in Washington and bought about 5 years ago and their house has at least doubled. I think that the real estate is leveling a little bit though. I could answer any questions you might have being a newcomer here myself and coming from out of state. I would right more, but my son is ready to go outside!

[roadgliderider]

My wife and I moved here about 1.5 years ago as a couple without children. We are not LDS and hold no particular grudge against any religion, as for us it is more about how we are treated, not what religion you are. As much as we've tried to hold to this, it has become increasingly difficult to approach life here as described. Don't get me wrong-their are many nice people here in southern Utah. Few however, want anything to do with us. Much of this is that we are non-LDS, but more importantly, because we are "outsiders" and do not have the name of Staheli or other prominant SG families, we just can't seem to make friends. We came here for a multitude of reasons. We had come through here several times over the last 12 years on our way to the National parks. We liked it and felt like it would be great to retire here. As of this writing, we are considering moving back east. Simply put, we miss our friends. We have tried for over a year and have made some friends, but it is slim pickings. Now, more non-LDS folks have moved in, but it will take much more to water down the hypocrisy that comes with this religion. I am NOT bashing mormons-I happen to like quite a few people, however, they have managed to frustrate us and are potentially forcing us to look outside our dreams. OK, the best part is that this is the most beautiful place on earth to us. We do NOT want to move! If there are any non-LDS couples on their 40's looking for friends as we are, please e-mail us at roadgliderider@charter.net. If we remain here, we sure would like to meet some new people who are not critical of us due to our religion.

[noniesgirl]

roadgliderider, let me ask you this. How do you treat people that are L.D.S.? Do you approach them already thinking they are going to dislike you or treat you differently, simply because they are L.D.S. and you are not? I do know that there are members of the L.D.S. church that honestly think they are better than everyone else, but the majority of L.D.S. people are very kind. I know because I am L.D.S. and I consider myself to be kind to everyone I meet. I don't judge a person by their religous beliefs, their ethnic background, sexual orientation or if they have a handicap. I consider anyone I meet to be a potential friend, it's up to that person to decide if they like me. My son currently lives in St. George/Washington and is the manager of a deli in St. George. He has many friends that are non-members. I have raised him the way I was raised, which is how my parents were raised, which is how we are taught in our church: to love one another and be Christ like.
I do hope you can find some friends that you can enjoy doing things with. But I do ask that you try to rethink your feelings for L.D.S. people, we are not snobs. As for being treated differently because you are not a Stahlei or promenant figure there, that's the way it is pretty much anywhere. In Idaho, a lot of people think if you're not a native, you are an outsider. I'm no native to Idaho, I grew up in Nevada, 75 miles from St. George, which by the way is a very beautiful and wonderful place (housing is costly though), I have run into a few people that think because I am not a native, I don't like Idaho as much as they do or many other things that they want to come up with. I just let them think whatever they want, that's their problem if they want to be like that. I am so very sorry if someone from the L.D.S. church has offended you. We are not taught to be that way, we are taught to be just the opposite. I'm sure every religion on this earth has those that do not practice what they are taught.

[Sueywill]

We just rented a 3/2 condo for $800.00 and it is in downtown in a cute neighborhood near the temple on Main Street. We love the area and the work is too available, for those who want to work that is. We have been through flooding and fires here and the community is just awesome

[Sueywill]

You can have CA! I'm a native and left San Diego (East in Alpine) in 1989 and only visited 4 times since then~the traffic~the airheads~the inaccessible beaches~parking woes~need I go on? I can't recommend St. George more!
We aren't LDS and are prospering and LOVING life in Dixie...

[scirocco22]

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[Clangston]

My husband and I live in Hurricane. The housing is a little bit less than St George which is why we chose this area. We moved from Florida over a year ago. I find it strange that no one has mentioned Hurricane. It's a bit more comfortable than St George in the summer and the landscape is unbelievable! In my eyes, there is no place like it. It is named Hurricane for it's winds which can cool things off a bit in the summer. This town is growing leaps and bounds and is just a short drive to St George. We just took our first drive out to Mesquite today and had driven to Cedar City a couple of months ago. We also went to Springdale about a month ago. There are so many places to go that are just a short drive. Of course, Zion is pretty amazing and about 30 minutes away. We actually were planning to move to St George originally but wanted more house for our money. The realtor took my husband out here to Hurricane and we've been happy with our choice. We are in our early 50's and not LDS.

[Clangston]

Oops! Sorry Michelle......I've been away from the board for awhile and didn't realize that you asked me about Hurricane on an old thread of mine. Have you been to the St George area to look around yet?