Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband grew up in Buffalo, NY and I grew up in rural Oregon (outside of Portland). We have lived in Miami for 3 years and 9 years, respectively. We are both sick & tired of the rude people, drunken idiots (some in their 40s), dirty air, humidity, bugs, and general lack of livability in this city.
We are both allergic to mold spores, which are extremely plentiful in the air here. We are considering a move to Utah (preferably Wasatch County) in order to find: dry/clean air, clean/safe neighborhoods where I can walk the dog without threat of stray dog attacks, lots of hiking and outdoorsy activities, less 40 something partiers (we enjoy a glass of red wine about once or twice a week, but drinking til you're 3 sheets to the wind is just obnoxious at any age), more down to earth people who enjoy nature, and the possibility of eventually owning a small home. Although we are not LDS, with the exception of coffee, the aforementioned occasional glass of wine, and the fact that I have NO DESIRE to wear a temple garment under everything including my bra...we are very similar in our lifestyle to an LDS family (though we are not a member of any church, since I have yet to find one that doesn't have it's share of hypocrites). My husband works in IT and I am a Sales Office Mgr. Will we have problems with moving to Utah from a jobs/business standpoint? I don't really care about the social stuff...if somebody decides not to be nice to us due to non-LDS status they can stuff it...however, I don't know about jobs as far as people not hiring you due to not being LDS. Anyone suggestions on best place to live, considering what we are looking for?
My dear welcome to Utah! You think Florida is weird...you have no idea what your getting into. I am moved from CA to St. George, UT 3 years ago. We first went to SLC, UT and checked around but it snows and we are not use to the cold weather. So we decided to move to a small city like St George, with friendly LDS and new relocators from all over the states. I am a paralegal for 20 years making a nice income in CA but never thought I'd have a problem finding a job here in St. George.
Well, surprise surprise...there are very very few law firms in my legal field. I'm a workers comp specialist and Utah is anti workers' comp state. Don't get me wrong they do provide medical treatment for injured workers but don't really follow the law. But that's another story.
Here's what I and other relocators have experienced living in Utah. Low wages, few jobs, perference to LDS applicants, not very many professional jobs in your husbands field but maybe in sales there are plenty but the salary "suck" big time! Most residents have 2 to 3 jobs to be able to afford living here.
Now if you move to Salt Lake City, they pay probably a little more, just a little. No big difference. Salt Lake City is high crime and what I understand there is very high air pollution. The winters are pretty bad and find a job in both your field is in much higher demand then in St. George.
What I would do is check out the job market in SLC first. Go to SLC and stay there for a week or two or more so you can see how it's like. There is a very nice city called "Provo" which is not too far from SLC. Provo, UT is growing and there are a lot of places to hike and the nature thing anywhere in UT. However, be ready to live in a LDS community. The LDS people can be friendly at first but then don't want anything to do with you or your family due to their religion beliefs. I'm only saying the truth. THIS IS WHAT MOST OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED. YOU'LL BE GETTING HIT BY LDS MEMBERS SAYING THAT THIS IS NOT TRUE AND BY OTHERS THAT WILL SAY THAT THE LDS PEOPLE ARE SO FRIENDLY AND NICE BUT IT'S ALL ABOUT STATUS (MONEY). GOD FORBID IF YOU HAVE A GLASS OF WINE OR TWO AND THEY FIND OUT OR GOD FORBID IF YOU DRINK COFFEE OR SODA OR TEA BECAUSE IT HAS CAFFEINE! HOWEVER, IT'S OKAY TO REMARRY 25 TIMES IN THE LDS RELIGION. It just doesn't make sense. If you move to Salt Lake City you'll find the people there are more diverse and open minded. There are bars and lots of nice different diversity of resturants, which in St. George there isn't. There are bigger shopping malls and lot of other interesting things to do in SLC but St. George is the next Sedona, AZ. The houses are cheaper here then in SLC but I would check around.
We went to North Carolina and there are many relocators moving there from Florida. Hava you checked there?
Last edited by The Casselli's; 09-15-2007 at 11:12 AM..
