New Provo / Orem thread - thinking of moving there... (Salt Lake City: middle-class, crime rates)

[Trump_Fan1]

I notice there is no thread for these cities in the past year or more, so I thought I'd start one.

I consider these two cities better than SLC and Ogden.

I'd like to hear from some locals. We're a younger couple, with no kids.

What I like about Utah are the following things:

- Culture of independent Mormons who prep and prepare.
- It's a young state.
- Scenery
- Family values

Anything to add about Provo Orem and why this area is better (or worse) than anywhere else in the state?

Also, how fresh is the food? I know there is some farming there, but not a lot. I suppose everything is shipped in.

[markg91359]

Originally Posted by Trump_Fan1

I notice there is no thread for these cities in the past year or more, so I thought I'd start one.

I consider these two cities better than SLC and Ogden.

I'd like to hear from some locals. We're a younger couple, with no kids.

What I like about Utah are the following things:

- Culture of independent Mormons who prep and prepare.
- It's a young state.
- Scenery
- Family values

Anything to add about Provo Orem and why this area is better (or worse) than anywhere else in the state?

Also, how fresh is the food? I know there is some farming there, but not a lot. I suppose everything is shipped in.

There are multiple threads here about moving to Provo and Orem. Even if they are a year or so old most of what is said is still valid. I sometimes wonder just how many people feel compelled to ask some version of the same question.

The consensus is that its not a good place for a non-resident to move unless they are good active, LDS, and want to live in a very morally and politically conservative community. Judging from your name, you probably do qualify for the last part at least.

[Hrothgar]

Provo and Orem are a-changin' and that reputation, from what I have been seeing is also quickly changing. That area isn't the somewhat quiet, crime free area full of families it was when it gained that reputatuon and is becoming a bit more like a smaller SLC, including rising crime rates.

[Katzpur]

I suspect the Orem-Provo areas would be great for a Trump fan. Just not for me.

[SWFL_Native]

I've interviewed for jobs in Utah country and balked s few times. Imo the best places are highland and alpine on down to Lehi and then Saratoga. Toga has pretty views across the lake and to the mountains but the bugs and bedroom community would be a no go for me.

Utah lake is not nice and only slightly better than the "great" salt lake. The rest of Utah county is just a pass through for me to get to the southern parks.

[Geo-Aggie]

Originally Posted by Trump_Fan1

I consider these two cities better than SLC and Ogden.

They are not. <--- Take note of the period.

Provo and Orem are essentially satellite cities, largely dependent on Salt Lake City. Similar to Mesa's relationship with Phoenix, or Tacoma to Seattle - yes, separate and distinct city, but without their larger neighbor they would essentially be Billings, Montana, or Grand Junction, Colorado. In many ways this makes Provo, Orem, and Ogden as well large suburbs - though not the largest, as that would be West Valley City.

Mormons have unique family values. On one hand they're all about what they call "traditional" marriage, and they frown on living with a non-married partner, but then on the other hand they encourage spouses to leave a non-believing spouse and the culture creates a lot of familial rifts when a son or daughter leaves the faith and the parents must then choose to begrudgingly accept their sinner apostate, or to cut them out of their lives - both scenarios happen. Often within Mormon circles, obedience to dogma and church leadership is more important than family values. If you ask me, that's more of a family liability than a marriage of two loving same-sex partners.

The scenery really is beautiful and unique. The mountains are something I still miss, having left the state two years ago, and the quick drive to the red desert landscapes of Southern Utah is incredible too, but depending on where you're coming from one notable thing which Utah lacks is trees. The "forests" in Utah have about the same floral density and biodiversity as suburban housing tracts in the Eastern US, and the only trees you'll find in the populated parts are going to be cedars, junipers, and the occasional cottonwood or aspen colony which is kept alive by artificial irrigation. Utah is a desert. If you like trees and woodland creatures, the lack of biodiversity can be obvious. Also, the weeds and insects in Utah are terrifying. Many of them have various ways of making your life miserable (usually spines or stingers). If you ask me, the trees for mountains is a fair trade, but I think some people underestimate just how brown and unwelcoming to life Utah is.

