SperlingViews - Salt_Lake_City, Utah

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I read alot of the pros and cons about living in Salt Lake, and most people say they don't like it there. Will i loved it there, i grew up there. You want to live in a place that the people are a bunch of ass-----.Try living in califroina. IT DON'T Matter what part of cal. you live in the people are rude inconsiderit. The state has high difficiet buget and the taxes are high.Isee people from Utah moving to cal why?.so dont put down SLC. It is better then alot of places i have lived.I wished i could go back home[yes i called it HOME]As soon as i retire GOODby to cal it SUCKS [read more...]

We moved here in '94 for a job at the Univ. of Utah, which was great. Living here however has been a real contrast of pros vs. cons. Now that retirement is near we are planning to move, even though there are aspects of life here that are uniquely attractive. pros: most of the amenities of a real city (culture, arts, food, etc.) within minutes of the spectacular Wasatch mtns. Skiing, hiking, biking, camping etc. are amazing. So. Utah Nat'l parks are fairly close as well. Climate is moderate except for the winter, which while not exactly extreme, consists of three to four months of nothing much to do outside unless you participate in winter sports. cons: there is a robust counter-culture centered around downtown Salt Lake, and in Park City, but the rest of the state is controlled by, as it is phrased here, the "dominant culture". Extremely conservative religiosity is the rule. You are a long way from anything different, as well. The feeling of living on an island with these people can begin to get you down (unless you are one of them - however, be warned! Salt Lake mormons consider themselves a cut above others, and I have heard of LDS families returning to California because they weren't accepted here!). However, as I said, you can largely avoid this by focussing on downtown SL, or Park City, if you can afford it. The extent to which you have to interact with this culture, and the potential difficulties entailed, has a lot to do with your work, and whether or not you are raising a family. The one thing you cannot avoid, if you live and work in the Salt Lake Valley, is the air quality. It is absolutely abysmal, especially in the winter, and it is the main reason we are planning to leave. I fail to understand how Sperling rated SLC #5 in healthiest cities when it scores a 10 on a scale of 100 for air quality. Health care here IS excellent, and you may well need it. I, and many others I know of, have developed respiratory problems while living here long-term, so draw your own conclusions. I would actually probably stay in Utah, if Park City weren't so pricey. The air quality there is fine, and although the winter is much longer than here in the valley, at least people up there are open-minded, and the summer is fantastic. Unfortunately, as of this writing, $350K gets you a so-so condo, which isn't reasonable in my book. The rest of the state? There are some really pretty rural areas - leave them for visiting, unless you know you'll fit in.[read more...]

SLC is strict in what aspect?[read more...]

I would like to know more about mormon and how do they treat non mormom peaole there? I can see a lot of negative comments about this religion from people who are lived and currently living there. Does it changed from the past? Or they stick to how they are raised? How do they treat Different gender? (Specifically Gay/Lesbian). hoping for your reply. Thanks a lot![read more...]

Hi I am an international student from India and I am buddhist by religion. I have read a lot of strict mormon culture in Utah. I would like to know if I will have to face any discrimination or cold attitude?? Thanks[read more...]

I have lived in many places around the country and compared to the majority of the USA I find Salt Lake to be too strict and often gives you the cold shoulder... especially if you are not mormon or willing to convert to one... Pros: +Good skiing +Lots of outdoors stuff.. mtns, hiking/backpacking, camping etc +good transit system Cons: -The issue with the LDS church is not a joke -hard to fit in or make friends that will stay friends -Strict laws (esp alcohol which is metered, and lower alcohol percentage) -Separation of church and state seems non existent. -Even though the weather is not extreme, it stays cold way too long, even compared to the northeast, and weather is not predictable (I do not trust the weather forcasters past a day or 2). -People here cant drive -pollution (inversions often make a depressing, cloudy day in winter) -I have found that even when finding a job the church plays a role... its harder to get a job if your not LDS -People in general have an odd demeanor here (that is when they are not giving u a cold shoulder) I feel the front range of Colorado is a much better choice. [read more...]

