Moving to Provo Area. Need Pointers. (Orem, Springville: apartments, to rent, condos) - Utah (UT) - City-Data Forum

HighCountryGal · 05-30-2010, 09:54 PM

I've recently been accepted to a school in Provo, UT (Rocky Mountain University). My husband and I will be moving to Provo in May of 2011. My husband and I are Christian, but not LDS. We understand that we are moving to a densely populated LDS area and intend to be very respectful of their beliefs etc. However, we hope to find an area where we will be welcomed despite our non-LDS beliefs. I understand this may not even be a realistic issue, I am only trying to prevent a painful transition for us. Are there areas of Provo that are more exclusively LDS compared to other areas? We do not need to live immediately within Provo but would like to stay close by. Overall, we hope to find a home to rent that is close to outdoor recreation (particularly rock climbing, hiking and fishing) within biking distance to school (south end of Provo) and in a friendly neighborhood. What area should we look in? What should we expect to pay for a 2-3 bdrm house with a fenced yard (for pets)? Lastly, are there many non-LDS churches in the surrounding area?
Thank You!

MrAnderson · 06-01-2010, 10:34 PM

The county Provo is in, Utah County, is pretty heavily LDS (78% by last estimates), but because it is such a growing area, it's becoming more diverse. Now the most heavily populated LDS city of the county is Provo, due to the huge BYU campus there. Do you have to live in Provo? What about nearby suburbs such as Orem? I think you may find the most diversity there. Either way, there are different churches and faiths throughout the city. All the areas of Provo are nice and safe. I know some of the western areas are more hispanic, and some of the southeastern areas are more liberal / gay community / etc.

But either way, you'll be fine, and get along well with your neighbors (Mormons are Christians too), especially with a positive attitude.

HighCountryGal · 06-02-2010, 04:09 PM

Thank you for your help Mr. Anderson. I certainly didn't intend to imply that Mormons were not Christians, only that I myself am an non-LDS Christian. If we were to not live in Provo what communities would you recommend we look at?

Mauka · 06-02-2010, 04:25 PM

The best parts of Provo are along the east bench, close to Provo Canyon. That area is amazing and Provo Canyon is simply breathtaking. You will probably find a lot of people in that area who have lived outside of Utah and came back, or moved to Utah from other areas. It is affluent but there should be some good apartments.
Another really cool town is Springville.
Springville City | The Art City
Springville has a very cool little downtown and has a lot of artists living in the area. It's kind of a unique blend of typical Utah with an educated/artistic vibe. Very nice little town. The people there are laid back.

ChrisC · 06-05-2010, 06:59 PM

You'll probably find the largest concentration of LDS folks in the northeast bench area--this is also the 'richest' part of the city. Probably the lowest income area (not a slum, just lower income) is in the south central and southwest area. There is an area of smaller, older homes that are generally well-maintained in the east to southeast section of town. People there tend to be less snobbish and a bit more down to earth/diverse (not to mention it's much cheaper than the rich areas). There are also a bunch of newer condos and apartments in that area. All of the more central district is a mixed bag. There are some truly great historic homes, nice newer homes, apartments, condos, etc mixed in with many true eyesores (trashy homes and apartments).

As mentioned in an earlier post, Orem might be a good option as well. Springville is nice, as long as you don't mind fighting traffic on the three main roads in and out of town during rush hours. It has outgrown it's road system the last few years--although they have made some progress recently.

Cycle · 06-11-2010, 02:18 PM

Just wanted to throw my two cents in here, but a little research will go a long way into easing the transition. Have you found a church that you might be comfortable with in the Provo area? Doing a search for churches in the area will help a little with determining the diversity in the area you might be looking at. I would also suggest reading my post 'Utah Valley can we be allowed to share our experiences' just so you can get some insight into some neighborhoods in Utah Valley. Not all of them are like my experience, but as I said a little research can do a tremendous amount of good.

madpacket · 07-28-2010, 10:39 PM

My family moved to Spanish Fork in June when I took a job in Provo. We are non-LDS, and from what I can tell the only ones in the neighborhood. Wikipedia says that SF is 98% LDS, and I believe it. We had a BBQ with 6-8 other families and were the only non-LDS in attendance. If that sort of imbalance bothers you, then perhaps Utah county shouldn't be your first choice. There are at least 3 LDS chapels within walking distance of our home.

That being said, we haven't had any negative experiences from being non-LDS. Before moving in I met the neighbor behind us and he asked right away if we were- no, we are "evangelical Christians". That didn't stop a developing friendship. He did invite us to LDS church, but was not pushy about it. In fact I asked if he could round up any help to unload, and at least 20 strangers from the local ward showed up and we unloaded 1 26' truck and two trailers in about two hours when we moved in. Very helpful folks.

My kids all play with and have made friends with the LDS kids. We have found no problems there. They each play at one another's home. We spent a few hours at the local LDS Pioneer day holiday carnival and there was only 1 Mormon booth. Otherwise it was a regular fair like all the others I have seen.

You may actually have trouble finding a 2-3br house. Most are much larger than that. We bought a 6-br home on a 1/4 acre with finished basement for high $200,000s. I know of a 5br place they are asking low $200,000s for.

There are surprisingly few non-LDS churches down here. We have visited a few: Provo Bible, Grace Bible, Calvary Mountain View, Faith Baptist, Payson Bible and Centerpoint. All seem to be reasonable and friendly, but most are smaller than we are used to (typically under 200 members per service).

MrAnderson · 07-29-2010, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madpacket

My family moved to Spanish Fork in June when I took a job in Provo. We are non-LDS, and from what I can tell the only ones in the neighborhood. Wikipedia says that SF is 98% LDS, and I believe it. We had a BBQ with 6-8 other families and were the only non-LDS in attendance. If that sort of imbalance bothers you, then perhaps Utah county shouldn't be your first choice. There are at least 3 LDS chapels within walking distance of our home.

That 98% figure from Wiki has no source cited at all (in fact, I've removed the stat because of it). I don't think anywhere but perhaps a few small farm towns in Utah have that high an LDS population. Recent surveys showed Utah County as a whole in the 70 percent range.