Reason: additions
Wasatch County is a beautiful area. It's also somewhat more affordable than its neighbors (summit county and utah county), and still has some open space. So buying a home there might be more feasible than some other areas, depending on what kind of budget you're looking at.
IT jobs are quite plentiful in northern Utah. I don't know about the sales office manager, having no experience in that area. But in general I'd say those are two easily transferrable jobs. However, in Wasatch County, those jobs probably are not plentiful. You would probably have to commute to Provo/Orem or Salt Lake, and that can be quite a commute in the winter. But it's doable. Wasatch County also gets a decent amount of snow, so you need to be prepared for that. There are a lot of other areas that would meet your requirements (near the outdoors, nice people, etc) that would be closer to work. But the real estate might be more expensive in those areas.
Also, Salt Lake City is not high crime. There are a few parts of the city that I wouldn't live in, because of crime and gang activity, but most of the city is pretty safe, and compared to Miami it's practically Disneyland.
I would advise you not to live in Utah county - -Provo/Orem specifically. The religious influence there is extremely strong and you will most likely not fit in. I lived there 21 years and couldn't wait to move to SLC. It's a good idea to rent for a while to see if you like any given area.
I think one of the major concerns you might want to really look at is the amount of snowfall any given town/area in Utah might receive. That seems like it would be a major adjustment from living in Miami. But maybe your hubby living in Buffalo, he's prepared for that.
If you move here do the research. IF and I mean that with capital letters, you have some specific benefit guarteed by Fl. that you want to find in Utah please find out if they have it. Most states differ wildly in what they have in their laws. As to the relisgious thing, this state is mostly LDS/Mormons. Like all relgions you will find good bad and indifferent. They do not marry 25 times. That is pure BS, and the poster in other threads has gone from saying 3x to 4x to 6x now it is 25x. You will find in Watsatch county they will not be appaled by your drinking wine occasionally, nor coffee. Utah county will be more apt to look down their noses at you for it. Summit county is geographically in Utah, But is not really Utah by any of its standards. Jobs are more plentiful in Northern Utah. The hiring preferences given to LDS is again BS. With a density of LDS being the majority pure statistics will say that a majority of LDS will be hired, just by numbers. There is a federal law that prhibits them from asking about your religion or lack there of. Do not listen to the wild stories to the contrary. Some on here have tried to say it is relgion when they just plain don't want to fit in to the work environment. Some come here from Calfiornia to get away from it, and then get upset when things are not just exactly like California in Utah. This is still Utah, and will be different. As to discrimination, I have seen much worse in TN. NM. AZ. and CA. In California it is more the norm to live next door to someone for years, and not know them or talked to them. You won't find that in Utah. Heber Valey has a lot to offer in the way of outdoors activities. It is close to Park City and all you could want from that town. Shopping will take you either to SLC or to closer Provo area. There are a lot of other places in the USA that sound good, but are far worse to live in.
Wasatch County is a very small community as far as employment goes. However, it is a close commuting distance from Provo and Salt Lake City with much larger employment oppurtunities. I grew up in Heber City, in Wasatch county and you will find it is a nice quiet community, ideal for raising a family.
Well, we are researching years in advance and would definitely take a trip out to Utah (probably one in early summer and one in winter) before taking the plunge. Of course, over the years cities and towns can change, but I am trying to narrow down the search. Based on the responses so far it looks like Provo or Orem would be a good place for us to start out, since IT jobs are plentiful and my husband is the primary earner in our family. Although I am currently a Sales Office Mgr., I have experience in Accounting, Construction Office Mgmt., Transportation Dispatch, Executive Admin. work, etc. so I should hopefully be able to find work just about anywhere we go. Another place I read something good about is American Fork, but that is in Utah county, which a few people recommended against.