If you are the "outdoorsy" type, then SLC is great place to live. It's close to great ski resorts, mountain biking trails and the Uinta Mountains. The community is full of joggers, dog walkers and cyclists. Because of great ethnic diversity, Salt Lake has a wide variety of restaurants. The local government is generally liberal and invests a lot in reducing its carbon footprint. The city also sponsors some great summer activities including: the arts festival, the weekend farmer's markets, the jazz festival, the beer festival, the Twilight concert series, a gay pride festival and more. Other things to do in SLC include: bar hopping, the opera, ballet, symphony, the zoo, Wiseguys comedy club, concerts, Brewvies, college football, the NBA and whatever else. Now the cons... In the winter, the air quality often becomes hazardous. The summers here are hot and miserable. We live on a huge fault line, which could snap any minute. The Mormon Church pretty much runs the state and forces ridiculous alcohol laws on everyone. All the liquor stores are state owned and they all close on Sunday. There are countless other lame laws made just to inconvenience the non-Mormons. Although many Salt Lake Mormons are just friendly people, there are just as many who feel they are more entitled to live here than you and are not afraid to make that known. So before moving here, weigh the pros and cons. As a liberal non-Mormon, it is very frustrating to live here. If I could travel back in time, I would choose someplace else.[read more...]

Make no mistake, Utah is a theocracy founded on fraud and gullibility; America's version of the Taliban. If you are not LDS, you will hate it here. You will be marginalized, vilified and treated like children by those in power. Every neighborhood is divided along religious lines. Mormon kids aren't allowed to play with non-Mormon kids. Mormons breed exponentially, which contributes to the worst air quality in the country. There's no escaping the influence of this cult. It invades and infests every aspect of life in Utah. They control the media, the schools and the Legislature. And they are not shy about telling you that if you don't like it, move. It is a self-serving stigma to be Mormon. I can't wait to escape, but everyone who bought homes in this hell-hole are trapped.[read more...]

I am in graduate school here at the University of Utah and have only lived here for 6 months. I moved here from Colorado. Salt Lake City and Utah are indeed beautiful and has so many great outdoor recreational activities just a few minutes away. The snow and skiing is actually significantly better than Colorado's for many reasons too. The culture on the other hand is the worst I've ever seen. It's incredibly difficult to meet people in this anti-social state, stemming from the Mormon culture. I truly feel like an outsider here and always will. It's a horrible place to be single. It seems like even half of the under grads are married at 20. Strange in my opinion. The traffic can be bad and the drivers are terrible. The pollution in the winter makes me depressed and ill. I don't plan on sticking around and would not want to raise a non-Mormon family here. Sometimes it feels like I'm living in a foreign country. In summary then..."Greatest Snow on Earth, but with a lousy and divided culture." [read more...]

I lived there for eleven years six months and three days. The weather is terrible, the "inversion" in the winter allows no sunlight to pass threw the pollution. The skiiing is great, but it's not a reason to live there. If your not part of the "group" you are not welcome. So pick another location.[read more...]

After reading a lot of comments on this subject, I wanted to add my own experience. I moved from my hometown of NYC to go to college, first in Logan, then in SLC. So I was surrounded by Mormons--and they certainly knew I wasn't one. Well, to my surprise, not one of them tried to convert me. Instead, they just invited me into their homes for socializing, and on family outings. Maybe their idea was to convert me by modeling what a happy, healthy Mormon life looked like. But they never pushed their religion on me in any way. My first Thanksgiving in Utah, I had so many invitations for dinner, I had to whittle them down to the three which were spread across different times of the day. (What an oinker I was!) When I began dating a Mormon girl, her family in Provo invited me for Sunday dinner. They knew I wasn't a Mormon--and I knew the relationship couldn't go far unless I converted. But here too, they never mentioned a word about it. They just made me feel more welcome than I'd ever felt before. One final memory. Two missionaries came to my apartment in SLC one evening. I listened politely as they discussed Mormonism, then I told them that I was happy being a Jew. I also mentioned that the following evening was the start of our Jewish New Year, and I was looking forward to celebrating it. They nodded politely and left. The next evening when I got home from synagogue, there was a Jewish New Year's card under my door. Needless to say, it was from the missionaries. And they never contacted me again to pursue their conversion efforts. I'd like my fellow "gentiles" to keep in mind two things about Utah Mormons: (1) Brigham Young invited other religions to set up in Utah, and even donated money for that. I believe the church did that recently with a Hindu temple. (2) The Mormons went through hell to get to a place no one else would want (SLC was barren when they first reached it). Then, working industriously, they turned it into one of the loveliest places in America. So when non-Mormons come to live there because of its loveliness (ok, we're talking pre-pollution) and then have the chutzpah to whine that "the Mormons control everything"--well, it's THEIR place. They EARNED it. So consider yourselves guests in their home. I did, and I never felt a warmer welcome in anyone's home.[read more...]

