Moving to Utah from So Cal (St. George, Logan: ski resorts, real estate, homes)

[Chronos]

Hi everybody! I've been reading a lot of the posts on here for a while and find the information really interesting. My wife, daughter and myself live in the OC, Southern California and are thinking of moving to Utah. We really want to get the heck out of the high congestion, traffic, taxes, smog, heat, and all around craziness that has become California. We just don't see a positive direction to this state. We are in our 40's and would like to find a nice place to settle down and stay to retire in. We have lived all our lives in So Cal, so we are not the type to jump around all over the map on a whim. What we really would like is a place with moderate weather, moderate taxes, less governmental big brother attitude, a nice place to raise our 11 year old daughter and have descent jobs. I know the jobs don't pay as much as they do in California, but I think the cost of living is also less. We have no jobs lined up, and would be moving when our jobs here dry up (which wont be too long, companies are closing soon.) We have been looking in Southern Utah because of the beauty and moderate weather. We have been looking at homes in the New Harmony area since that is what the Real Estate people tell us is a nice quiet community half way from Cedar and St George. We are not LDS and we have no problem with anyone who is, so that really is not a problem for us (unless someone makes it a problem). Live and let live I say. I would love to hear any comments or suggestions about the area, jobs, schools, etc. I believe the kids in New Harmony go to school in Cedar so anything you can tell me about the schools there would be great. The schools in So Cal are really loosing quality and I have heard Utah has good National Test scores. Anyway, bring on the comments, I would love to hear from any locals. Anything you can tell me about people, customs, taxes, things to watch out for etc. is much appreciated.

I should also mention that we have visited all the parks in the area and find them beautiful. That is partly what made us think of the area. The beauty, tranquility and the air seems so clean. If you have any questions of me feel free to ask.

[ChrisC]

Only thing I can contribute is my typical attempt to dispel the myth of "moderate weather" in Utah. There is no such place within the state. The only place in Utah that is even close to having a "moderate winter" is the St. George area. But summers are very hot (around 10 degrees hotter on average than the rest of the state's typically 90 - 95 degree averages). You can find cool summers (but very cold winters) above 8000 ft. But there really are no towns, other than ski resorts, in the high mountains. The rest of the state has cold/snowy winters and hot, dry summers.

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by Chronos

Hi everybody! I've been reading a lot of the posts on here for a while and find the information really interesting. My wife, daughter and myself live in the OC, Southern California and are thinking of moving to Utah. We really want to get the heck out of the high congestion, traffic, taxes, smog, heat, and all around craziness that has become California. We just don't see a positive direction to this state. We are in our 40's and would like to find a nice place to settle down and stay to retire in. We have lived all our lives in So Cal, so we are not the type to jump around all over the map on a whim. What we really would like is a place with moderate weather, moderate taxes, less governmental big brother attitude, a nice place to raise our 11 year old daughter and have descent jobs. I know the jobs don't pay as much as they do in California, but I think the cost of living is also less. We have no jobs lined up, and would be moving when our jobs here dry up (which wont be too long, companies are closing soon.) We have been looking in Southern Utah because of the beauty and moderate weather. We have been looking at homes in the New Harmony area since that is what the Real Estate people tell us is a nice quiet community half way from Cedar and St George. We are not LDS and we have no problem with anyone who is, so that really is not a problem for us (unless someone makes it a problem). Live and let live I say. I would love to hear any comments or suggestions about the area, jobs, schools, etc. I believe the kids in New Harmony go to school in Cedar so anything you can tell me about the schools there would be great. The schools in So Cal are really loosing quality and I have heard Utah has good National Test scores. Anyway, bring on the comments, I would love to hear from any locals. Anything you can tell me about people, customs, taxes, things to watch out for etc. is much appreciated.

I should also mention that we have visited all the parks in the area and find them beautiful. That is partly what made us think of the area. The beauty, tranquility and the air seems so clean. If you have any questions of me feel free to ask.

Comming from CA (lived in OC for years) I can say living with more extreme weather is worth it. July and August are hot but very dry, the winters are cold but very dry. I like the change up.

[Chronos]

Thanks for the comments guys. Yea, I know "Moderate weather" is a relative term. Heck, even in SoCal the weather can be really crazy. Right now it's over 100* (which is a lot here) and the humidity makes it so much worse. I have felt the heat in Utah when I have been hiking in the national parks. We always seem to make it there in the summers. Haven't experienced the winters yet. I figure a little snow can be fun. As long as it's not Wisconsin type snow I can learn to live with it. It would be nice to have a little snow around Christmas to put you more in the holiday mood. All I have ever experienced in SoCal it wet and dry, not much variety.

