Living above the inversion - locations convenient to Salt Lake

[tchuck1234]

It's ludicrous to live in Utah and want to avoid the benches. It's like telling people in California to not have a house on the beach because of hurricanes. If you want to live in a bubble fantastic, but most people want to enjoy life, the odds of having your house slide down the mountain are close to 1 in a million, it just doesn't happen very often. Go enjoy life out in West Valley.

#Captainparanoia

[rh310]

The most convenient is probably Park City but if you live there and commute the 50+ daily miles to downtown, you aren't really helping the situation. Nowhere this side of the Wasatch seems high enough. I live in one of the higher neighborhoods and notice that when it first starts out were above it, but after about 1-2 days it invades us too. So maybe those extra days are worth something.

I faced this exact dilemma since I bought a house before moving here, and figured it was more important for me to be near everything and drive less, than pay twice as much to live somewhere outside the inversion and regularly be driving into the valley. You're also dealing with a lot more snow and colder temps up at those elevations.

Even after these last 6 days of awful air, I still stand by my decision. It's ugly to look at now but there are far more days when it's beautiful out.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by rh310

Even after these last 6 days of awful air, I still stand by my decision. It's ugly to look at now but there are far more days when it's beautiful out.

Agreed. No place is perfect, so you weigh the bad against the good, and when you do that, Salt Lake City comes out looking pretty darned good.

[rh310]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

Agreed. No place is perfect, so you weigh the bad against the good, and when you do that, Salt Lake City comes out looking pretty darned good.

Entirely. In fact, I think that's why inversions are so frustrating here. You see how beautiful it is the rest of the year that it's heartbreaking to see the valley trapped in smog. The smog has a far different effect on me here than it did in places like LA or Mexico City because there you're looking at it 9 out of 10 days. It becomes the norm. Here, not even 1 out of 10 days on average is smoggy.

[Geo-Aggie]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

Agreed. No place is perfect, so you weigh the bad against the good, and when you do that, Salt Lake City comes out looking pretty darned good.

... for some, and I totally get that - there's a lot of subjective great about Salt Lake and the surrounding areas. Personally, I don't miss much beyond the nostalgia of it being home.

I'd also agree that when deciding on a neighborhood yeah, weigh the good with the bad, you'll get that day or two of less smoggy air if you're at 6500 elevation, but you've also got more snow, a longer drive to get anywhere, and you paid a premium for it. If people really wanted to make a difference they'd elect state leadership who made air quality a priority, and live near transit stations.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Geo-Aggie

If people really wanted to make a difference they'd elect state leadership who made air quality a priority, and live near transit stations.

Well, as far as voting goes, I'm doing my part. Just not enough other people are following suit. But when it comes to living near transit stations, that's not even realistic. Everybody couldn't do that, even if they wanted do. And I can't think of a single transit station I'd even want to live near.