One of the things I like best about Salt Lake City is the fact that I can enjoy the changing of the seasons without the extremes of heat, cold and humidity. Temperatures in the summer are generally in the nineties, but with low humidity, so you don't feel like you're in a steam bath. Winter temperatures are generally in the upper twenties and thirties, but it is a dry cold -- not biting and bitter. Spring and fall -- well, they are simply heavenly. We have the best of all four seasons here, and all I have to do is stay in home![read more...]

Salt Lake City offers an extensive variety of entertainment, scenery, and lifestyle. Famous for great snow and diverse ski resorts much of what Salt Lake City has to offer largely goes overlooked. Our visitors center has the information you need to learn why Salt Lake City's quality of life is so desirable.[read more...]

I would not recommend relocating to SLC. The crime is high, the cost of housing is high (especially if you have any notion of living in a decent neighborhood), the wages are low, the air quality is dangerous, and you will quickly become disenchanted by the mormon culture. It's true that some people won't let their mormon children play with non-mormon children...happened to us. We have lived here for more than 20 years, and are still made to feel like outsiders. The government is getting more and more progressive, which is a good thing. This is a Delta hub, but the cost of flying in and out of SLC is higher than most all other airports...don't believe me, all you have to do is compare airfares including and excluding SLC. Cost of gas is almost always higher here than most states eventhough we have a refinery in the heart of the valley adding to the air pollution. Save your trips to Utah for visitation...not living here.[read more...]

Utah Mormon culture has really bothered me since we moved to Utah. There seems to be a stronger possibility of insincerity in this area. I can't judge individual hearts, but I've known several people who just stop going to church because their friends stopped or they don't know anyone there. This isn't to say that there aren't sincere members of the LDS church in this valley, but there isn't the refiner's fire that my family has had to go through being raised outside of Utah.[read more...]

Mormons everywhere, making the laws so strict, being forced to buy wine coolers at the liquor store.[read more...]

The good: Beautiful scenery; outdoor activities galore; variety of weather; good schools; fairly low crime rate; nice people. Yes the summers are hot but the evenings are pleasant. Fall is gorgeous and pleasing; Winter is fun..for a while then you get burned-out on it by late January. The bad: Horrid wages (Mormons are notorious cheapskates); horrendous house prices; cliquish Mormons - they tend to take themselves a bit too seriously and only hang with their owm - poor social skills; traffic has gotten crazy.[read more...]

We are very concerned during winter when there is an inversion in the Salt Lake Valley. Residents are somewhat unable or unwilling to give up driving, although public transportation continues to improve in Salt Lake City. The air is considered dangerous to breath for much of the winter months.[read more...]

Though I've only lived in SLC for 3 months, I must say that there is much to do, especially if you venture out to other parts of the Wasatch Front (Provo metro, Salt Lake Metro, Layton Metro, Odgen Metro, Logan Metro). There's a pretty decent little amusement park called Lagoon, great for families, that's located about a half hour north of Salt Lake City proper in a suburb called Farmington. The winters can get cold, but nothing like the north midwest. The summers are pretty tame compared to Arizona and New Mexico. St. George, Utah would be a better choice to live if you're wanting to live in Utah because it doesn't get terribly cold down there and it still snows a little it. Salt Lake City itself has maybe a 43% composition of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is some bad blood between long-time non-LDS folks and long-time LDS folks. The LDS culture is different but is definitely not the worst culture to deal with, especially if you're planning on living in Salt Lake City itself and not in one of the outlying suburbs (i.e. South Jordan, Draper, Sandy, Cottonwood Heights, Midvale, Murray). The liquor laws are going to be relaxed by the moderate Republican Governor Jon Hunstman Jr. and there is a steady GLBT civil rights movement gaining steam in the legislature, particularly because it is being backed by Governor Huntsman, who is also LDS.[read more...]