Moving from Raleigh to Salt Lake City - Mormon Stigma

[luv2hike]

I always love these kind of post that make such a big deal about "Mormons". My husband and I moved here from California about 5 years ago, and at first there were a few things that were "different", but we eventually realized its no different than any other place.

In California we knew the neighbors on either side of us, in Utah we know practically everyone within two blocks of us. In California we bought beer at the grocery store, in Utah we buy beer at the grocery store. In California we had a glass of wine with dinner at a nice restaurant, in Utah we have a glass of wine with dinner at a restaurant. In California there were neighbors we didn't like, in Utah there are neighbors we don't like. In california there is all the talk about gay marriage, in Utah there is all the talk about gay marriage. In California there is corrupt politics, in Utah there is corrupt politics.

My point is that no matter where you live, there will always be things you do not like and things you love. We talk to both our non-mormon neighbors and mormon neighbors alike. When we have parties at our house, we invite both types of neighors. In our neighborhood we have mormon neighbors that don't invite us to their gatherings, but we also have non-mormon neighbors that don't invite us to their gatherings.

Yes there are a million freaking mormon churches in Utah, but wait this was a state founded by mormons after all. If you go to Atlanta, you could throw a rock and hit a baptist church, so there is no difference. My husband I have grown to love this state, and plan on raising our children here, and potentially growing old (maybe in southern utah because we are getting tired of the cold and snow).

I would encourage anyone considering a move to Salt Lake to start a business or to relocate an existing business to look at the benefits from your business perspective. Most major cities like Salt Lake have a work force to support your business and to produce qualified workers. Utah is actually above the rest of the country with a higher high school graduation rate, and higher college graduation rate. Another benefit is profit margin, because wages are lower here, it reduces your operating cost. Corporate taxes are not the best in Utah, but they are very good compared to California. As one other person posted, there are plenty of start-ups in Utah. Many major tech-companies look towards Utah when they want to find new technology. EMC corporation has bought several Utah companies that are now part of the $MM dollar company.

Business is about risk, and if you are going to move your company across country to Utah, it involves risk, you should be more worried about mitigating your risk, than if the mormons will bother your workforce.

Good luck.

[Intermountain Dog]

I moved here from Ohio, I am not mormon and I have fit in just fine. It's a clean, pretty moral state, so I thought until the story about it being number one rated state for porno. Oh, well, what goes on behind closed doors and when your wife is asleep. Anyway, yes, there is a nightlife here and it's fun!

[stycotl]

Originally Posted by Intermountain Dog

I moved here from Ohio, I am not mormon and I have fit in just fine. It's a clean, pretty moral state, so I thought until the story about it being number one rated state for porno. Oh, well, what goes on behind closed doors and when your wife is asleep. Anyway, yes, there is a nightlife here and it's fun!

some of those wives are the ones doing the deed. in fact, on the radio this morning, a representative of the local swingers population was being interviewed, and she was saying that slc has a large population of swingers. i'd bet that the porn is part of the package, though i don't have first-hand experience to say for sure (promise, honey!).

[Rob Harris]

I don't know about the other towns in Utah but Park City is very open to people of all faiths and backgrounds. You should take a look here. I know Summit County would love to see clean, non-tourism based businesses here and have several friends that are exploring federal funding for creating a new technology based business. I haven't been single for a long time but we have fantastic restaurants and some good clubs; it's not like an urban setting but instead has a "resort feel" to it. Park City is an events oriented community and there seems to be one almost every week in the summer and winter. The school system is great and education is highly valued.

[Rob Harris]

This is a great post! I moved to Utah 23 years ago to take a job in Destination Resort Sales and the questions I got then are the same we are getting now. "What about the mormons"? "Can you get a drink in Utah"? I have lived in San Diego, Sun Valley, Idaho and Park City and have made wonderful friends (of all faiths) where ever I lived. We would love to see some non-tourism business in Park City so I hope the criteria you cited will be satisfied here. Rob

[cinnabon]

Read the dates, people... The thread was started in 1/08!