Moving from Kauai to Cedar City, UT (St. George, Kanab: ski resort, 2009)

[MAMA42]

Parawonvalley,

Thanks so much for the feedback. I think my dog was listening in as I read your blog to my husband...he left as I divulged the info. about your pup hiding ("life goes on...") Heehee...Our dog won't have a lot to "say" about the move...just mentally preparing for what's to come....he'll survive. Kauai has its share of thunder storms and we have officially renamed him "Shakey Jake" during his more traumatic moments. We love him, however, I'm sure he will adjust. Thanks for the feedback on the handyman/construction industry. Incidently, this is where my husband has been successful on Kauai....when others seem to drop the ball and don't show up!! We were encouraged to hear that there are just as many people in need of a realible remodel/repair guy in Utah!! In response to your family ties to Kauai, we probably see your sister in law once a week when we go into town to do our shopping. Funny how small our world can be! Good news about the schools. I'm a teacher here and calls home are a nightmare....parents don't want to know how their child is doing....I love my job and eventually after our child is school age I will probably go back to teaching. I feel excited about the change. We are still in the desicion making stages, but your feedback and kt76 have given us a boost! Interestingly enough, our realtor is stearing us toward purchasing in Parowan! Who knows, maybe we'll end up being neighbors!!

Aloha friend.

[MAMA42]

dmillercedarcity,

Aloha! So glad you were able to enjoy the beauty of Kauai. We will miss the oceans and beaches!! Thanks for the feedback on employment. Of course, this is where we "worry" the most...but, then again, the whole country is instable right now. We trust God is watching over us!! We have LDS friends here on Kauai and we are Christian....agreed, it is all in how we relate....afterall, "love thy neighbor" is a good rule of thumb no matter what a persons faith or background. We have had many blessings here on Kauai with neighbors who differ from us greatly. Thanks again for taking the time to write. It is awsome to begin to connect with the Cedar community!!

MAMA42

[kt76]

In answer to your questions, we moved because of a higher paying job in a more specialized area of my profession that I wanted to gain experience in. Also, I have more family up north and thought it would be good to be closer to them. However, we had very mixed feelings when we moved because we liked Cedar so much. We were afraid that we wouldn't like Northern Utah as much and we were right. At some point in the future, we may very well return to Cedar City.

As far as the job market is concerned, I can't say for certain because I work in a much different profession. All I can say is that I knew a couple of contractors down there that were having a hard time finding work due to the slow down in the housing market. Nonetheless, I think that things are speeding up a bit, and some of the contractors who came down from Northern Utah temporarily during the housing boom may have left by now. Regardless, St. George is only 45 minutes away and is really booming right now. If your husband can't find enough work in Cedar, then he should be able to find work in St. George. I am mormon and have no problem at all with hiring contractors who are not. As long as someone is trustworthy and hard-working, I don't care what their particular religion is or even if they are religious. However, mormons (and other conservative Christians) are kind of touchy about appearance. It would probably help for your husband to be clean-cut and clean-shaven. Regardless, Cedar is becoming much more diverse with the University being there and with retirees and people from So-Cal and Vegas moving there. People are a lot more open-minded and I don't think not being a mormon will be a problem at all.

Another area you might want to consider is New Harmony. New Harmony is spectacular with Kolob as a backdrop to the east and the Pine Valley mountains to the west. Also, the weather stats indicate that New Harmony is warmer (but still cold) during the winter than Cedar and basically the same temperature during the summer. New Harmony is along I-15 20 minutes southwest of Cedar and 25 minutes northeast of St. George. So it would be a fairly easy commute to both places for your husband.

With regard to the thunderstorms, Cedar is not nearly as bad as the Midwest. That being said, thunder and lightning are a common occurrence from mid-July to mid-September. Most of the lightning touches down in the mountains, which is why forest fires happen so much in the Intermountain West. The storms usually come in the afternoon and are gone by about 5 or 6 o'clock. Some of the storms are quite severe but most are fairly minor with some thunder and lightning and little accumulation in the valleys. The storms are more severe in the mountains. It is common for the storms to occur on a daily basis, but they are usually short in duration.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions you may have.

Originally Posted by MAMA42

kt76,

Thanks for the very thorough discussion!! This really helps. If I might ask, what made you want to leave Cedar? You have confirmed a lot of what our research is showing us....Cedar is a great place to live and raise a family!! Thanks for the endorsement. It has been hard to get a perspective on this other than what our research shows....especially being so isolated here on Kauai. Anyway, with that said your side note on employment looks like a little red flag. We get mixed reviews on the ease of finding jobs....my husband runs his own construction/home remodel business here on Kauai and is busy. We anticipate that he will be comuting to St. George for the majority of his business. Some people have said that if we aren't mormon we might have a hard time finding/getting work. This just doesn't sound right. We are Christian, hard working and enjoy people no matter what "religion", etc. Seems this is more important....are we missing the marK?? Afterall, with a new baby on the way and my being a stay at home mom (I'm going to put my teaching career on hold for this one!), employment is an issue. Do you have anymore feedback on this? Also, you mentioned the thunder storms...I enjoy the diversity of weather....on the other hand, we have skitish 9 year old dog who isn't quite as confident in these kinds of conditions....can you expand on the "daily" thunderstorms....are these the rockem', bangem', scare my dog to death kind of thunder storms???

