Best place to live in Utah

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montanahiker
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Best place to live in Utah

Post by montanahiker »

The Utah vs Colorado thread got me thinking of where to live if I were to move to Utah. What are your suggestions? I've only been to the National Parks (minus Zion) and really enjoyed those areas but I assume I'd want to live around I80 or north of there for the mountain ranges and closer proximity to WY/ID/MT.
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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by Monster5 »

Hwy 189 area between Snyderville and Heber for access to big city amenities/jobs/airport, daily mtb/trail running/ski and climbing sans the SLC smog and politics (which have abated significantly in recent years). Weekend access to Moab/Swell/desert and Wasatch. Extended weekend access to GTNP, Wind River, CO's western slope, the basin and range mountains, and Red Rocks. An expanded and easy-access airport 40 minutes away will take you everywhere else.

St George also has reasonable access to Red Rocks, Grand Canyon and Zion. Driving distance to the Sierra and other UT destinations. I'd consider it more of a retirement place.
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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by Scott P »

It depends on what you want.

For me personally, I'd live in Torrey (if I could get a job there are were retired). It has good access to interesting mountains and canyons and is beautiful. It's not north of I-80 though.

If you are looking for skiing and want a big city, then the Wasatch Front would be the best bet. If you want a small town, something like Kamas or Heber might do. They are still south of I-80, but not that much. The mountain towns of Coalville and Morgan are also beautiful and cheaper than the mountain towns in Colorado.

If you want a larger city north of I-80, Brigham City might do. I don't like Ogden as much even though it has access to cool areas.

The Cache Valley is a possibilty, but the inversions can be nasty in winter.
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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by rijaca »

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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by Scott P »

Monster5 wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 10:39 am sans the SLC smog and politics (which have abated significantly in recent years).
It's good to bring this up. The smog in the Salt Lake Valley and the Cache Valley can be nasty and is among the worst things about those places (sometimes the Utah Valley can have smog as well). It's even worse than Denver's "brown cloud". Luckily I guess, the smog only extends to 5000 feet or so (occasionally a big higher) and once you are above the inversion the mountains are clear.

As far as politics go, it can be weird for the uninitiated. In the smaller towns (minus the ski resort and tourists towns) it can be really weird. In the cities not as much. I don't mind it so much other than the anti-public lands and anti-wilderness attitude.
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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by ker0uac »

Scott P wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 11:20 am
As far as politics go, it can be weird for the uninitiated. In the smaller towns (minus the ski resort and tourists towns) it can be really weird. In the cities not as much. I don't mind it so much other than the anti-public lands and anti-wilderness attitude.
I want to learn more about this. So Utah is a playground for the outdoorsy type, but the locals themselves are anti-outdoorsy? I understand it's a conservative and religious state, and I understand the elected officials aren't very inclined to protect the lands from commercial exploration, but would you go as far as characterizing the population as anti-outdoors?
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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by Scott P »

ker0uac wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 11:29 amI want to learn more about this. So Utah is a playground for the outdoorsy type, but the locals themselves are anti-outdoorsy? ?
It depends on where you are. In places like the Wasatch Front, Moab, St. George, etc., yes there are a lot of ourdoorsy people. In places like Delta, Vernal, etc., not so much (except for hunters).

The same is true in Colorado. There are lots of outdoorsy people on the Front Range, Aspen, Steamboat, Vail, etc., but in places like Craig (where I used to live), there are very few (except for hunters).
I understand it's a conservative and religious state, and I understand the elected officials aren't very inclined to protect the lands from commercial exploration, but would you go as far as characterizing the population as anti-outdoors
Maybe not the population, but the politicians. A lot of people in Utah are outdoorsy, but they vote for politicians who are not, just because the politicians happen to be conservative on other issues.

I'll use a specific example. Here is what Mike Lee says about public lands:

https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/issue-lands

Section 9 of the federal legislation that created Utah said that federally owned land within the state of Utah, “shall be sold by the United States subsequent to the admission of said state into the union.”

Similar language in enabling acts for Missouri and North Dakota were honored. Almost all of the federally owned land in those states was sold decades ago.

But Congress has not honored that promise to sell federal land in Utah or most of the west. They should. Sen. Lee is fighting to make Congress keep that promise and to mitigate the damage the federal government is inflicting on rural communities in the meantime.


