Kanab - what's it like? (St. George, Price: transplants, sales, houses)

[pyrlover]

Hi
I am going to Kanab to visit Best Friends Sanctuary. Thinking of starting a pet business in a smaller, growing part of Utah. Can anyone tell me about what life is like in Kanab? I also was considering Hurricane or Ivins, as it is closer to St George. I need to find modest housing, with a bit of land. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats and am in my 50's. I am wondering if there are many single people living there too.

Pyrlover

[coolcats]

I've been to Kanab twice. It's a small town. Big enough for a couple of supermarkets, but no Walmart or Home Depot. It's surrounded by nice red rocks. It's warmer than Northern Utah, but colder than St. George. I would doubt there's too many single people there, but you never know.

Hurricane and Ivins are both nice towns -- part of Utah's "Dixie" where it is sunnier and warmer (hotter in the summer) than anywhere else in the state. Lots of retired people moving there.

May I ask what goes on at the Best Friends Sanctuary? I have heard a lot about it, but don't really know what sets it apart.

[desertdawg]

Best Friends Sanctuary is privatly owned I understand and they take in homeless animals and abused animals and find homes for the ones that can be adopted out but they keep the ones that just cant be trusted to go to any homes at least thats what I understand they do I have some friends that live out in kanab and I sometimes work out there I live in washington next to St Gorge

[pyrlover]

Originally Posted by coolcats

I've been to Kanab twice. It's a small town. Big enough for a couple of supermarkets, but no Walmart or Home Depot. It's surrounded by nice red rocks. It's warmer than Northern Utah, but colder than St. George. I would doubt there's too many single people there, but you never know.

Hurricane and Ivins are both nice towns -- part of Utah's "Dixie" where it is sunnier and warmer (hotter in the summer) than anywhere else in the state. Lots of retired people moving there.

May I ask what goes on at the Best Friends Sanctuary? I have heard a lot about it, but don't really know what sets it apart.

Hi Coolcats
Best Friends was started back in the 80's by some Animal lovers. They save and adopt out many domestic animals and provide homes for the unadoptable. I have always wanted to visit. I want to check out Hurrican and Ivins too. Are there many pet lovers in this area do you know?
Pyrlover

[RCL]

Originally Posted by pyrlover

Hi
I am going to Kanab to visit Best Friends Sanctuary. Thinking of starting a pet business in a smaller, growing part of Utah. Can anyone tell me about what life is like in Kanab? I also was considering Hurricane or Ivins, as it is closer to St George. I need to find modest housing, with a bit of land. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats and am in my 50's. I am wondering if there are many single people living there too.

Pyrlover

Kanab is beautiful. It used to be a wonderful place, but beware, it's rapidly being overrun by greedy Californians and the nouveau riche from other places coming in and buying up the housing and land stock. In a few more years it will have caught on as the new Santa Fe.

[LlasaLost]

Originally Posted by RCL

Kanab is beautiful. It used to be a wonderful place, but beware, it's rapidly being overrun by greedy Californians and the nouveau riche from other places coming in and buying up the housing and land stock. In a few more years it will have caught on as the new Santa Fe.

Having come from California let me just point out one little fact to you: by and large, just living in CA doesn't automatically make one stupid--or greedy. Do you really think that someone coming into an area wants to pay high prices? Perhaps the greed lies in the heart of the seller, not the buyer?

[Steadykat]

I have several friends who have gotten animals from the "Best Friends Sanctuary". The people who run the facility provide a great service.
My parents moved to St George in 1992. Recent arrivals, Californians in particular, have always been viewed with a degree of suspicion. Lately there has been a rash of letters to the editor in the local "Spectrum" newspaper authored by recent transplants from California. The general attitudes conveyed in the letters IMHO are arrogant and insulting towards the local populace. I lived in CA for over 30 years and was happy to escape it. Not to insult any poster here but people leveling complaints toward members of the "Golden State" who move here with the "this is how we do it in Ca" attitude is understandable.
I not so sure that it is a good time to start a business in Southern Utah. I believe that we will find the large number of people moving here from other places, particularly CA, crashing to a stop. The housing "bubble" is heading south. Housing inventory numbers in the U.S. are growing to record numbers and sales are declining in every state. People will not be able to cash out houses and move here with the equity. Remember that the economic growth we have seen in Washington County over the last three years was fueled almost entirely by new transplants and the services that they required.

[Jocad]

just got back to the east coast from my second visit to kanab - best friends. You will love it there. the scenery is beautiful, the people are friendly, not much to complain about. As for opening a store, there are three pet stores already in town. Seems there are some "affluent" families moving in...as for singles, I think your best and maybe only bet will be those who work at best friends. Hurricane is a cute place, a bit less senic though with less tourists I would guess, and quite a hike to best friends from there. Loved St George, and if you're really thinking hurricane I would highly recommend checking on St George as they're pretty close...plus you may have more luck with the single scene.

[momofgjc]

As a fellow CA transplant originally from KS, I can say that we are not all snobs *L* I am just a farm girl at heart and we live in the desert not the big city (where I do find a lot of snobs do come from, because they are moving to our area also, to escape the city and thier city attitudes with them...believe me, we don't appreciate it either )

[cas2006]

We consider Kanab and environs great country having visited there many times. Not sure what kind of pet business you're thinking about. We've been in the pet care business for 16 years in northern Utah...not sure the Kanab area would support such a business. St. George area probably would. We have volunteered at Best Friends Sanctuary on several occasions...it is a marvelous organization, having saved thousands of domestic pets. They are responsible for saving many cats/dogs from Katrina and, more recently, from the war zones of the Middle East. We are considering a move to that area as a matter of fact, after we sell our business. Prices do seem to be escalating, tho I don't believe they're doing so at a faster rate than where we are presently living. Californians? Our dogs love Californians...think they taste like chicken. KIDDING! I guess if I knew some normal people I would have a comparison basis, but I don't.