Mormon influence on non- mormons (Provo, Sandy: house, rent, lease)

[dan k]

I thank all of you for your comments and do respect everyone of them.I did talk to her and she lived in show low arizona for 3 years and had to get out because her children had no friends and were treated like total outsiders , nobody wanted anything to do with them.
I myself have no problem with anyones beliefs but i also want to just be a good neighbor but also apart of the community.Maybe i just better skip the mormon areas because i do respect my wifes feelings and for her to feel that way it must have been bad because she is one of the last persons i doubt.
This woman will associate with any race and has lived in every neighborhood in phoenix and has nothing bad to say about any race or religion until i brought up Utah.
Thank you all, i will just avoid the whole state

[Trebek]

I have lived in several neighborhoods where no one has anything to do with anybody. Thats fine. It's called staying out of each others business. I think most neighborhoods are similar anywhere. I'm sure my next door neighbors watch over things when I'm away. I wish I had Morman neighbors right now. Both my parents and Sis do and claim they make excellent neighbors. My Sis has 5 kids and and is such a nice mama, that her house is where many of the kids seem to congregate. There are always one or two Mormon kids in the mix who fit right in.

Do what you feel is right, but it seems a shame for your wife to let one bad experience ruin her outlook for life.

My 2 pennies,

Trebek

[coolcats]

Originally Posted by Trebek

I have lived in several neighborhoods where no one has anything to do with anybody. Thats fine. It's called staying out of each others business. I think most neighborhoods are similar anywhere.

Trebek

You bring up an excellent point. If it happens elsewhere, its just the way the neighborhood is. Attributed to things like people are busy, they are city-folk, or set in their ways etc.. If it happens where there are lots of Mormons (or others of a group, I’m sure), then it becomes more of an organized “conspiracy.”

But I would agree that it would not be a good move for the poster. If his wife is already arriving with preconceived baggage, doubtless she will find what she is looking for.

[Rhondakat]

Originally Posted by Trebek

I wish I had Morman neighbors right now.

We moved to Utah a little over 3 years ago. We are non-mormon and wanted to move out west. (We are from Oklahoma). We love it here! My two teenagers have had no problems fitting in here. I like the wholesome atmosphere that this state seems to have and how nice everyone is. Our neighbors on both sides of us are Mormons and have been helpful and kind.
When we first moved here, missionaries did show up on our doorstep and we invited them in, told them we would never convert, but would like to learn about LDS. They visited us several times after that. It was very informative.

I would just advise anyone moving here to have an open mind.

[Blondie-Rabbit]

Seems it all hinges on past experiences with your wife. Dan why not ask what exactly happened? It might be more informative. Sounds like she's only lived in the Phoenix area, so it makes me wonder about the Utah thing. But I could be wrong on that from the readings. How long ago was it also? A lot has changed here. Was it other girls her age that brought all the trouble? If so it could be just the young girl cattiness that happens everywhere. One person has mentioned that if there is a religion in the mix, the relgion will ge the bad rep even if it is a general thing that happens. IE being in a Utah town and the young girl cattiness gets blamed as being a Mormon thing. Until you know the exact facts, it is hard to say what to do.

BTW, there is a good Harley dealership near me. It is at the turnoff of I-15 and hwy 9 going to Zion National Park. My brother is a Harley dealer back in Omaha.

[divine_eva]

Why are you considering moving to a state that is so very Mormon?!? It's not that you would personally be bothered per se, but I just don't think you would be happy living anywhere but in the bigger cities ie: Provo or Salt Lake or maybe something inbetween.

I think Montana sounds like the better option. You have several beautiful landscapes to choose from and the people are friendlier with few issues.

[rsay777]

I used to work for an electronics firm in the SLC area. The admin is 99.0% LDS the staff probably 80% the place is/was referred to as a place for returning missionaries to come work. Anyway, from time to time I had purchase parts for jobs. My manager would say "we don't buy that much over there" We only had a couple of suppliers to choose from and the one I'm referring to had the best inventory etc. After a few years working for the company I'm talking about I finally figured out what my manager was really telling me. What he was telling me was that we don't support their business beacause they are not one of us. I can tell you now the members of the LDS church support each other. If you live in Utah you will fit in better if you drink Mountain Dew for breakfast eat tons of candy and say "heck" "dang" "fetch" "flip" "gosh" etc etc etc. Once you get past all this everything will be smooth.

