Hi,all. We reside in Nevada, and lie it here. We do however really enjoy the nature activities in Utah. We have thought of possibly living there in the future. Would religion be an issue for non-Mormons? We are clean living (no alcohol, drugs, caffeine). Hubs does smoke, though. I'm a mostly stay at home wife who does freelance art teaching and singing. I see some similarities there. On the other hand we have tattoos ( just a few each), no children, and are agnostic. Would these things be an issue? I'm fine with those who are different, I welcome that. If we relocated would the people be as hospitable?

I would recommend staying close to Salt Lake City proper. It's diverse and pretty liberal. Park city maybe as well. The further away you get, the more Mormon things seem to become. We would love to move out of this state once retirement comes close. Still 20 years out though.

Saint George is really nice. I didn't feel like an outsider when visiting there in January. The major national and some state parks are close by. And lots of people moving there from all over the country - most of whom are not LDS.

The church influence is still strong there, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. St. George has an extremely low crime rate. People are about as friendly there as you'll find anywhere.

There's good and bad, and in between. It's about 500 miles south of SLC. And less than 100 miles from Las Vegas.

You'd find the best of both worlds there. St. George is one of the fastest growing metro communities in America today, on account of it being a snowbird destination for retirees and others wanting a break from tough winters.

Championship golf courses all around abound. I don't golf, but I could see me taking it up in the future. Hiking trails everywhere there. An arts ampitheatre called Tuacahn is close by, in Ivins, a suburb.

Red rock vistas as far as the eyes can see. Zion's National Park is less than an hour from there, and so much more. If you like the outdoors, you might just love it there.

My parents lived there for awhile, I loved it! It is very beautiful and warm.

Where did they move to from there?

Was it a winter destination for them, or for retirement?

I could get used to it, after living in upstate NY for nearly two decades of my life. Nearly three if you add in NYC.

I'm sick and tired of winters and northeasters.

Realize that southern Utah has unbearably hot summers though. The locals tell me they're used to it. Some have lived there for all their lives and just deal with it. Air conditioning is to southern Utah what heat is where I live.

:)

My dad bought into a car dealership franchise and opened it down there. When the economy crash happened in 2008 they lost everything. Then my dad got a job with a financial company and they stayed until that one failed too so they came back up north. The spring, fall and winter months are pleasant and the summers are very hot. People down south just stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day and it's just fine. The air conditioning does make for higher electric bills in the summer though. My favorite thing though is the lack of pollution in the winter up north.

So the job market is more favorable up north then? I realize the population centers are larger there, that's probably why.

St. George is mostly a service economy, geared for the growing retirement community.

I imagine if someone can work from home instead of an office, and doesn't need to get a 9 to 5 somewhere, they might be alright. I could see though with the businesses drying up like your dad got involved with, it must've been difficult to get something else or they might've stayed put there.

When I (if I) move there, I hope to have enough in retirement that I won't need to depend on finding gainful employment. If I were to move there now, I'd still want to keep working since I'm not ready to collect Social Security yet. And the jobs there just don't pay what I make now. I'd be starting over basically. The job market isn't that friendly to older workers either.

When I interviewed for a call center in January, the guy asked me what if I needed to take time off for illness, were one to come up? I've never been asked that before! I felt it was age discrimination without coming right out and saying so.

He was like half my age lol. The little twit.

Back when my parents were there the economy was much better up north. Things may be a little bit better now. My dad has had some big issues with being discriminated against for age too. My dad is only 57 but looks about 67 and has had difficulty in finding and keeping jobs because of his age. I think age discrimination is the next big issue this country needs to address.

I wonder whether his having lived in Utah has made a big difference on job ops? It isn't an easy economy to start out in, or to keep a job once someone has it.

I moved to New York when my children were babies because I was having a hard time finding work in Sacramento, California at the time - fresh out of college from Boise State University.

I had a somewhat decent job my last year in college working for the local Gannett newspaper there. And then my first child was born just as I was graduating college. So I moved to Sacramento to be closer to an aunt and uncle, where they believed I'd have better employment opportunities. Sadly, they were mistaken about that.

Looking back, I wish I'd have stayed in Idaho. Hindsight lol, being such *perfect vision* (not.)

When I lived in Ogden my junior year of high school the job market wasn't easy then. My mom sold hearing aids for Beltone, when she first moved there after her and my dad divorced, and then she worked for the Ogden Standard newspaper for several years before she retired. My mom aged poorly too.

Hopefully your dad is healthier than my mom was. He sounds like a resourceful person.

:)

You'd have to carve out a schedule and be selective of your friends and you'd have to not care much about getting the cold shoulder or being harassed by Mormons.

Thanks! How about cost of living that's a big one! Also, to the poster below, I am totally the type that would be offended by the cold shoulder.

It's all about location, location, location. If one doesn't have baggage from a mormon past, and church doesn't come up much in the professional sphere (depends on what you do), there are specific places to live in Utah where it wouldn't be much of an issue.

People in Utah snub their noses at it, but Ogden is really a great place in a lot of ways. Low cost of living, easy access to outdoorsy stuff, events at Weber State, etc. Especially in Ogden city proper, TBMs are a clear minority. Stay away from super-TBM North Ogden, though.

Many parts of the Salt Lake Valley (especially SLC proper) aren't too mormony. Best to avoid the newer 'burbs to the south and west (Riverton, West and South Jordan, etc.).

Moab and Park City are frequently suggested as good places without the mormon influence, but cost of living and fewer jobs may be problematic.

Many other nearby states have "nature activities" as good as (or better than) Utah, without the Mormony environment, the Mormon influence on government and society. Think Colorado, Montana, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico (NOT Arizona).

