Relocating to SLC - is it really that bad there? (income, agriculture)

[CaseyLF]

Originally Posted by Omo33

You are me to a ‘T’.

SLC does not have much to offer except outdoors (biking, hiking, camping, snow sports). It’s changing very slowly so maybe in 20 years? Utah people are very VERY slow to change. SLC is a low key run down city surrounded by fantastic natural views. A lot of money goes towards churches and temples, not the city. This a lot of it is worn down, needs fixing, no green space investment etc. Yes politics are run by the religion. And it is not all that affordable unless you for some otherworldly, and inaccurately somehow find a reason to compare to SF, NYC, SEA. Yes the religion will affect you from dating, to social life, to employment, literally everything. What people never seem to understand is that it is an ‘all encompassing’ religion - meaning it covers all faucets of life, thus that is where people spend their money, their social time, dating, events, their entire and sole existence.

And so you mention dating. Aside from normally elongating the sex and age group you’re not into, you need to again cut that in half for the religious people who do not date outside their religion. Yes dating and being social will be very very hard. In the off chance someone is not Mormon, they’re almost always going to have a large family. There is no grabbing a beer with a few guys from work Friday night for example.

If employment isn’t a factor for locating, or your life doesn’t revolve around lone wolf hiking and biking, I’d choose somewhere else.

Feel free to ask me anything. I was born here in the 80s, lived here in the early and late 90s, and live here now. I am very well versed in this city and it’s changes through time. I have also lived in 13 other states in between so unlike a lot of Utahns I know what is ‘outside the bubble’, excluding missionary work which doesn’t count in the least, obviously.

What are you talking about not having a beer with coworkers after work?

[markg91359]

Originally Posted by CaseyLF

What are you talking about not having a beer with coworkers after work?

I suspect that sort of thing is far less common in Salt Lake City than say Boston or Chicago. There are places in the country where its common to stop at a bar for "Happy Hour" before heading home. Not saying that is a good thing. Alcohol and driving are a bad mix.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Interesting comment - can you elaborate a little of this?

I am very conservative, but not at all religious. I have ruled out Utah for relocation for decades because of the "Mormon thing", but am reconsidering now as a senior since so many options throughout the West have moved out of reach economically. What catches my eye in Utah is that, for whatever reason, there appears these days to be many more affordable housing options for seniors than in most other Western areas.

Where religion is concerned, all I care about is not being preached to or harassed in any way about religion. I want to live free of evangelism and to be able to count on being able to engage in casual conversation without it coming up....not often, anyway. That said, the Mormons I have known are some of the nicest people I've ever met. That aspect, of course, I welcome.

So I'd like to hear more about the southern suburbs and your take on whether I've been making too much of the degree of evangelism encountered.

I just moved here to the SLC metro from California and it seems like "California lite" to me--for better and for worse.

Housing costs have skyrocketed, so I think the idea of it being affordable is out of date. Unlike California, however, they are more willing to build housing here without throwing up ever more red tape that makes it expensive or impossible to build. But cheap, it is not.

I haven't experienced any evangelism where I am. I think the fear of that is way overblown.

[irman]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I haven't experienced any evangelism where I am. I think the fear of that is way overblown.

The whole idea of the missionary programme of the LDS church is to present the gospel message to as many people as possible.

This means that sooner or later, people will get contacted and all you have to do is politely decline to listen to them. If the missionaries do the right thing, they will note that you are not interested and will leave you alone from then on.

They are however not forever in the same area so when a new set of Elders or Sisters, start to work in the area you live in, they may not have been told about your situation and then you will see them once. Again, politely decline.

It is not that every week the missionaries get rotated so the chance to get contacted after the first time is rare.

As the previous poster mentioned, the fear is way overblown!

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by irman

The whole idea of the missionary programme of the LDS church is to present the gospel message to as many people as possible.

This means that sooner or later, people will get contacted and all you have to do is politely decline to listen to them. If the missionaries do the right thing, they will note that you are not interested and will leave you alone from then on.

They are however not forever in the same area so when a new set of Elders or Sisters, start to work in the area you live in, they may not have been told about your situation and then you will see them once. Again, politely decline.

It is not that every week the missionaries get rotated so the chance to get contacted after the first time is rare.

As the previous poster mentioned, the fear is way overblown!

Very overblown. And even the sooner or later part may be overblown. I've been here here 6 years and nobody ever called. All I get is door to door pest control and lawn care guys. Ditto my transplant neighbors who have been here 8 years. I've come to believe that they ignore certain neighborhoods but who knows.

[irman]

Originally Posted by kletter1mann

I've come to believe that they ignore certain neighborhoods but who knows.

Have you ever seen any missionaries in your neighbourhood?

If not, may you live in one of those neighbourhoods missionaries seem to stay away from...
I live very close to one of those streets that are one ward house after another on the same street for miles.

I never see any missionaries come thru my street...

[Positiveone]

How often is the air quality bad in Salt Lake City? Is the air quality also poor in Utah county?
Thank you

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by Positiveone

How often is the air quality bad in Salt Lake City? Is the air quality also poor in Utah county?
Thank you

SLC and Utah county are about the same as far as air quality goes. Both and west of the Wasatch a=nd east of the Orriqh (sp ?) ranges and in a bowl. In winter inversions occur regularly. Seach here, the topic has been beaten to death.

Less frequently mentioned are dust events. Strong winds often blow towards the east picking up dust from the deserts and salt flats to the west. This doesn't do anybody any good and makes a mess on your car, house, etc. If the salt lake is allowed to dry up, which looks highly probable given the lack of serious effort to prevent it, such dust events will become toxic from scouring of the lake bed. The lake bed contains arsenic, lead and other toxic materials from the mining days. The science here is well established and has been documented many times when endorheic lakes dry up.

[Positiveone]

How many more years until the lake drys up? 10-20?

Thank you for responding

Originally Posted by kletter1mann

SLC and Utah county are about the same as far as air quality goes. Both and west of the Wasatch a=nd east of the Orriqh (sp ?) ranges and in a bowl. In winter inversions occur regularly. Seach here, the topic has been beaten to death.

Less frequently mentioned are dust events. Strong winds often blow towards the east picking up dust from the deserts and salt flats to the west. This doesn't do anybody any good and makes a mess on your car, house, etc. If the salt lake is allowed to dry up, which looks highly probable given the lack of serious effort to prevent it, such dust events will become toxic from scouring of the lake bed. The lake bed contains arsenic, lead and other toxic materials from the mining days. The science here is well established and has been documented many times when endorheic lakes dry up.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by Positiveone

How many more years until the lake drys up? 10-20?

Thank you for responding

Too many variables to predict with confidence. Some say within 5 years if current climate trends and lack of serious remediation persists.