New LOGAN Residents Discussion (Salt Lake City, Provo: rentals, homes, neighborhoods)

[gbail]

Dear All:

My wife and I are early retired, college educated professionals who are thinking about moving to Logan, Utah. Because we are not LDS though, we simply wonder what the quality of life issues are in Logan for residents who are not members of the church. Any thoughts or advice you might have about how we might go about establishing ourselves in Logan and transitioning to the society there would be helpful.

Thanks much,
Guy Bailey

[Marv]

Logan is very cold, but a beautiful area as well. The people (in general) will be much warmer than the weather.

It is not uncommon that wherever we may live there are groups of people who are tightly knit due to nationality, large family groups, religion, etc. Utah is no different. Because the LDS religion does create a lot of interaction between it's members (all lay ministry, so everyone is involved in the Church), there is a natural tight bond between the members. Others who are not involved in the LDS Church often mistake these close associations as being "clique-ish". There is no overt attempt to be so, it just happens. All members are encouraged to be a true friend to all of their neighbors, no matter what nationality or religion they be. In general, I believe that is what you will find.

I have found as I've moved into new neighborhoods over the years that the proportion of friends I make increases greatly as I get out into the neigborhood and become a friend rather than waiting for the neighbors to come to me. Shock all of your neighbors and take them plates of cookies when you move in.

Good luck.

[queenlucy]

Welcome to Utah! Logan's a good choice--even the wonderful Utah scenery doesn't get much more beautiful than that. Marv is right, though... it's COLD.

As for meeting new people, you'll do just fine, I'm sure. Everyone I've run into in Logan is really friendly. (I haven't lived there myself, but I've got a lot of family and friends up there.)

Especially since you mentioned you're of the, shall we say, academic inclination, make sure you take advantage of all the great things Utah State has to offer. There's always some concert or lecture or exhibit open to the public going on.

Enjoy! Be sure to drive safely if you come down south -- Sardine Canyon can be tricky, especially in the winter.

[FromCaliToUtah]

I don't think you'll have any problems with the Mormons in Logan. The majority of people in Utah are extremely good people and are very friendly. They may ask you what ward you're from. Just look at them puzzled and reply, "Ward, Isn't that something in a mental institution"? Or if they mention a stake center, pretend like you think it's a restaurant. You may get a little tired of seeing Gordon B. Hinckley on the news every night recovering from colon cancer surgery. You'll also get tired of hearing,"Oh my heck." That's usually the only response you can get from an LDS person after telling them something with shock value. Sugarhouse (Salt Lake City) is a good place for educated people, who can think outside the bubble, to live.

[gbail]

Thank you all for your responses. We hope to get down to Logan to look at homes next month (any advice as to neighborhoods?), on the way south from Idaho (where we currently reside) to Arizona (where we have family). We once lived in Flagstaff, where we both worked at the university, so we are used to cold weather in winter...as long as the sun comes out once in a while. Up here in Idaho this winter, we have had more rain than snow, and way too many gray days (like today, dark, low clouds and rain mixed with snow). So, we are looking for a place with a bit more sunshine in the winter! Maybe Logan will be that place. It sounds good so far.

cheers,
Guy Bailey

[dan_c]

My family and I aren't LDS either. We haven't found it to be a big issue. Our neighbors are all nice and, I'm sure know that we aren't LDS. Other than the occasional "missionary" who comes by absolutely nothing is said of it. Actually, after a deep theological discussion with the last missionary group...we haven't been bothered by that either.

I would say that you will find Logan perfectly fine. Many of the social events do center around the Ward. However, there is lots to do here that isn't in any way related to the LDS church. I'd say that overall it is pretty much a "live and let live" attitude. You'll like it here.

[Wooly]

Hello gBail,
I am up late with a sick baby and I read your post, so I decided to register and answer you. I don't know if we are objective advisors or not, but I can tell you that after 4 years here we love Logan, and highly recommend it.

