Reviews & Comments
Logan, UT
Pros and Cons -
4/23/2018First of all I like a lot about Logan. I am of the prevailing faith but think that, as no doubt elsewhere, there is sometimes a confusion between culture and faith in both outsiders and locally-born and bred. I would study the faith and the culture separately.
The drivers are cautious, usually not deliberately rude but sometimes focused in upon themselves, or maybe their passengers. Accidents are rather rare but some drivers do not signal, so be prepared for some thoughtless driving in that respect. Reactions can be very slow so you may have to wait for a couple of light changes to get onto the main street (Highway 89) from a side road, even with traffic lights. Highway 89 is Main Street to all intents and purposes and is also the main route to points north and south so there often tends to be heavy traffic.
There are some good restaurants and staff are usually polite. People generally are of good will without always observing conventional courtesies. Don't expect much of "please" and "thank you" in private discourse but I have found that people may be quick to help if you're stuck in the snow etc which is great.
The people are generally very honest; this is a great plus.
Being a smallish town (50,000 is probably during term time at USU and 20,000 less during the summer break) it's hard to get much selection in the way of dvd recordings or books in Logan. "Hastings" was the best store for recordings and fairly good for new books but it closed its doors recently. There are stores for musical instruments but don't expect to buy a Hohner harmonica except in the key of C without having to send for it; in which case I would send for it by mail. There are some bookstores certainly but they cater for local tastes naturally. The best book store, a used book business, closed down some years ago so you might have a problem even buying anything by Dickens, Austen or Shaw. Be prepared to send for such things or go to Salt Lake City, the only city of any size in the state.
People worship their children (almost) so they can be a bit spoiled - but actually pretty good considering or they turn out so. Women are held in high regard in a pc sense with all that involves.
The average inhabitant is not a political person and in this sense tends to be very naive with regards to voting, most often, for anyone recommended by the GOP or unaware of the more crafty politicians. Many such candidates are hardly conservative politically, or at least seem to know and care little about the national Constitution. The courts are 'liberal' in a modern sense so it may be well to be prepared for injustice unless you are a protected species in liberalism.
Restaurants are clean, the food good and the service usually courteous. There is a fairly wide choice for the size of the town and there are Italian, Mexican, Pacific island, Indian, Chinese and American cuisines and one or two buffets.
Service at the grocery stores I have found to be excellent. Those who work there are generally very nice, some of the sweetest people I have ever come across anywhere, who will often anticipate your needs by asking if you need help.
Logan has a very nice bus service ('award-winning' in fact) although the buses are not very frequent but running an hourly service to most local places, which is to say within Logan and as far north as Preston, Idaho.
Employment, as has been said, is limited and it can also be difficult to obtain a tiler or help from some other trades as some of these seem to be few and busy.
Education is standard; levels of learning are not all that high, sadly the same low standard as nationally or pretty close. There are a fair number of teenagers, for example, who are still having trouble reading, again a widespread problem nationally.
Snow can be fairly heavy in winter, delivering up to two or three feet a day on occasion, and very cold. Logan has about as high (mostly higher) annual precipitation as anywhere in Utah.
Musical tastes are conservative: church music and country mostly.