Is it really a rich or poor community...St.George???? (St. George: middle-class, credit card) - Utah (UT) -Washington County - City-Data Forum

CravenClan · 08-24-2007, 11:27 PM

I am writing this in response to a response on my thread (Pros & Cons of living in St. George) And i wanted to further it, if i could...

The post was stating how it is a rich or poor area, really no middle class. The remark about people in Harmons at 10pm, asking for $$ for RX'S....this was really concerning to me. I have stated many times, we are in So Cal, Temecula, and we have nothing like this. I am not saying i am rich and above this, but i don't know if i would be wise to move somewhere if it is that bad, is it? We rarely see any homeless people, i think i have seen 3 in the last 21 years. Noone outside grocery stores or anywhere else for that matter. We do not have any type of homeless or domestic violence type shelters at all.

I can deal wth the lack of shopping and what not, as i stated before. But i do not know if it is like that in St. George, is that a place i want bring up my children around. Yes poverty is all around the world, some places worse than others, i mean you can drive less than an hour and see lots of it, but i don't live in it.

ANy thoughts on this comment (not by me) All are appreciated, as this is a huge step for us....we are trying to get all out ducks in a row and be educated!!

THULIPRECIOUS1989 · 08-25-2007, 02:59 AM

that was a nice defination ,anyway i jus wanna know the characteristics of poverty

Blondie-Rabbit · 08-25-2007, 08:33 AM

Knowing and living in the area for the past two years, I can say, that I have not seen homeless here. Nothing like you would see in Californias. I saw lots of homeless in the Bay area. I have also never seen anyone begging for partial perscriptions here either. I'm off to Harmons later today, and will ask them if that is the case. BTW if they are Mormon, they would never go begging for things like that. The church has it's own welfare system, and if percriptions are needed and a person could not pay, their Bishop would help them out with general funds for those emergencies.

There is no real poor class. There has been a huge influx of migrant type workers that have filled into the low paying fast food type jobs, and cooks in resturants. I've seen where you have these latinos living with three and even four families in a small house. That is not the norm.

There are those who consider them selves rich here. At least they act like it. The majority fall into the middle class section.

Over 20 years ago there was no real distinction of classes here. It was all just normal people living their everyday lives not conserned with who has what.

LlasaLost · 08-25-2007, 10:47 AM

Craven--you really need to visit St. Geo for yourself!

As to the poverty/rich idea: of course there are people on the lower-income spectrum, and there are people in the area who are very rich, but by and large St. Geo looks like a neat, clean middle-class town---which it is!

Blondie-Rabbit · 08-25-2007, 12:30 PM

I just got back from shopping at Harmon's. I asked the pharmaist if they have ever had anyone there begging for a partial perscription. He thought long and hard, and said there was one time a few months back when a lady who was just passing through town (tourist) needed a partial perscription until she could get home. She was begging him to fill it, even though they had no records of it. Other than that, there have never been poor people begging for partial perscriptions for their kids. That being late at night or during the day. I thought that whole thing stunk.

EdLo · 08-25-2007, 11:38 PM

Blondie-Rabbit says: BTW if they are Mormon, they would never go begging for things like that. The church has it's own welfare system, and if percriptions are needed and a person could not pay, their Bishop would help them out with general funds for those emergencies.

BR, I know about the Mormon system of taking care of their own, and collecting a certain percentage of a persons gross (or net?) earnings. I think it's a noble inspiration.
Now, *If* I were to convert to LDS and I'm retired and I'm not making too much money (SS and small pension) and I have 4 people to support, would I still be obligated to tithe to the church? And is there a limit a person, or family can receive financial assistance from the church?
Just curious
Eddie

CravenClan · 08-26-2007, 07:51 AM

Thanks guys!!

BTW it was not my perception of rich poor, as i stated it was in response to my other post (Pros & Cons of St. George) that a lady said there was really no middle class.

To me, poor would be begging for money. Rich, or acting it (which we have all the time in So. Cal ie:maxxed out credit cards/equity lines, but one pay check or rate adjustment, and then the bank os coming for their house!)

Thanks Blondie, i knew you could post on this.

