How do you like living in the SLC area?

[Bob]

I understand that, but I'm sure glad that isn't the rule.

I knew I'd step on toes.. but respecting others out and about is key. One person's dog may be trained another us not..... This to know when it's running around.

 

[Rockskipper]

As a geologist type, I hate to mention this, but SLC is in a major earthquake zone and predicted to have a big one in the next few hundred years, if not sooner (the Brigham City fault is predicted to go next). Missoula's also in the Intermountain Seismic Belt, but not on major faults like SLC, IIRC.

One thing you won't see as much of as in Missoula is wildfire smoke in the summer. I swear the bowl Missoula is in is terrible for catching/retaining smoke. However, the SLC winter inversions will make up for it. I've been in SLC when it was hard to read the freeway signs because of the smog.

However, I think I would take SLC over Missoula just because of all the access to cool places. As for dogs, I have three free-range dogs and when in an urban area I just find places nobody else goes to walk them, like old gravel pits and dead-end roads. Not very scenic, but they're fine with it. I do agree with @Bob about being considerate, that's why I go where nobody else goes.

 

[kwc]

interesting to read all these replies ... especially as a recent retiree. A little research tells me that Utah isn't exactly retiree-friendly, at least not from a taxing perspective. Utah taxes Social Security along with pensions ... which actually puts in a poor light when compared to my NY residency (SS is not taxed, my NYS retirement is not taxed, and there's a $20k non-taxable threshold for 401k/457k withdrawals). Perhaps property taxes are lower in Utah/SLC?

 

[WasatchWill]

Can't really add much more that hasn't already been said but here's my two cents, some echoing others...Being a member of the pre-dominant religion down here, I can't speak much to the beer thing but as others have said, there seems to be a good balance of nice and unique breweries and it seems much progress has been made over the years to make the liquor laws more hospitable for the growing and increasingly diverse population but certainly more progress could be made there, so yes there are still some odd quirks others would like to see worked out on that front.

Politically, SLC proper and Park City up the canyon are very much Democrat and liberal leaning. The last few mayors in SLC have been Democrats and the current mayor is an open lesbian for what that's worth. One who's never visited for very long would probably be surprised with the amount of diversity of people, culture, and political thought there really is in and around SLC, Temple Square and all. The further out from the SLC/Park City metro areas, the more conservative the communities can become. And while yes it's true, a big majority of the LDS voters in the state are very much traditional conservative republicans, there's a growing number in the younger up and coming crowd like myself that are more independent, more moderate, and even left-leaning on some issues, at least in the metro and suburban areas along the Wasatch Front. Even among the highest levels of LDS leadership, some Democrats can be found and there are many Democratic professors and other employees at LDS operated BYU. As an employee there myself who interacts with a fair share of students, I can tell that many are becoming more moderate if not altogether left-leaning and actually finding more personal harmony with such political philosophy with some of the religious principles they've been brought up with. In fact, if I were a betting man, I'd bet Utah's overall dark red political climate it has radiated with over the decades will probably transition to a much more pink hue if not a very light blue at some point in these next couple of decades. But that's just my perception.

As for cost of living, the economy here has been booming, hence the population growth, and hence the surge in housing prices. Utah weathered the recent recession very well and it remains to be seen how well it can weather what looks like another impending recession on the horizon. Gas and grocery prices remain very fair and reasonable, even relatively low compared with other parts of the country. There's also a healthy diversity of unique restaurants and dining experiences to be enjoyed in SLC. Even my much smaller town of Provo down here in Utah County is becoming nationally renowned for its array of unique and tasteful restaurants in its downtown district.

The backdrop the Wasatch mountains provide to the valley(s) doesn't get much more beautiful on clear air days. Winter inversions and summer smoke (a thing across the west) can often be a thing. That all varies from year to year. The Cottonwood canyons and American Fork Canyon just south of SLC valley get crazy crowded on weekends throughout the year. For dogs, many of the trails and most bodies of water in SL Country are off-limits to dogs due to watershed geography, but most all the trails and canyons and bodies of water in Weber County to the north and Utah County to the south are open to dogs. Leash policies will usually be posted at trailheads.

Then there is the diversity of scenery and recreational opportunities: Hiking, biking, skiing, camping, ATV and off roading, climbing, fishing, canyoneering, etc....the list goes on and on as you may well know. SLC really is the cross roads of the west as it has sometime been referred as, putting you less than a day's drive away from so much, be it the Northwest, the Cali coast, Grand Canyon, Denver, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and everything in between. While many don't think of the Wasatch when they think of prime backpacking destinations, some of its wilderness areas do offer up some amazing overnight destinations and you can get creative with doing some multi-night routes as my wife and I did between Park City and Provo once. Of course, the Uintas have been featured many times over in trip reports here at BCP along with the great canyons and desert country of the Southern Utah and the greater Colorado Plateau.

As for your upcoming trip, let me know if you want any tips for Capitol Reef. I'm down there a lot and know much of the park pretty well now, so I can refer you to some good spots to check out depending on time you'll have down there and what your interests are (pioneer history, native history/culture, geology, views, slot canyons, etc).

 

[Titans]

interesting to read all these replies ... especially as a recent retiree. A little research tells me that Utah isn't exactly retiree-friendly, at least not from a taxing perspective. Utah taxes Social Security along with pensions ... which actually puts in a poor light when compared to my NY residency (SS is not taxed, my NYS retirement is not taxed, and there's a $20k non-taxable threshold for 401k/457k withdrawals). Perhaps property taxes are lower in Utah/SLC?

Well, @kwc : congratulations on the retirement, more time to hike and write BCP trip reports. Looking forward to hear about your upcoming summer trip!
(Property taxes are significantly lower almost everywhere else, than here in NY state . Most people we meet from other states, laugh out loud, when they hear what we pay.)

 

[fossana]

interesting to read all these replies ... especially as a recent retiree. A little research tells me that Utah isn't exactly retiree-friendly, at least not from a taxing perspective. Utah taxes Social Security along with pensions ... which actually puts in a poor light when compared to my NY residency (SS is not taxed, my NYS retirement is not taxed, and there's a $20k non-taxable threshold for 401k/457k withdrawals). Perhaps property taxes are lower in Utah/SLC?

It's closer to the middle for non-retirees, which the OP is. The unfavorable tax status for retirees hasn't seemed to have slowed the influx of people into St George & vicinity. Most of my neighborhood is older/retiree transplants.

 

[fossana]

I lived in the Wasatch Front in the mid-90s and looked at houses in SLC before settling on southern UT. My primary reasons were the winter inversion, the traffic, and the fact I prefer spending my winters in the desert. However, I much prefer the architecture, restaurant options, and politics in SLC. SLC and Park City are blue bubbles and may be more so once things are restricted. A bill to undo the gerrymandering passed in the last election.

 

[regehr]

Are trails in the Wasatch on-leash only because of the crowds?

The trailhead near my house (next to the 18th Ave ward house) are on-leash only but this doesn't seem to stop 98% of the dog owners from letting their animals off the leash right at the trailhead.

 

[fossana]

There was a recent article on the demographic shift with regard to religion in UT counties, and Salt Lake has had quite a run of democratic mayors.