Could someone please compare Provo, Orem, and American Fork as far as: possibilities of jobs in IT (specifically Instructional Design), average snowfall & info on whether each city uses snow plows/salt/etc., and general attitude of our possible neighbors? On the snow topic, as long as the roads are salted or plowed when necessary we are fine with that but we would prefer a place that gets no more than around 6 inches at a time, not the huge 2-3 ft drifts my hubby used to get in Buffalo. Frankly, our neighbors right now are quite an unfriendly lot - with the exception of a few of my friends who also own dogs as we do - so if we are shunned by LDS people it wouldn't be a huge change from Miami, though of course we would like to be able to make friends in a new locale. As for wine of coffee use, I can't imagine anyone would be aware of that since we drink coffee at home in the morning and the occasional glass of wine also at home with dinner (though of course any visitors to our home would notice the coffee maker or perhaps a bottle of wine). Please let me know your thoughts on each area. Thanks in advance!
Could someone please compare Provo, Orem, and American Fork as far as: possibilities of jobs in IT (specifically Instructional Design), average snowfall & info on whether each city uses snow plows/salt/etc., and general attitude of our possible neighbors? On the snow topic, as long as the roads are salted or plowed when necessary we are fine with that but we would prefer a place that gets no more than around 6 inches at a time, not the huge 2-3 ft drifts my hubby used to get in Buffalo. Frankly, our neighbors right now are quite an unfriendly lot - with the exception of a few of my friends who also own dogs as we do - so if we are shunned by LDS people it wouldn't be a huge change from Miami, though of course we would like to be able to make friends in a new locale. As for wine of coffee use, I can't imagine anyone would be aware of that since we drink coffee at home in the morning and the occasional glass of wine also at home with dinner (though of course any visitors to our home would notice the coffee maker or perhaps a bottle of wine). Please let me know your thoughts on each area. Thanks in advance!
Here’s a few thoughts to address your questions. Provo, Orem, and American Fork are all easily commutable, so jobs and residences in one would be quite interchangeable. I would just focus on getting the best house and job in any of those towns.
Generally the snows around here aren’t that much in the valley. Usually 6 inches or less, with the occasional storm up to a foot. I generally haven’t seen lots of blowing or drifting snow.
In my house, I have a big pitcher that says “Mr. Coffee” on it. If you look closer at the small print it’s a hot chocolate brewer, but you might not know that without looking closely. If someone comes into my house and judges me for having that, oh well. And I’m LDS and don’t drink coffee. So far it hasn’t turned anyone off, that I know of.
Utah County is looked down on by a lot of people because of its high LDS population, and what others perceive as a "holier than thou" attitude. They call it "The Bubble". I live in Utah County, and I love it, but take that for what it's worth. I have excellent neighbors and good friends here, I live in a safe and attractive neighborhood, and I have a good quality of life. But I'm LDS, so I realize I'm not seeing it from the "outsider" point of view.
As coolcats said, distance-wise and weather-wise, there's really no difference between Provo/Orem and American Fork. They do have distinct personalities, though. Provo is intensely LDS, given the existence of BYU and the Missionary Training Center there. I think it's a pretty city with a great atmosphere, and I like the college-town energy. It also has some gang problems, however.
Orem has much more commercial development, and a nice variety of housing options, from very upscale to quite affordable. American Fork is a much smaller town, but it's only about 10 minutes from Orem. It has grown a lot, but it still has a smaller-town feel. All of these towns have a lot of Mormons, although I think Provo has probably the highest percentage.
Snowfall is similar in all of Utah County, but it's not usually much of an issue. Utah County and Salt Lake County usually aren't bad, and the roads are salted and plowed when it does snow. We tend to keep the snow in the mountains, while it melts fairly quickly in the valleys. Certainly, I don't think it's anything like Buffalo.
If I were looking for IT jobs, I'd probably look into both Utah County and Salt Lake County and go from there. You can commute from one to the other, although the commute is getting bad. If you can live somewhat near your job, that would be preferable.
As for neighbors: we're nice! And I don't care if you have a coffeemaker or a bottle of wine in your kitchen. Most people don't care; just don't ask them to drink it with you. ;-)
Moved to summit park from fla. So happy we did. From skiing to the neighborhood happy hour to park city/slc so close it's great. Too many ++++s to list.
That said, do your research, find where you want to give it a go then commit. ATTITUDE is alot of life and this area of the world has proved fertile ground for me and my neighbors.
P.S. I love the snow in the neighborhood.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
To the family moving from Miami to Utah
