Utah was one of the 9.

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by famlife

thanks for all the great info guys! Utah doesn't sound half bad! it'd actually be kinda nice to live where big families are the norm and there's not a lot of crime :-) thanks for all the great information, Venusv, and i'm glad to know about the schools Belle, i'm going to do a search on them.

The big family thing was a draw, we love being able to find seating for 6 at any restaurant. Back in CA we would have to wait for the two booths per place that could seat us all.

Plus we don’t get any comments like “did you have all those kids on purpose?” (yes my wife was asked that in So Cal .)

[MrAnderson]

Originally Posted by skylar0201

I don't live in UT, but I used to live an hour from it for almost 25 yrs. Not sure Utah would really fulfill most of your list thought.

Once you get outside of the Salt Lake/Ogden/Provo area, there isn't a city with 50k people, and those areas are about 90% conservative ( which increases dramatically the more rural and the more south of Salt Lake you go--Utah is the most conservative state in the nation ), and can get over 100 several times during the summer; however expect about 60 in of snow during the winter.

Hill AFB is just outside Ogden, so there is a lot of military presence there, but there are a lot of places to hike in the summer around there ( as well as southern Utah if you want to hike in the desert. )

Don't really recall much of anything else ( but they do have Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake ) and the crime around there is about the same as a city with about 1.1 million folks, but not sure if Utah would be one of the top 9 states with the stats you're looking for...

Logan's at about 50k. And it's not 90% conservative. Actually, based on your description, I'd check Logan out. I'm not sure if there's a children's theater though, but there's a good arts district so perhaps. Logan's wiki

[famlife]

Originally Posted by hilgi

The big family thing was a draw, we love being able to find seating for 6 at any restaurant. Back in CA we would have to wait for the two booths per place that could seat us all.

Plus we don’t get any comments like “did you have all those kids on purpose?” (yes my wife was asked that in So Cal .)

I've been asked that too!!! and have been told that we're irresponsible... and other, more crude comments.

So Utah is looking pretty good, to be honest. At this point I'm mostly concerned about finding an area with a good hospital, a latin mass and a climate that we can enjoy. The rest is gravy. Or icing, or whatever.

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by famlife

I've been asked that too!!! and have been told that we're irresponsible... and other, more crude comments.

So Utah is looking pretty good, to be honest. At this point I'm mostly concerned about finding an area with a good hospital, a latin mass and a climate that we can enjoy. The rest is gravy. Or icing, or whatever.

When asked I say "We ONLY have four kids". Some people laugh some don't bat an eye.

I found this site, they mentioned a Latin mass but I don't know enough to know if it is what you are looking for.
http://www.latinmassschedule.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:ut ah&catid=54:tridentine-mass-schedule-by-state&Itemid=2

There are several really good hospitals here, I have a heart condition and that was an important consideration also.

So far I love the climate (moved here September 1)

[famlife]

good info we keep flip-flopping between Utah (SLC/Provo area) and Arizona (Tucson area).


NOT an easy decision! we are coming to visit both states in a few months, so i'm hoping that helps to make our minds up. i gotta say though, it seems like Utah is very nice for large families like ours. On the other hand, you can't beat the weather in Tucson, plus we know people there...

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by famlife

good info we keep flip-flopping between Utah (SLC/Provo area) and Arizona (Tucson area).


NOT an easy decision! we are coming to visit both states in a few months, so i'm hoping that helps to make our minds up. i gotta say though, it seems like Utah is very nice for large families like ours. On the other hand, you can't beat the weather in Tucson, plus we know people there...

One thing that swayed me was the economics of each state. Check out this report, it shows how each state compares to California, since Ca has the worst state finances. AZ is the most like CA and UT is one of the least like CA. The research I have done shows that we will survive an economic downturn better than most states. Our much younger demographics will help to boom us in the good times when they do come back.

http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/...tates_2010.pdf

[lisamikefoster]

Logan! (and I don't even live there....but I wish I did!)

Decent sized population, incredibly safe, tons of activities for kids to do, amazing access to outdoor recreation without hardly any crowds. Great arts scene due to the presence of Utah State University.

It's home to the Utah Opera Festival (all summer long), the Festival of the American West and the American Western Heritage Center....good health care, very family friendly.

It's conservative...I mean, it's Utah! But the presence of Utah State University and the influx of liberal minded professionals associated with it allows for some liberal view points.

90 minutes to SLC...but there's enough to do in Logan and surrounding areas that you won't miss it.

If you can brave the cold and take advantage of the beautiful surroundings year round by hiking in the summer, x-country skiing, snow shoeing, sledding in the winter, you'll love Logan!

How's that for a former Aggie!!!!!