Moab - The Good, The Bad ... (Richfield, Kanab: for sale, real estate, rentals)

[w8n2ski]

I'm looking at a potential relocation to Moab for work and play. Any advice for a midwesterner considering a move to the Moab area?

[jollygirl]

First off it really depends on what kind of work you do. The biggest economy there is tourism, so your best hope for work is service based, unless you are in the medical field. I know someone who runs a hotel there. He says there is a constant need for employees with a good work ethic, so there is work available. As far as living there, I almost moved there last May, in April I went down to find a rental and it was nearly impossible. Housing is limited and pricy. In fact in my search efforts I found many more vans for sale than houses/apts to rent, since that is part of the culture there, living simply in your van by the river (can be charming, I suppose). Try looking for a palce to live in the off season (Dec-March), you may have better luck then. I'm not sure about real estate, if your in a position that you can buy. As far as leisure goes, Moab is great, that goes without saying. In the town there are bike paths everywhere so getting around is easy and enjoyable. People are also really friendly there. Good luck, if Moab does not work out Salt Lake is pretty cool too, take it from another former midwesterner.

[ki2serenityLV]

I am from that area and there is alot to consider before moving there. A.) Do you like really hot summers? B.) Do you like to spend quite a bit for housing? C.) Are you an outdoor enthusiast who doesn't mind alot of tourism?

Moab is a great town, but I have found there are two kinds of people there. The rich people and the poor people. The rich people own businesses the poor people run them and everything works out great.

[moabmindy]

I moved to Moab from Denver first in 1998 stayed a year until my contract working with the school expired, then commuted for 2 years on weekends to be with my fiance, finally moving buying a house and cutting the corportate cord in 2001. We lived for 4 years in Green River - a community 45 miles away - where we purchased a cute house (built in 1910 on 1/2 acre w/water rights and 100 feet from Main Street) for $38,000. Eventually we sold the house for a loss just to get away from that horrible community, and have been living in Moab again since 2005. Moab is a beautiful location and it is not dominated by the LDS - the vast majority are not bad, but the ones that are, REALLY ARE!

As ki2serenityLV states about Moab - there are rich and poor. Very little middle class.

In Denver, I worked as a Data base administrator and Network Engineer, earning $75k/yr with excellent benefits. I have a bachelors in Biology and a Masters in Computer Science.

Jobs pay very little here. The employers don't pay anything close to realistic wages. I worked as full time e-commerce website manager at Zeal Optics for $12/hr. When I wanted to negotiate a higher wage, I was let go, and the labor board decided that because I was asking for more compensation, I was refusing to work and then endured a winter of no financial assistance and incapable of keeping up with bills. Zeal found someone else desparate to work for peanuts. I now work for a metal art studio as marketing coordinator and product designer. I now earn less than $25,000 per year. It is a full time position and those are rare.

Needless to say, there are no health benefits. Those are available only to the lucky few that find a job with a county/state/city job. Those jobs are rarely available and though I don't think it is the rule, there is a spat of nepotism that goes on here. Unless you have children, the state SCHIP health program is only available to people earning less than $22,000/year for a couple. My husband and I are slightly over that threshold.

Hotels pay about $8-$10/hourly depending on the clientele and restaurants/gift shops pay minimum wage - $5.85/hr. These jobs are seasonal and unemployment is the rule from Oct 15 to Mar 15 every year.

Housing is best found in December/January when the rental units are sitting empty. You'll save hundreds per month finding a home in the next 4 weeks as opposed to looking in March through October when all the transient workers push the rates up.

My suggestion is to make your own destiny. It is very difficult to carve out an niche in this economy, but it is possible. This past August, someone just moved in and brought a Yamaha dealership. There was no powersports dealer in town. He seems to be doing well. I know I was happy to be a customer, buying a motor scooter for cheap transportation.


Here are some websites that can help you look at housing and employment opportunities.

www.moabadvertiser.com - a local thrifty nickel type weekly publications. Hardly anyone puts classifieds in the Newspaper. Will have rentals listed, events, some jobs.

www.moabtimes.com - our weekly paper. requires a paid subscription (dumb) and has very few local jobs or rentals listed in the classifieds. But is is THE way to be informed as to the local squabbles and issues.

jobs.utah.gov. Search the electronic job board. our zip code is 84532 or grand county.

Best wishes
Mindy in Moab

[jdavid93225]

Well, you've already heard most of the bad news about Moab. The good news is that it's a beautiful place, and if you're into mountain biking or four wheeling, there are plenty of places to enjoy those activities. Moab is a pretty small town with not much around it for amenities. Grand Junction is probably the closest "big" city, and is about 100 miles away. Have you thought of living someplace like that, and just visiting Moab for your recreational activities?

A couple other suggestions to think about would be Richfield or Kanab, depending on what you're looking for. There are more likely job opportunities in those communities, and still plenty of recreational opportunities around. It really depends on what activities you're looking to participate in, and what type of employment needs you have.