Considering move to Utah (Provo, Orem: houses, employment, to buy)

[WV Country girl]

My husband and I are really excited about the things we have read about Utah and he has been there already. I do believe I would really enjoy rock hounding, fishing and much more your state has to offer. I absolutely love the snow.


We are considering Vernal or Roosevelt because of it's proximity to the reservoirs and hospital as we are an older couple.


We are living in Florida right now and I have been here for 18 yrs. I cannot stand the humidity here any longer.


Which city should we choose? Are there deer flies, red ants or other critters we should watch out for? lol


Thank you for any advice you can give to prospective newcomers!

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by WV Country girl

My husband and I are really excited about the things we have read about Utah and he has been there already. I do believe I would really enjoy rock hounding, fishing and much more your state has to offer. I absolutely love the snow.

If you love the snow, I've got to admit that I question your sanity. Other than that, welcome to Utah!

We are considering Vernal or Roosevelt because of it's proximity to the reservoirs and hospital as we are an older couple.


We are living in Florida right now and I have been here for 18 yrs. I cannot stand the humidity here any longer.


Which city should we choose? Are there deer flies, red ants or other critters we should watch out for? lol


Thank you for any advice you can give to prospective newcomers!

I would personally recommend Vernal. First off, it's larger -- not by a lot, but with small towns, even a few hundred people can make a difference in how the place feels. I haven't really spent any time in Vernal to speak of, but it is a pretty little town.

The nearest major hospital would be in Provo, and that's quite a drive. They do have a regional medical center there, though.

I can't really tell you much about the "critters" of the area; maybe someone else can.

[WV Country girl]

Thank you Katzpur. I have loved snow since I was a young girl and as an old lady, I am looking forward to sleigh riding if I can find a place to do that, if not a snowball battle would be great!
I also think Vernal would be better, just depends on what houses are available when we arrive.


If anyone has info on the red ants and deer flies in Vernal or Roosevelt please let me know as I am highly allergic to both.


Thanks!!!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Will you need jobs? Religion matter much to you? Budget to buy or rent? You need either a 4-wheel or AWD vehicle. Have one or budgeted for it? Look at the online listings of the types of medical practioners you need to see if there are any in those towns. I would not move to either town but I absolutely loved SLC for the 11 yrs I lived there. Maybe small-town life is your thing but consider the quirks of small-town Utah life.

[slomofo]

Gets pretty cold in that area in winter; a visit may be beneficial to see if you can tolerate the cold. It's also worth noting that along with being in the middle of an Indian reservation, much of that area's economy is fueled by the extraction of natural resources such as coal, natural gas, and oil. Based off of that, you can sort of get a feel for the demographics.


If I were an outdoors person looking for a small town in that area, I think I'd go to Kamas. There's only two reservoirs near vernal and one is about to get a rotenone treatment done to it while the other has giant trout that are almost inedible with two other fish species more prevalent in the lake (burbot & Kokanee salmon) that are almost impossible to catch without a boat. Kamas is more centralized though, so you've got access to endless amounts of hiking trails and dozens of small lakes in the high uintas just 10-15 miles to the East, Deer Creek reservoir is 25 miles South West, Jordanelle reservoir is 15 miles West, Echo reservoir is 30 miles North, and Strawberry reservoir is 50 miles South. So you can play spin the bottle and whichever direction the bottle stops will point you in the direction of a nearby reservoir.

Recreational sites aside, Kamas is in close proximity to Park City, Salt Lake, Orem, and Alpine. There's also hospitals nearby in Park City and Heber. So it's nice because it's still a small town, there's no inversions, it's not as cold, and is close enough to larger cities in case you need to acquire things not found in a small town or need a broader range of employment opportunities.