Yes. But if you don't believe me, then follow the advice to stay close to Salt Lake City. Personally, I hated Southern Utah - it's ugly and the people are super Mormon. Salt Lake City at least provides a wider range of people who aren't LDS to form your friends group and you are still close to plenty of outdoor activities. You can always do Southern Utah for a road trip, if you must.

There's an ex-Mo meetup in St. George. It's home to Dixie State University, and I really wasn't inundated by Mormons during my weeklong stay there.

There's a mix of whatever you're looking for IMO. You'll find what you're looking for.

That being said, finding employment if someone moves there without a job is something of a stretch. Jobs are not easy to land there, especially ones that pay a living wage for the area.

In the job market there may be still some Mormon influence. Though I interviewed for a job when I was there, and the people doing the hiring were young and I must say very liberal - not Mormony. It was a large company. The people there are either uber Mormons, ex-Mormons, non-Mormons, and those who could care less.

There's other religions there besides LDS. Lots of New Agers (many of them may be ex-Mormons.) And lots of transplants from places like Las Vegas, California, and other areas of the country.

Many of the snowbirds like previously mentioned, are pouring there from all across the country, and from around the world. I met several realtors who have told me they sell some listings sight unseen to wealthy South American clients, etc.

It's really pretty, and a world class environment if you like quiet aesthetics. It isn't the fast pace of Vegas or city living of SLC though. Vegas is a hop, skip and jump away. Or Mesquite, right across the border. I'm not into the night life or casinos so I won't miss that when/if I move there.

I like quiet places that are pleasing to the eye.

Cost of living, it isn't as high as the rest of the state of Utah. I've compared the costs, and Southern Utah is the cheapest place to live in all of Utah, surprisingly.

You'd probably feel at home in Liberty Park and Sugarhouse areas of SLC. There are lots of nevermo's and ExMo's around.

Do it.

Someone's got to go in and help lower the ratio of Mormons to non-Mormons.

Do it for the rest of us...

If you were bringing kids into the mix I would give a loud NO but absent that, some areas aren't bad if you can tolerate the state legislature being an arm of the church.

A former Mormon's take on what it's like living in Utah as a non-Mo.

https://youtu.be/i6e81_Hk4AY

I visited Utah for 3 weeks. That was enough for me. I left there so traumatized by the insanity of mormons that wild horses couldn't drag me back.

My husband decided we were going to go through Utah while driving home from Colorado this summer. Yep, it was just as horrid as I thought it was. We made one stop for gas and an early dinner. We kept driving until we crossed over into Idaho.

It depends where you move in Utah. I live in an area in WVC where Mormons are the minority. Someone already mentioned the Aves and Sugarhouse. Murray, Taylorsville, Midvale, Parts of Sandy are becoming less and less mormon. There are plenty of Non-mormons in SLC to become friends with



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2015 01:03AM by sonofperdition.

I keep thinking that a non-Mormon deciding to move to Utah would be like a Gentile deciding to move to Israel, or a Christian deciding to move to Saudi Arabia.

As RPackham says, there are so many states nearby with great outdoor activities and far fewer Mormons. Religion will always be an issue in Utah for a non-Mormon as compared to any other state.

As for St George, it is beautiful but it is still very full of Mormons and they have a lot of influence. My brother lives just outside St George so we have visited frequently. A few days is always fine, but the influence of the church is still quite strong and visible to us non-Mormon atheists. The church is ever-present in the local press and politics.

Personally, I also find St George seriously lacking in good restaurants, etc, for the size of town. But then I'm spoiled by where I currently live.

It all depends on what is important to you, but living in Utah, especially outside of SLC, is always going to have the LDS church hanging over society.

Here's a video on the population boom in St. George.

The first video is on St. George.

The second video is about the overall growth boom in Utah.

http://fox13now.com/2015/03/30/st-george-ranked-5th-as-fastest-growing-area-in-the-country/

I don't believe the entire influx is from Mormons per se.

People may just like it for its family values etc not found as much in more urban areas of the country. Less congestion is a plus over the major East Coast population centers, or even the West Coast I wonder. It certainly is for me.

I definitely have no desire to remain an East Coast transplant when I retire. Utah has universal appeal IMO.

The only city I'd live in is Park City...

Thank you all. I did watch the you tube video link provided, and I watched several of the ex Mormons videos. I'm not going to lie, I'm terrified of the whole cult. Anyhow, for the time being we'll stick with UT as a vacation place. If anything changes, we know where/where not to go thanks to you kind people.

I currently live in Kentucky, and have found it quite passable. Stereotypes aren't very accurate, as 47% of the people here aren't even affiliated with an organized religion. I don't consider it my home, though. I want to return to Utah, where I lived for 50 years. It grows on you. If you're a Mormon apostate in Utah, at least you know who your true friends are!

Do some Google searches about Utah's air quality. Specifically, the winter and summer inversions. The Salt Lake Tribune's archives are a good place to search.

Don't discount how bad the air quality is in Utah's northern valleys.

Also, the cost of living is surprisingly high in any nice part of the state and/or city.

Really do a lot of research. Come visit many times. Search the city for the things that you value. Are they here? For example, I was shocked to discover how minimal and run-down the Salt Lake City recreation centers are.

Do a lot of fact-finding trips before you decide to move. You might like it just fine, but you might, like me, be shocked by what you find.

Absolutely certifiable 100%

I hated it in Utah. I grew up in the Midwest, and I went to Utah for college and then work. After seven years, I got to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore, and I moved back. It's not really even the Mormon church, but the general narrowmindedness of people there.

The mountains in Utah are pretty -- worth seeing maybe once in a lifetime. But like Richard Packham said, there are many other places you could go for that. I think it's pretty desolate, dusty, and polluted in Utah, though coming from Nevada, you might think differently. I missed the color green.

Sorry, can't recommend it.