So I have read some threads mentioning how Cedar City is a good old boys type of town, and how St George is very quirky, is it still like that or has it improved any? My experiences so far have been that every time we visit the locals seem to be very friendly. Everyone smiles, is warm and welcoming, people wave or strike up conversations. I have never really experienced any type of problems, but then again I am only visiting. The weirdest thing was for someone from So Cal was the friendliness. California used to be a friendly laid back place, but that was 30 years ago. We have all gotten used to just ignoring each other. You can't really smile at anyone around here or they think you are up to something. It was really shocking the first time a stranger smiled at us for no reason.

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by Chronos

Thanks for the comments guys. Yea, I know "Moderate weather" is a relative term. Heck, even in SoCal the weather can be really crazy. Right now it's over 100* (which is a lot here) and the humidity makes it so much worse. I have felt the heat in Utah when I have been hiking in the national parks. We always seem to make it there in the summers. Haven't experienced the winters yet. I figure a little snow can be fun. As long as it's not Wisconsin type snow I can learn to live with it. It would be nice to have a little snow around Christmas to put you more in the holiday mood. All I have ever experienced in SoCal it wet and dry, not much variety.

So I have read some threads mentioning how Cedar City is a good old boys type of town, and how St George is very quirky, is it still like that or has it improved any? My experiences so far have been that every time we visit the locals seem to be very friendly. Everyone smiles, is warm and welcoming, people wave or strike up conversations. I have never really experienced any type of problems, but then again I am only visiting. The weirdest thing was for someone from So Cal was the friendliness. California used to be a friendly laid back place, but that was 30 years ago. We have all gotten used to just ignoring each other. You can't really smile at anyone around here or they think you are up to something. It was really shocking the first time a stranger smiled at us for no reason.

You stll may want to check out Northern Utah, the area I am in reminds me of the good things from South OC 25 years ago. www.daybreakutah.com


Here is a snow pic and 8 hours later after the snow melted. The snow is not that bad here, even though inches per year is more than wisconsin.

[irman]

Originally Posted by hilgi

You stll may want to check out Northern Utah,

All depends also where you live in *Northern Utah*.

Speaking of *the Salt Lake Area*, I have a son who lives near *the benches*, and we live south-west of I-215 on the south end.
When it snows, he gets a lot more than we do ...

I think this last year, I only used my snow blower only two times ...
(Shoveling snow takes too long for my driveway length, even using the blower, takes over half an hour ...).
The other times like the example from Hilgi.

Northern Utah.
If you include the area around Logan ...
Uhmmm, I do not even want to think about living there in the winter ...
Just me, just me !!!

Snow ... to me akin to elephants ...
Nice to look at, but a hassle to clean up after ....

LBNL, as I always have stated, numerous times,
You get used to everything sooner or later ,...
Even hanging ....

[ChrisC]

As for snow, there are times it snows and it's gone in a few hours. There are also times it snows and it's on the ground for a month. It's heavily dependent on your location as well. For instance, you won't see much snow on the ground in Wendover all winter long, but it's actually colder in the winter on average there than it is in SLC. Along the Wasatch, there are places where the snow sticks and piles up all winter and other places where it comes and goes. It also varies considerably year to year. I recall winters that we've been plastered with tons of snow that stayed all winter... and other years with hardly a flake.

[maridaou]

Oh im glad this thread started. I'm from Los Angeles and thinking of moving with my family for the same reasons...also scared of the impending big earthquake

[Chronos]

Thanks for the replies guys. You know, those pictures got me thinking. The reason we had not considered northern Utah was because we were under the impression that it became like back east in the winter. Heavy snow falls that stuck around all winter long. It's good to know it is variable and depends on where you live. I must admit being from So Cal we are not used to snow, so heavy snows are a little scary. I guess it can be adjusted to over time like everything. What I have noticed about Southern Utah is that the towns are rather small and shopping is rather limited. When we took a trip to see the New Harmony area we were surprised that it is ALL dirt roads. I don't mind a little rural, but that is a bit much. Not one paved road in the place. We just bought new cars a couple of years ago and the rocks would really mess up the paints in no time. A little bigger than that, but a bit smaller than SoCal would be a nice compromise. Jobs are also of some importance. I keep reading there are no good paying jobs in Southern Utah. Everything seems to be $10 or so. Kinda hard to live on that. I will be doing more research into Northern Utah.

Maridaou, by what I have read so far Utah is a rather quirky state, you must be ready to accept that. With that being said it certainly seems to have a lot of what we had in So Cal 30+ years ago. I grew up in SoCal and it is an entirely different world today from what I remember as a youngster.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

The Salt Lake valley is overdue for a "big one." We have small earthquakes all the time in UT but many can't be felt.