Newly married, Non Mormon moving to St. George (fit in, transplants) - Utah (UT) -Washington County - City-Data Forum

kelly.bacon82 · 03-22-2009, 09:01 AM

My husband and I are going to be moving to St. George within the next two months and are getting nervous on if we are going to fit in and meet people. We come from Pennsylvania and are not mormon. We are very outgoing people and love to meet new people but being non mormon are we going to have a problem? Also, we enjoy going out to dinner and enjoying a night out. Does nightlife even exist in this town? We love the climate and the outdoor activities but we are concerned about the ability to meet friends and not be discriminated against because we arent mormon. Also, we plan on starting a family and I have read children have a hard time if they arent mormon. Lastly, if anyone has a in site on the current economic situation affecting the area I would appreciate it. Thanks! Any advise will be greatly appreciated!

Lmejh · 03-22-2009, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelly.bacon82

My husband and I are going to be moving to St. George within the next two months and are getting nervous on if we are going to fit in and meet people. We come from Pennsylvania and are not mormon. We are very outgoing people and love to meet new people but being non mormon are we going to have a problem? Also, we enjoy going out to dinner and enjoying a night out. Does nightlife even exist in this town? We love the climate and the outdoor activities but we are concerned about the ability to meet friends and not be discriminated against because we arent mormon. Also, we plan on starting a family and I have read children have a hard time if they arent mormon. Lastly, if anyone has a in site on the current economic situation affecting the area I would appreciate it. Thanks! Any advise will be greatly appreciated!

Don't worry, there's a great chance no one's going to care about whether you are Mormon or not and your kids shouldn't have any problems at all. There are tons of out-of-state retirees and transplants there too.

toby04 · 03-22-2009, 12:48 PM

Spend some more time reading on here on all the Utah forums. The "will I be accepted because I am not a Mormon" has been discussed over and over. Yes, there are a lot of Mormons here, and other religions. St. George is a great place for people who love the outdoors. Not so much the party scene. St. George was just listed as the #10 list on growing metro areas. The unemployment rate is lower than the rest of country, but still struggling from the effects of the "boom" that recently ended. Home prices are down and deals are to be had. If you can find a job that will pay for it!

kwdad · 03-23-2009, 02:38 PM

As a transplant from all over (military) we found St. G to be the place that we wanted to live. There are challenges, but I having been willing to commute over 300 miles each weekend so as to not live in CA. When we left CA we started driving north and St. G was the first place we came to that we could stomach.
Some people complain about the schools....CA has over paid day care for 6-18 year olds, UT doesn't offer that. If your kids want to be in school, the schools will bend over backwards. If your kids don't want to be in school they won't waste their time on them....I have a couple of each.

Being Mormon/non-Mormon....we are belong to one of the churches, my wife has a job working for the other...not an issue as far as we can tell. This area was settle by Mormons and there is a lot of history here. The community is growing and I would say our neighborhood is about 50/50. I don't see any prejudice in our neighborhood except for the house that actually has about 5 families living in it (guess ethnicity) The other homes with single families of the same ethnicity don't have any issues at all.
Just like CA, AL, NY, TN, KY, CO and DC, people here are trying to make a buck with the least amount of effort. Let the buyer beware. On the same token, if you ask around you will find the best quality and the best deals and know which businesses to avoid. Our Pool guy warned us that paying him in advance was not the norm, and not the best practice with anyone. We have kept him for 5 years and he has never let us down.
There are plenty of churches around if you are not Mormon.
People complain about not having the club scene or "Adult" entertainment in the area. Mesquite is 30 minutes down the road, Las Vegas is less than 2 hours. If you are going to complain about those things, ask yourself "why do I want to move to St. G?" We moved there because that is exactly what we didn't want.
Like all small communities, what is available is what you make it. if you want to sit back and be entertained 100% of the time, You won't find it here. If you want to create your entertainment or actually put forth the effort to do something.....there is no end. If you expect air-conditioned baseball/soccer fields, move to Montana. It is hot, but not unbarable.

NearlyNative · 03-23-2009, 09:15 PM

I agree with toby04 and kwdad. People don't take the effort to read to the bottom of the page before asking questions that have been asked and answered dozens and dozens of times. Of course, the entire topic would be pretty thin if no one asked the same questions over and over again.

markg91359 · 03-24-2009, 08:01 AM

You are going to find very little nightlife in St. George. Most social activity will center around families and churches. I think being non-LDS without children is tolerable there. I'd be somewhat reluctant to make St. George my home to raise children if I were not of the predominant religion.

Chickrae · 04-08-2009, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwdad

People complain about not having the club scene or "Adult" entertainment in the area. Mesquite is 30 minutes down the road, Las Vegas is less than 2 hours. If you are going to complain about those things, ask yourself "why do I want to move to St. G?" We moved there because that is exactly what we didn't want.
e.

Exactly. If it's a party scence, nighlife that is wanted move to somewhere that has it, or like you said drive to Vegas

Chickrae · 04-08-2009, 11:03 PM

Sorry I didn't proofread. Party Scene is what I meant and nightlife.......it's late!

yipyio · 04-29-2009, 03:05 PM

We moved her almost 3 years ago from Southern California. This is a beautiful place to live and bring up a family. As in all places there are a few anal people, but over all if you are friendly that attracts friendly people. St. George is getting more diverse every day. There are many different Religions here. St. George really does not have a night life like other places, but 20 minutes to the South is Mesquite Nevada and about 1 1/2 hours is Las Vegas. As far as kids are concerned get them involved in all the things that are offered to kids like tumbling & scouts. They will meet and you too lots of people that are just like you. There is so much to do here from sand dunes, lakes, mountains, deserts, this is out door heaven. Like most places things are slow and some people have gone out of business. The market here is a perfect time to buy a lot of home for the money. St. George has been rated one of the best places to live in America. Close to Zions National Park, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell, Lake Mead, plus a million other places. You will be blown away when you see the red rocks that surround this town.

katjazzlover · 05-04-2009, 11:08 PM

I grew up in Utah as a non mormon and was discriminated against all my childhood life because of this fact. All those people care about is their "temple marriages", how many baptisms for the dead they can do and whether or not the men in the family hold a position in the bishopric of their ward. Women are treated like second class citizens and are only considered baby making machines. Remember the more kids you have the higher in heaven you go. Growing up in and living in Utah was the worst experience in my life. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. If you aren't Mormon you will be considered an outcast. Your children won't have friends or date because you aren't Mormon. They will also bombard you and try to get you to convert. You should watch the Godmakers Part I and II to understand the religion as a whole. If you can avoid Utah as a whole, you should do so. Don't make the same mistakes my parents did.