I do not know where the lady lives that made the original post on my other thread. She said St. George, and it sounded like shje relocated from SLC??? Maybe i am wrong.

BTW i have been to St. George, and it is very nice. I have my own issues to deal with, that no one can answer online like, leaving our family and what not. On thing i ponder, no i do not wnat my children to grow up and be a**holes like these ones where we live, BUT i want them to have some drive, initiative, and is that possible in a place where there are such low wages? I mean if there are a lot "getting buys" and the people that are living there do not even own houses, where does that leave our kids future. i wonder about that, and know ultimatley that decision lies souly with my husband and i>

Thanks All

Blondie-Rabbit · 08-26-2007, 08:01 AM

actually the getting by, and the not owning a house is happening everywhere. St. George 4 to 5 years ago, was relatively cheap to live in. Now the locals in the space of a few years have been pushed out of the housing market with no hope until the prices drop that they can ever hope to own a house. When that happens in an area, you know there is finacial trouble. St. George is not alone. It is wide spread. Some other areas in the country have the advantage of better paying jobs. That is at the bottom of the current problems in St. George. The old hard line families that are protecting their high profit margins by not allowing business to come in that would compete with their low wages. Some have made it in, but they are not in direct competition with the busines owned by the old families. That will change. I had to take my cat to the vet yestereday. The techs husband is the County Sherrif. She has to work two jobs for two different vetrinary places in order to augment her hubbies salary enough to afford the small house they purchased 3 years ago. The 72 hour work week is taking a toll on her. If her mother was not watching her small boys, she said she couldn't do it. Kinda tells you what wages are like here when the county sherrif can't make ends meet. Not his fault.

LlasaLost · 08-26-2007, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdLo

Blondie-Rabbit says: BTW if they are Mormon, they would never go begging for things like that. The church has it's own welfare system, and if percriptions are needed and a person could not pay, their Bishop would help them out with general funds for those emergencies.

BR, I know about the Mormon system of taking care of their own, and collecting a certain percentage of a persons gross (or net?) earnings. I think it's a noble inspiration.
Now, *If* I were to convert to LDS and I'm retired and I'm not making too much money (SS and small pension) and I have 4 people to support, would I still be obligated to tithe to the church? And is there a limit a person, or family can receive financial assistance from the church?
Just curious
Eddie

Eddie--just a little info (but not a lot) regarding the Church's care of others: a member is to pay 10% of their "increase," whatever that might be, (basically, that's net) as tithing; these funds are used by the Church for many purposes.

Within the financial structure there is also the Humanitarian Fund where voluntary donations go to help people around the world, whether or not they are members of the Church (think Katrina, Peruvian earthquakes, tsunamis); then there is the Perpetual Education Fund where voluntary donations go to help educate returned-missionaries who, through no fault of there own, and because of conditions where they live, would otherwise not be able to gain an education and thus better themselves.

And then there is the Fast-Offering Fund. This is where the $$ come from to help members who have fallen on bad times. These funds are obtain from members who, once a month, fast for 2 consecutive meals and then donate the amount of $$ those missed meals would have cost to the Fast-Offering Fund in order to help others.

Welfard assistance is given in various forms, often as food, sometimes to help with rent, job-counseling, and, more rarely, in other ways. AND, in answer to your last question: this assistance is meant only for short-time, stop-gap assistance until the individual or family can get on their feet again. It is not to be long-term, and it is not to be used in conjunction with federal-welfare funds (in other words, if you were to be on government welfare you would not be eligible for help from the church, and visa-versa---no double-dipping allowed)

Aerorick · 08-27-2007, 04:55 PM

I think one of the employment consequences of a town with a large percentage of "service" and constuction jobs is that they can be filled with immigrant labor. It is very much a retirement and "drive-thru" town.
I'm sure it's as good a town to raise kids in as Temecula. The main differance is that as a whole the per capita income is probably half that of where your coming from. So "lower" incomes are much lower and the "upper" incomes would be considered average in SoCal.
Also, you gotta' love the common complaint about "new" people pushing the price of housing up. They don't set the prices. The locals selling their homes and land to developers do.