[ExilefromCa]

Well, here's the thing. The reason Utah is such a beautiful, wholesome state is because of the culture that generations of Mormons have built in that particular state. I can tell you that Utah is one of the cleanest states I've ever driven through, and that I have considered moving there myself. Mormons in general are decent folks and not radically different from other religious bodies in terms of their values. They place a strong emphasis on the family, which has made Utah a great place to raise kids.

My only concern about living in Utah has been that there may not be much for Christians of other denominations to get involved with. I'm studying for a career in the Baptist clergy, and I'm not sure if living in Utah would make it difficult for me to advance my career, since most of the religious life in Utah is LDS-centered. If you're a regular church-goer (or synangogue-goer, mosque-goer, etc.) you might want to check and see what kind of worship facilities are available in the town you are looking to move to. If you're in a major city like Salt Lake, you shouldn't have much of a problem, but some of the smaller towns are definitely dominanted by the LDS religious culture. And that's not always a bad thing. As I said, without the Mormons, Utah wouldn't be what it is today. If you like the culture of Utah, then you have to give the LDS folks some credit for building a state that places family values first.

[ExilefromCa]

Originally Posted by divine_eva

I think Montana sounds like the better option. You have several beautiful landscapes to choose from and the people are friendlier with few issues.

Divine, I actually moved to Montana in the hopes of finding a culture similar to Utah's, but with a more diverse population. Unfortunately, I don't see too many similarities, beyond the natural beauty of the state. MT seems much less family-oriented outside of the major cities like Bozeman, Helena, etc. There's a good deal of drinking and gambling here, and arm-length tatoos are a common sight among young people. Religious life is also lacking, and churches don't seem to take a very active rule in MT communities. I'm not trying to knock the state - there's a lot here that I love! - but I don't see it as being similar to Utah in terms of culture.

Can you point me towards any particular areas of the state that you believe are similar to Utah? Lewistown is the only town I've visited so far that reminded me of Utah.

[Aerorick]

If people who have moved to Utah have found their wonderland of smiling neighbors, flower lined sidewalks, family values and sectarian bliss, my heart is with you. And if Utah's great outdoors with it's clean air and majestic views is what anyone seeks then Utah is better than most. I moved to rural Utah, 30 miles from Cedar City, from California a year ago and like it just fine. But beyond the vision of laughing children in the park there is a more fundimental issue that might affect some people thinking of moving here. And that being the economic realities. Forget the "Right to Work" title the state shares with most others. That in itself has nothing directly to do with the employment and jobs picture here. The fact is that wages in Utah, and in a small town like Cedar City in peticular, border on poverty levels. Unions don't come here, for better or worse, because there's some statutory barrior to them. It's because the wages are so low it doesn't pay for them to care. By California standards housing is downright cheap. But most of the people in Cedar,for example, can't affort one.
It's been my belief that Utah has for years touted it's weather, stary-eyed friendliness and cheap labor to attract businesses. And, argueably, encouraged illegal immigration to maintain it's reputation for availible labor when the skilled and educated natives moved to Vegas and beyond for livable wages to raise their families.
What exists today is an economy based on tourism, farming, mining and service industries. There are no Boeings, Toyotas, Banking centers or technology complexes. And with the current housing industry downturn, or should I say disaster, a lot of the people in construction are going to be looking elsewhere at the same time.
All this to say, if your thinking of moving here there's three scenerios you might want to consider. One, you've retired, sold your house and actually have more than enough to build or buy another one without working again. Or two, you have enough to get into a house and have a bullet-proof proffesion or skill to establish a livable income. Or three, you can commute to Vegas.
As far as the fears some people have written of concerning LDS or anything else, it's a free country and you can live where ever you want. I've always believed that when you take the pretty wrapping off any society you'll find everyone is the same. Crime, drugs, gangs, corruption, premarital sex, lying and cheating doesn't stop at any states borders.