Eyeing a move to Utah (likely SLC/Wasatch Front) from Texas. Try to talk me OUT of it! (Provo: apartment, low crime)

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by OnTheLookout

While the outdoors are beautiful, the real major problem I have here is the power and influence the LDS Church has over the political landscape. Some people say there is a separation of church and state. While that is generally true, it is far less so in Utah and SLC in particular.

Salt Lake City itself is actually quite liberal. We haven't had a Republican mayor since the mid-70s and our current mayor (also Democrat) is a married lesbian woman with children.

If you are a member of the LDS faith, then Utah is your Shangri La. If not, it can be a trying place to live.

I'm a practicing member of the LDS faith, and while I love it here, it's definitely not because of the control the Church exerts over the political system. I would much prefer that we had even greater diversity here than we already do and that the state overall were much less red than it is. Not all Mormons see the environment here as Sangri-la.

[SWFL_Native]

Originally Posted by OnTheLookout

While the outdoors are beautiful, the real major problem I have here is the power and influence the LDS Church has over the political landscape. Some people say there is a separation of church and state. While that is generally true, it is far less so in Utah and SLC in particular.

In the last 12 months (I don't recall exactly when) a bill was put before the state legislature to legalize all forms of marijuana, not just allowing it for medicinal use. The vote went to the people and it passed by a huge margin. That same week the Church went into the legislature and completely supplanted the will of the people in a POLITICAL matter. Using their influence over members of the Church in office to revise the bill to reverse that decision and limit access to cannabis to medical-grade only.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics...asses-medical/

If you are a member of the LDS faith, then Utah is your Shangri La. If not, it can be a trying place to live.

What you’re saying is false.. Prop 2 that was passed in the last election was not a legalization of marijuana in all forms of use.

Here is the bill:

https://elections.utah.gov/Media/Def...20Analysis.pdf

The “church” has indirect influence in state politics but it’s the local RNC that really controls the state.

I do support Prop 2 but I certainly don’t want it to turn into Colorado here. If you want complete legalization of MJ then there are a dozen other states you can move to that are less “trying”. Me I’ve seen enough pot smoke, flat brim hat Subaru driving vappers to last a lifetime. Hard pass on that!

[SoCoRuss]

Unless your politics are of the Leftist persuasion, I would NOT choose Colorado. My wife and I have had enough of East California and since I just retired from a DOD federal job in Colorado Springs we are looking at Utah also but we are looking at smaller places away from the sprawl of the Wasatch front. Towns and cities that were great places a few years ago now seem to be a mass of traffic and issues.


I cant describe how this state has gone bad so fast in the last 8 years in a post here.

[SoCoRuss]

I have lived thru the Pot issue here in East California (Colorado). It ALWAYS starts as just for med use. Once that's in the door it all over. The parasites move to you and vote in moron politicians that just want the votes and money from it.They show grandma with Cancer and Uncle Bob in commercials with glaucoma and vets with PTSD as who will get it. BUT IT WILL be 85-90% 20 somethings claiming back pain and headaches and PTSD from life stresses if you can believe that from the little snowflakes. The crime goes up, you have vagrants on every street corner that get more aggressive every day. Then they start trying to get other drugs like Denver new Magic Mushrooms legalized. You can look up the CO data.

[SWFL_Native]

Originally Posted by wackyafterfirstglance

Yeah, that's quite a variety of states you've lived in...

That you've left the most desirable state on the East Coast for one of the more sparsely (for now) populated states in the West says something about how much you like Utah (or maybe how much you don't want to go back to Florida, I don't know which...)

You've lived in Colorado, too, I see. As I mentioned, I'm interested in Colorado, but most interested in Utah.

Florida is a disaster zone, I will only go back to a few areas to visit.

Parts of Colorado are great others not so much. Being sparsely populated is relative as I believe the Wasatch front is 2 million people.

[Houndsman1955]

I say do it. i moved here 30 years ago from Chicago. Best move I ever made. The state does have it's quirks due to the primary religion but you get by that carp pretty easy. Good luck.

[Kristenxlee]

Originally Posted by SWFL_Native

Florida is a disaster zone, I will only go back to a few areas to visit.

Parts of Colorado are great others not so much. Being sparsely populated is relative as I believe the Wasatch front is 2 million people.

I agree with that. We traveled to FL to visit my grandma who lives in the villages. Outside of the villages, Florida just isn’t so nice. Too many people too

[wackyafterfirstglance]

Update:

I've paid a few more visits to the Western states, including Utah's Wasatch Front region, for business and leisure, since I started this thread.