The prepping and preparing is a bit of a doomsday holdover from previous eras of Mormonism. The church was initially founded as a bit of a doomsday group. There was a belief that at any moment all Mormons would need the supplies to return to Jefferson City, MO - so having a stockpile was highly encouraged. Today though that's not as culturally common. Some of your older Mormons may keep a massive doomsday stockpile, my grandparents certainly did, but generally the younger generation has abandoned this and keeps more of a 2-week emergency "earthquake supply" or something of the sort. I no longer believe in the faith, but my wife and I keep something similar due to cultural practices - though for us it's more like a 2-week flood supply.

Also be wary that despite your cultural and conservative leanings, in Provo and Orem if you aren't Mormon you may not be as accepted as you may think. Mormon conservatives may view you as a redneck or other unwelcome stereotype. While the culture of Mormonism does tend to be quite conservative, you may be surprised at how strong the snobbery and the in-group/out-group dynamic can be when you get large percentages of us together in a neighborhood. While the Mormon church voted quite strongly in favor of Trump, you'll find that the majority of them actually loathe Trump, but saw him as a necessary evil in order to prevent another Clinton presidency. Maybe take this with a grain of salt as I am admittedly quite liberal myself, but outside of a preference for small government and a hatred of same-sex marriage - the conservative "values" which Mormons stand for are very much at odds with pretty much everything about Trump. Most Mormons welcome immigration as they themselves are descendant of unwelcome immigrants. Most Mormons respect the environment as it's viewed as an extension of God or something. Mormons even believe in a sort of divine communism that's a touchy subject that I won't get into here, but.. be aware that it exists.

I hope this post was somewhat educational, there's a lot more to SLC than there is to Provo and I believe this is covered quite strongly elsewhere in the forum, good luck in your search.

[2onyandrews]

I have a job offer in Provo at the hospital we are older interracial parents of an 8-year-old. What communities are full of middle-class kids? she is an only child and needs friends. What is your over impression of provo? I am seventh-day adventist so Ii knows what a exclusive religion behaves like. We actually share some of the same lifestyles. Anyways, Is it good for a white man and a black woman to live?

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by 2onyandrews

I have a job offer in Provo at the hospital we are older interracial parents of an 8-year-old. What communities are full of middle-class kids? she is an only child and needs friends. What is your over impression of provo? I am seventh-day adventist so Ii knows what a exclusive religion behaves like. We actually share some of the same lifestyles. Anyways, Is it good for a white man and a black woman to live?

The Utah County area overall is middle class and suburban. There are a lot of children throughout, even close to BYU's campus.

I would describe Provo as a college town and a job center with a growing tech scene. It is also becoming more diverse, albeit slowly. More restaurants catering to the increasing number of corporate workers, visitors, and increasingly affluent residents are opening all the time. I imagine a career prospect is what is attracting you to the area, and you are not alone.

The area is predominantly white, but an interracial couple in an increasingly diverse college town isn't going to raise many eyebrows. It's 2019, and Utah isn't Mississippi.

[slomofo]

I'm in Lehi every day, I eat lunch in Orem at least once a week. Lehi is the fastest growing city in Utah because of all the tech jobs popping up every single day. Facebook, Snapchat, Oracle, Young living, Microsoft, Micron, Adobe, Ancestry, Xactware, doTERRA, Podium, Xango, Vivint, etc are all in Lehi or not far from it. Salt Lake County is pretty much filled to capacity and there's not a lot of room left to grow. Because of the SLC housing shortage as well as Orem's close proximity, and the fact that the train runs through it; I think the area should be blowing up with a whole bunch of new residents and the types of people moving in are probably going to be young people. I don't know much about Provo, I go there every once in a while and the downtown area has had a ton of construction going on for over a year now, so I try to avoid it because of all the traffic.

As far as the culture there, I think this question would be better suited for another forum. The people in Utah City-Data only know info about the place they live, but unfortunately they all live in the same area. If you want real and up to date information about anywhere in Utah county (except for Alpine), your best bet is to get info from someone that currently lives there because info that may have been relevant two years ago no longer applies and places that were farms two years ago could now be rows of tech companies with hundreds of employees or huge subdivisions with thousands of houses.