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I've been in Boise for a week and got a chance to spend a full day in Salt Lake two days ago. I liked it alot more than I would have expected, I'll be honest. I know that doesn't mean I'd enjoy living there, but as far as visits go, I would definitely go again...
Being I'm not from the Interior West, or the Pacific Northwest, what cities are most comparable to Salt Lake? I do see some similarities in Boise, so maybe Boise is a smaller Salt Lake. But what about Denver, Colorado Springs, Portland, Spokane, Vegas, Seattle? All cities I've never been to...
By similar I mean as much in landscape and feel as demographics and weather, basically any factor you wanna relate as "similar"!
^This isn't the first time I've heard this about Salt Lake City and now I'm interested. I would think that you may like some of the other cities given their demographics.
I'll go with the Colorado cities since I've been to all 3.
Landscape - Colorado Springs. Pikes Peak towers over the city, and the summit is ~10 mi as the crow flies from downtown. Pikes is also 2000' higher than anything in the Wasatch Range. Denver is about 10 mi farther from the mountains than Salt Lake, the hogback is only ~7500, and the city is 1,000' higher than Salt Lake so the first impression is the mountains are smaller. Travel about 10 mi farther into the mountains from Golden and you'll start hitting peaks that are higher than the Wasatch.
Demographics - Colorado Springs. Fort Carson gives the Springs some diversity, but Denver is more diverse than both SLC and the Springs. There are more POC in Aurora than the entire state of Utah.
Politics - Denver-lite. Yeah, SLC is liberal, but get outside of the city and it turns in a hurry.
Weather - Denver - sort of. SLC is trending hotter in the summer than Denver and Colorado Springs. They've had something like 30 days above 100° this year, and Denver's had 5 or 6. Denver's days are warmer in the winter, but the nights are colder. Snowfall is similar. Salt Lake gets nasty inversions in the winter.
The only city that truly compares to Salt Lake City is Denver. Boise is more comparable to Portland than anything, the "Boise Bench" is on par with Portland's extreme brand of leftism that you just don't see anywhere in SLC.
Salt Lake City seems like a mix of Boise and Denver. It compares to Boise in that it has a high LDS population and has a very similar political atmosphere. It’s similar to Denver in that it is known for its mountain ranges nearby and recreational activities surrounding them.
Salt Lake City seems like a mix of Boise and Denver. It compares to Boise in that it has a high LDS population and has a very similar political atmosphere. It’s similar to Denver in that it is known for its mountain ranges nearby and recreational activities surrounding them.
Boise's LDS percentage is around 16% (26% statewide) while Salt Lake's LDS percentage is around 49% (close to 61% statewide). The LDS influence in Boise is definitely a lot lower than in SLC.
All three cities you mentioned are similar in that they are outdoor meccas.
Boise's LDS percentage is around 16% (26% statewide) while Salt Lake's LDS percentage is around 49% (close to 61% statewide). The LDS influence in Boise is definitely a lot lower than in SLC.
All three cities you mentioned are similar in that they are outdoor meccas.
True, Salt Lake is the LDS capital, but Boise is the only other city I can think of that has a sizable LDS population.
Other cities mentioned in this thread like Portland and Seattle are some of the least religious cities in the US.
I'm not familiar with Boise but I always thought SLC is like a "little brother" city to Denver in the Rocky Mountain region, as Portland is to Seattle in the PNW region. That, the mountainous scenery, and a nice clean airport is pretty much where the similarities stop between SLC and PDX.
the "Boise Bench" is on par with Portland's extreme brand of leftism that you just don't see anywhere in SLC.
Really? Are there routine protests there? Anarchist/communist group houses? Is it typical for people to introduce themselves with their pronouns at group events? Was there widespread property destruction and flipped cop cars during the George Floyd riots? I'm surprised to hear anything like that exists in Boise.
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