While I've also got to see Texas quite a bit more extensively, I have reached the point where I tolerate living here because of the sheer magnitude of things going on in Houston, and the fact that Austin and Fort Worth are cool and somewhat easily accessible (Dallas and San Antonio don't "do it" for me). However, Houston's still an ugly mess with the worst drivers imaginable (I know that Utah drivers aren't great, but Houston's are just next level). Austin's beautiful but only great for a weekend trip, and, honestly, too full of pretentious yuppies these days. Fort Worth is culturally interesting but arguably uglier than Houston, once you leave the (admittedly nice) urban core.

Extreme west Texas is beautiful, but El Paso isn't much to write home about, so it really feels desolate out there. The Hill Country is beautiful but has arguably the worst allergy situation in the United States. Stemming from that, every December through March, Hill Country pollen blows over to the Houston area and combines with Saharan dust that blows over from north Africa, and, lo and behold, it seems like everyone in Houston gets sick. (I understand that Utah's inversions are no joke, either, but there's no way they can rival Texas' and the South's overall allergy situation. Bear in mind, I grew up in the South, so I should know about the South.)

Lastly, while there are good people everywhere, and Texas has no shortage of them, I also don't find Texans (and Southerners) to be as friendly overall as they purport themselves to be.

My point is ultimately this: My trips out West, and the genuinely positive social experiences I've had just as a tourist, have helped strengthen my resolve to move back out West. Maybe I've just had dumb luck...but I don't think so.

At the very top of my list is Utah, namely the Wasatch Front region. I like downtown, I like Sugar House. Heck, I even like Park City and Provo. Secondarily, I'm also considering St. George (obviously in Utah), Albuquerque/Santa Fe (though it has an anemic job market) and now Sacramento (honestly a hidden gem, but still subject to Californian politics). I love greater Los Angeles and was actually happy living there overall, but only an out-of-this-world job offer can bring me back there at this point; for every one amazing pro of living there, there's also one hair-pulling con. I was interested in Colorado, but I've chalked that state up to be absolutely wonderful and lovely...to visit.

So, I'll continue monitoring the C-D Utah fora, and pose more questions if they come up.

Thanks to everyone who has responded over the last few months.

[altajoe]

Originally Posted by Goel

Exactly same boat and can't wait to get off the Front Range if not out of Colorado completely. We're still considering the western slope but Utah, NM, AZ (Prescott area) and ID remain on our list. The LDS "issues" doesn't concern me nearly as much as the inversions. But considering that we homeschool and I cybercommute for work I only need excellent broadband internet and decent (~1-2 hrs) access to a good airport.

If you want a laid back lifestyle with particular interest in winter/summer sports, take a look at the Ogden Valley (Eden, Huntsville, Liberty).

It's an hour from Salt Lake City (inc airport)
15 minutes from downtown Ogden for shopping and restaurants (neither is particularly inspiring though)
You can take public transport from Ogden to SLC International airport by taking the Frontrunner train to Salt Lake and then jumping on a tram directly to the terminal for about $6
Virtually no inversion
LDS influence is not overwhelming
Essentially an Alpine valley with a approx. 3,000 acre lake (reservoir) with boating/swimming/fishing, surrounded by mountains
A drawback to families is that there is no high school in the valley. The kids are bused down to Ogden, but since you home school that might not an issue.
There are several internet options (I use Centurylink)
Did I mention laid back? There isn't a single red light in the entire valley

Here's a nice video I googled:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEta...c#action=share

[cayennev8]

Originally Posted by OnTheLookout

While the outdoors are beautiful, the real major problem I have here is the power and influence the LDS Church has over the political landscape. Some people say there is a separation of church and state. While that is generally true, it is far less so in Utah and SLC in particular.

In the last 12 months (I don't recall exactly when) a bill was put before the state legislature to legalize all forms of marijuana, not just allowing it for medicinal use. The vote went to the people and it passed by a huge margin. That same week the Church went into the legislature and completely supplanted the will of the people in a POLITICAL matter. Using their influence over members of the Church in office to revise the bill to reverse that decision and limit access to cannabis to medical-grade only.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics...asses-medical/

If you are a member of the LDS faith, then Utah is your Shangri La. If not, it can be a trying place to live.

Agreed, although I could less about pot, the "laws" will ONLY ebb and flow with what "the church" says, I can't even watch or read the local news anymore because you can't escape it. I agree being a minority (religiously speaking) is really hard here.

I also HATE the dirty air in SLC, we moved out of SLC just to get away away from the pollution. The city is growing up too fast with high density living but no infrastructure to maintain it such as mass transit. SLC wants to play with the big cities but doesn't want to invest in the long term.