Logan is not a small town, but it seems that way. The city is 60,000 proper, but the valley is about 120,000. It has ample shopping for anything you would need. Logan is still a college town, which is why we so enjoy it. We are college people, we love the college atmosphere. USU is a very good school. They are a considered a research university, which is hard to come by for a state school of our size (25,000 or so). They have excellent facilities really. The university is what gives the greatest amount of diversity (that and the ever flowing tide of newcomers like yourself). It's what keeps Cache Valley from being just another rural LDS place. Of course it is somewhat isolated, and it is still pretty heavily LDS by non-Utah standards, but that is what you will find anywhere in Utah outside the Wasatch Front really (Weber, David, SL, and Utah counties). I think you will find that if you live in the nicer areas, your neighbors will be about 50/50 LDS, and you won't really mind. I am sure you have lived around plenty in Idaho too. The politics are conservative, but this is the rural west. But again, remember, the area is getting less LDS every day, and that trend helps make it a place you will not feel stifled in. Logan is not as much an LDS clique as other places (excluding the Wasatch Front metro area of course) in the state, so you should be fine that way.

The weather, well you actually get some seasons here:
1) The winters are cold, and a touch long as well, but people get used to anything really. After our first winter we acclimated fine. We are 10 degrees colder than SLC most of the time. We don't get down below 20F much until after Christmas really. Jan and Feb can be very cold, often down to zero, below that a few days here and there. If you can get through those two months, you are fine really. The nice thing is that we get beautiful snow, and it stays on the ground most of time from Dec-Feb. It makes for a cozy winter in my opinion. The HARDEST thing for most people is the lack of sunshine in the winter. We can get a depressing grey for much of the winter. I would guess that we only get sunshine about 40% of the time for the three month stretch from mid-Dec to mid-March. If you can deal with that you are OK. The rest of the year is pretty sunny really.
2) We do get a spring here too, unlike most places in Utah. It's true that in a mountain valley like ours you can get a random snow storm in March, April or even May sometimes, but they are over quickly and melted away in a day or two if they even drop that much. But, we also get nice 70F in April and May, and low 80F days until late June. It's not hot. We get some rain in the spring, and the valley is very green. That is HARD to find in Utah. Having lived back east, we both prize that. We like seasons and greenery.
3) Summer is 10 cooler here than the rest of the state (inhabited areas anyway). We are about 85-90 degrees in July and August. We will get a week or two in the summer with 90-95. We will get a weeked or two worth of close to 100 even. But having lived in Provo and Cedar City, I can say the summers are just nicer here. You can go outside during the day and not have to hide from the sun.
4) Fall is a short, but that is normal in the west. We get a temp break in mid Sept, and October is awesome! We will get one small snowfall before Halloween (or freeze at least). Novemer is half fall and half winter. But, although we get a little snow in November, Winter doesn't really start until Dec. And, it's still sunny a good deal of the time too, until about mid Dec.

As for neighborhoods, going north to south, you should look for Smithfield, Hyde Park, North Logan, River Heights, and Providence. You may consider Logan east of Utah State Univeristy too, and Cliffsides area if you feel like a mansion. You want to look on the east "bench" in ALL of these locations too. The bench areas are all nice areas with nicer and newer homes. You will find a greater diversity in these locations too, since there are a lot more new move-ins. Except Smithfield, the rest are all 10 minute drives or better to the center of town...EASY! We live in Providence, and I can be parked at USU in 10 minutes after a 4.8 mile drive (we wind a little ). The reason to avoid Logan is that it has become a town of student housing, young family starter homes, and single family/couple rentals. People with money, and those looking for a nice neighborhood, are moving to the locations I have mentioned.

Feel free to email me if you want to know more. I may be a little biased in favor of Logan, but I will help where I can. Wooly

[Aggie]

I fit this profile also. I would appreciate a little more info on the "grey winters." I use solar electric now and wish to to continue when I retire. Just how grey are winters?

Thanks ... bruce

[anne8]

Hi, your article was soooo informative. Alot of people use this forum as a place to get on their soap box, so thank you for the information on Logan. Can you tell me how long it takes, not being a slow driver to get to Salt lake from logan. Also , I heard the evenings get cool during the summer, is that true? thanks cheryl

[brokencrayola]

Logan is a college town and people from all over the world attend college there. My husband went to college there and we used to visit often when we lived in S. Idaho, an hr. away. You should not have many problems there not being LDS. There is more diversity in races, religions and people in general there than in many towns in that area.