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The county sizes are way different. SL County represents less around half of the SLC CSA and even a smaller portion of the state. Clark and Maricopa represent virtually all of greater Vegas and PHX respectively.
Let us know when UT goes blue like AZ and NV did.
Utah/SLC is often ranked #1 economically and has a very high QOL, although I'm slightly left leaning I couldn't care less if Utah goes blue. If SLC didn't have the ultra religious, conservative reputation it would be growing much faster than it already is, very few cities can offer what SLC has.
Utah/SLC is often ranked #1 economically and has a very high QOL, although I'm slightly left leaning I couldn't care less if Utah goes blue. If SLC didn't have the ultra religious, conservative reputation it would be growing much faster than it already is, very few cities can offer what SLC has.
Of course it's growing fast, this is ingrained into the church culture, Utah primarily grows from births. SLC is not bad but has pluses and minuses like everywhere else does. The Wasatch range is nice to live next to but the religious overtones knock it down for a lot of people.
None of the cities on this list are slow growth and other than Vegas, which is more tourist oriented, they all have solid economies. Here in Phoenix the numerical population gains tend to be in the top 1 or 2 nationally and the economic rankings usually land in the top 5 or so most of the time. Very few cities offer what Phoenix has as well, no we don't have the Wasatch mountains but the ranges surrounding the valley of the sun are pretty amazing as well, the sheer geographic diversity within a short drive of Phoenix quite unique (Sedona, Flagstaff, Prescott, and others). The city amenities in Phoenix outweigh SLC but I'd give the outdoor edge to Utah of course but Phoenix is no slouch in that department either.
"The biggest growth driver in Utah...is new births. Utah has long been among the states with the highest birth rate, largest households and youngest overall population: 31 years old compared to 38 in the U.S. as a whole in 2019. While the fertility rate has slowed a bit in recent years, natural growth still accounts for about 70% of the state's boom."
Of course it's growing fast, this is ingrained into the church culture, Utah primarily grows from births. SLC is not bad but has pluses and minuses like everywhere else does. The Wasatch range is nice to live next to but the religious overtones knock it down for a lot of people.
None of the cities on this list are slow growth and other than Vegas, which is more tourist oriented, they all have solid economies. Here in Phoenix the numerical population gains tend to be in the top 1 or 2 nationally and the economic rankings usually land in the top 5 or so most of the time. Very few cities offer what Phoenix has as well, no we don't have the Wasatch mountains but the ranges surrounding the valley of the sun are pretty amazing as well, the sheer geographic diversity within a short drive of Phoenix quite unique (Sedona, Flagstaff, Prescott, and others). The city amenities in Phoenix outweigh SLC but I'd give the outdoor edge to Utah of course but Phoenix is no slouch in that department either.
"The biggest growth driver in Utah...is new births. Utah has long been among the states with the highest birth rate, largest households and youngest overall population: 31 years old compared to 38 in the U.S. as a whole in 2019. While the fertility rate has slowed a bit in recent years, natural growth still accounts for about 70% of the state's boom."
I agree with everything you said. All the cities on OP's list are great cities, I'd be happy living in any of them.
If I had it my way I'd live in Park City in the summer and Phoenix in the winter, best of both worlds for me but I'm not a big skier/snowboarder. I agree with you too, hard to go wrong with any of these.
It looks like Austin is the CD poll winner, I wonder if these results will weigh in on the OP's decision.
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Utah will probably never go blue, but purple is a definite possibility. 
I agree with you too, hard to go wrong with any of these.
