Spent the week in Utah, GREAT PLACE (Provo, Sandy: fit in, sales)

[OutOfSoCal]

Wasn't looking forwaqrd to it, it was for work, the weather was going to be very cold. I am in So Cal where 60 is considered cold.
Had a great time once I adjusted to everything closing between 9 and 10PM. everywhere was clean everyone was friendly and the cold wasn't really that bad. Will be out in the summer to see how things are in the warmer months. But we may actually look into relocating here instead of CO, we were looking at CO for the past 1.5 yrs. The job being based in UT gives UT the edge on the job front.

[BuhByeCalifornia]

I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself! I was in So Cal too and it's amazing how while 60 deg in California is really cold, 60 deg in Utah is WARM!

Good luck!

[alexei27]

Best of luck with your upcoming move. Utah is a great place to live.

you did not mention where you were for the week...in Salt Lake city??

[OutOfSoCal]

Originally Posted by alexei27

Best of luck with your upcoming move. Utah is a great place to live.

you did not mention where you were for the week...in Salt Lake city??

we were in Ogden, not the best part of the state I an sure but still very nice compared to alot of So Cal

[WhyNotSki]

OutOfSoCal, Glad you enjoyed Utah. My wife and I lived in San Diego and then in the Riverside area from 1999 - 2004. We made our first visit to SLC in 2003 and I fell in love with it. My wife however, was a bit skeptical, and it took me a year to convince her to move here. We landed in Draper in 2004, and have been here since. I would definately recommend Salt Lake over Denver any day. First, the mountains (skiing, hiking, fishing, etc) is much closer to the city than Denver. The Skiing is less crowded, and in my opinion MUCH better and closer.

Real Estate market is affordable compared to Socal, and the economy is MUCH better than both Denver and California. The schools are no worse nor are they much better than California Schools (If you have kids). Politics are very conservative (which can be a bit much to swallow for native CA residents).

Traffic is AMAZING compared to San Diego, IE, OC or LA. If you like professional sports, we have AHL Hockey, MLS Soccer, NBA and AAA Baseball.

Overall, our experience has been wonderful, you just HAVE to do you homework as to where to live. Although the majority of Utahn's are nice to just about everyone, there are places that "outsiders" do not fit in quite as well. Restaurants and Bars do not close on at 10/11pm in all cases, unless it is on Sundays.

The Job market in Utah is one of the best in the country right now, but just be warned, Utah based companies do not pay very well compared to non-utah based companies ( on average). Property taxes are fair, sales tax lower than California, DMV fees, Income Tax and Crime are all lower than California and Denver. Flying in/out of Salt Lake for business travelers is wonderful (as I do it weekly).

There will be some things you will find DIFFERENT, however the balance of positives vs negatives is enough to keep us around. In my neighborhood, we have people from Denver, Seattle, Colorado Springs, Dallas, Kentucky, Boulder, Boise, and others. Draper & parts of Sandy are more like California towns, while Murray I have heard is a very nice (older) community. The areas around the University of Utah is a little higher priced, but good/safe communities, and close to downtown.

Rapid transit is growing in Utah with them adding a Metolink type rail system that will run North/South from downtown to Ogden/Provo. The Trax rail is expected to expand throughout the valley as well as a Airport connector (over the next 10 years).

I hope all this helps...Good luck in your decision.

[OutOfSoCal]

I am a big MLS supporter, I work for the local team( parttime) and have worked for MLS teams for the last 12 seasons.
We are planning a trip out during the season to catcha game and get the grand tour of the facilities, I would like to keep working for the local team wherever I end up.
My "real job" home office is in Ogden, I assume a move to there would NOT also be a cut in pay but we'll see when/if the time gets closer. Looks like next summer for now unlerss something happens on the job front.

[SeanB2007]

Originally Posted by OutOfSoCal

Wasn't looking forwaqrd to it, it was for work, the weather was going to be very cold. I am in So Cal where 60 is considered cold.
Had a great time once I adjusted to everything closing between 9 and 10PM. everywhere was clean everyone was friendly and the cold wasn't really that bad. Will be out in the summer to see how things are in the warmer months. But we may actually look into relocating here instead of CO, we were looking at CO for the past 1.5 yrs. The job being based in UT gives UT the edge on the job front.

Hello, I was reading your comment. I'm actually a transplant from Las Vegas and it's not as bad here as the outside world thinks. If your into night life, the bars and clubs close at 1-2 a.m. and every restaurant serves alcohol, unlike what you may have heard. In addition, we have a light rail system, unlike other cities. We have several new and newer home under construction in great areas of the valley. <Moderator Cut -- removed link to poster's own business> Regards. James