Bill

has written 1 SperlingViews. Currently, Bill is living in Salt Lake City, UT and has a little something to say:

after 17 years looking forward to leaving Posted On: 12/20/2011 12:46:09 PM

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.