What he fails to mention is that at one time the Feds tried to give the land to the state, but that the Governor refused saying that "they already had enough desert". Also, the state constitution, dating back to the 1800s said that the land is to remain Federal.
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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by IntrepidXJ »

Grand Junction

It's like living in Utah without actually living in Utah :mrgreen:
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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by ker0uac »

Scott P wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:19 pm
ker0uac wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 11:29 amI want to learn more about this. So Utah is a playground for the outdoorsy type, but the locals themselves are anti-outdoorsy? ?
It depends on where you are. In places like the Wasatch Front, Moab, St. George, etc., yes there are a lot of ourdoorsy people. In places like Delta, Vernal, etc., not so much (except for hunters).

The same is true in Colorado. There are lots of outdoorsy people on the Front Range, Aspen, Steamboat, Vail, etc., but in places like Craig (where I used to live), there are very few (except for hunters).
I understand it's a conservative and religious state, and I understand the elected officials aren't very inclined to protect the lands from commercial exploration, but would you go as far as characterizing the population as anti-outdoors
Maybe not the population, but the politicians. A lot of people in Utah are outdoorsy, but they vote for politicians who are not, just because the politicians happen to be conservative on other issues.
Well but outdoorsy isn't just those who enjoy hiking/climbing/skiing, right? So hunters/anglers are also outdoorsy. South Georgia and Alabama are batshit crazy conservative but all they do is fish, hunt and drink beer, as told in their songs lol. They are just not environmentally conscious so they don't believe in the need to preserve wilderness. But there are a lot of liberal-outdoorsy people rock crawling with their 4x4s, that's the total opposite of leave no trace. Remember Patagonia's Dean Potter climb of the Arches.

My biggest problem would be living in a quasi-theocracy. I can tolerate differing political views, but I draw the line at religious gibberish.
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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by montanahiker »

Scott P wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:19 pm
ker0uac wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 11:29 amI want to learn more about this. So Utah is a playground for the outdoorsy type, but the locals themselves are anti-outdoorsy? ?
It depends on where you are. In places like the Wasatch Front, Moab, St. George, etc., yes there are a lot of ourdoorsy people. In places like Delta, Vernal, etc., not so much (except for hunters).

The same is true in Colorado. There are lots of outdoorsy people on the Front Range, Aspen, Steamboat, Vail, etc., but in places like Craig (where I used to live), there are very few (except for hunters).
I understand it's a conservative and religious state, and I understand the elected officials aren't very inclined to protect the lands from commercial exploration, but would you go as far as characterizing the population as anti-outdoors
Maybe not the population, but the politicians. A lot of people in Utah are outdoorsy, but they vote for politicians who are not, just because the politicians happen to be conservative on other issues.

I'll use a specific example. Here is what Mike Lee says about public lands:

https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/issue-lands

Section 9 of the federal legislation that created Utah said that federally owned land within the state of Utah, “shall be sold by the United States subsequent to the admission of said state into the union.”

Similar language in enabling acts for Missouri and North Dakota were honored. Almost all of the federally owned land in those states was sold decades ago.

But Congress has not honored that promise to sell federal land in Utah or most of the west. They should. Sen. Lee is fighting to make Congress keep that promise and to mitigate the damage the federal government is inflicting on rural communities in the meantime.


What he fails to mention is that at one time the Feds tried to give the land to the state, but that the Governor refused saying that "they already had enough desert". Also, the state constitution, dating back to the 1800s said that the land is to remain Federal.
How are the state-level lawmakers on environmental issues? I'm not talking about trying to get control of federal land within the state's borders but the actual land they control.
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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by Scott P »

IntrepidXJ wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:31 pm Grand Junction

It's like living in Utah without actually living in Utah :mrgreen:
True. :thumbup:
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Re: Best place to live in Utah

Post by Scott P »

ker0uac wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:41 pmWell but outdoorsy isn't just those who enjoy hiking/climbing/skiing, right? So hunters/anglers are also outdoorsy.
Yes, but personally I draw the line at wanting to get rid of all the public lands. I'm guessing that a lot of hunters and anglers wouldn't be happy with that either. They'll still vote for people who want to do that because of other issues.[/quote]
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