Mahalo!!!

[MAMA42]

kt76

Good to hear from you again. You provide me with a rich perspective...right down to my husband's hair cut!! heehee. I love it!! Needless to say, he maintains a close shave so this should go well with those who appreciate a less rugged looking carpenter. I'm interested in checking out New Harmony. Good suggestion. We've thought about the commute to St. George for work and with gas prices soaring a look at central (to Cedar and St. George) areas is a good idea. At some point Hurricane popped up in our search, but something about it (maybe the name after living through Iniki) just didn't sit right. Wishing you the best in the Northern part of Utah and if there is anything else that pops up that you think might give us a little insight on this move, feel free to say "hi" again.

[Roarkx]

I lived in Cedar City for three years. The winters are extremely long and bitter cold. It is very windy 8 months out of the year. If you are not Mormon you will be shunned no matter what. Shopping is limited. Food is even more limited. Housing is cheap but so are the houses. The pay for most any job is very low at best. Good thing that your husband is a business owner and I suggest that if you go there, he continue on that line of work. Cedar is a beautiful place and there are unlimited outdoor recreation oportunities if you are into that. The college brings a very tiny bit of culture to the town. I completed an advanced degree in education at SUU and it is a good school. I am one of those people that can be happy anywhere I am so I am not dependent on the area I live in to be happy there. However, I would definately not return there unless forced. About 50 miles south of Cedar is a town called St. George and it has great weather compared to Cedar but it can be very hot in the summer. However, it has a little more diversity than most Utah towns.

Good luck

[hueimo]

Originally Posted by Roarkx

I lived in Cedar City for three years. The winters are extremely long and bitter cold. It is very windy 8 months out of the year. If you are not Mormon you will be shunned no matter what. Shopping is limited. Food is even more limited. Housing is cheap but so are the houses. The pay for most any job is very low at best. Good thing that your husband is a business owner and I suggest that if you go there, he continue on that line of work. Cedar is a beautiful place and there are unlimited outdoor recreation oportunities if you are into that. The college brings a very tiny bit of culture to the town. I completed an advanced degree in education at SUU and it is a good school. I am one of those people that can be happy anywhere I am so I am not dependent on the area I live in to be happy there. However, I would definately not return there unless forced. About 50 miles south of Cedar is a town called St. George and it has great weather compared to Cedar but it can be very hot in the summer. However, it has a little more diversity than most Utah towns.

Good luck

is the winter bitter and long in SLC, Sandy, cottonwood Heights, Holladay and south jordan too? I'm from Hawaii too, will be moving in June.

[hueimo]

Originally Posted by MAMA42

kt76

Good to hear from you again. You provide me with a rich perspective...right down to my husband's hair cut!! heehee. I love it!! Needless to say, he maintains a close shave so this should go well with those who appreciate a less rugged looking carpenter. I'm interested in checking out New Harmony. Good suggestion. We've thought about the commute to St. George for work and with gas prices soaring a look at central (to Cedar and St. George) areas is a good idea. At some point Hurricane popped up in our search, but something about it (maybe the name after living through Iniki) just didn't sit right. Wishing you the best in the Northern part of Utah and if there is anything else that pops up that you think might give us a little insight on this move, feel free to say "hi" again.

we're moving in June, moving from Oahu, Honolulu. can't believe how many Hawaii people are moving to utah, is there some kind of relationships between the 2 states? BYU is the only thing I could think of. I also noticed lots of CA people moving to Utah...

[coolcats]

Originally Posted by hueimo

we're moving in June, moving from Oahu, Honolulu. can't believe how many Hawaii people are moving to utah, is there some kind of relationships between the 2 states? BYU is the only thing I could think of. I also noticed lots of CA people moving to Utah...

Lots of Polynesians -- Hawaiians, Samoans, Tongans -- joined the LDS Church in the 1800s. Some moved to Utah. There is a large population here.

[hueimo]

Originally Posted by coolcats

Lots of Polynesians -- Hawaiians, Samoans, Tongans -- joined the LDS Church in the 1800s. Some moved to Utah. There is a large population here.

what about people who were born and raised in hawaii, but chinese...

[sheriwx]

I've been in Cedar City since high school, and I really like it. It has a nice small town feel (probably because it IS small town ) and people are very friendly. I think you'll like it here. Welcome!