I just spent a few days in Utah County, visiting my family and attending a family wedding. Well, I didn't really "attend" the actual wedding, I waited outside like the other nevermo's, jack mormons and apostates. Taken as a whole, here are a few observations.

1. This place is crowded. When did all these people move to Orem? I can not believe how congested it is, especially around UVU and the University Mall. They are going completely vertical with their housing- multi family and student developments everywhere. Saratoga Springs stretches all the way around Utah Lake until it reaches the unbuildable swampy area on the Southwest side of the lake. First time buyers have to go all the way south to Santaquin or clear out west to Eagle Mountain to find a home they can afford.

2. There are temples everywhere. I drove up to my old favorite makeout spot on the mountain and could see them all over the valley. The wedding took place in the new Payson Temple, a behemoth of a building surrounded by farm land and a few residential neighborhoods. I looked at the farm adjacent to the west and thought "this farmer just got rich." He's going to sell to a developer and this land will be the next "Temple View Estates". Cha ching.

3. Everyone is addicted to porn. Well, according to all the billboards offering help. Ahhhhh!!!!!! Porn!!!!!

4. Kids are getting married all over the place. This particular wedding took place at 10:45 on a Thursday morning- in Payson. It was the only day and time available! I was told the older sibling was recently married in the Salt Lake Temple and 33 other couples were sealed for time and blah blah the same day. Talk about a marriage mill. These new eternal families will produce offspring that will soon stand at the podium and testify to what their parents are whispering in their ears. Maybe they don't all stick, but enough will that I think the church is going to be around for a long time in this place. They seem to love this stuff- they don't care if it's real or not- its just tradition and culture at this point.

5. Racism abounds. When referring to someone who happens to be darker than white, it is always specified what race they are. It is then followed up with "but that is fine." It has no relevance to the conversation but it is always mentioned. Blech.

6. It is still 1950 here. LGBT people should flee.

7. Some things are cool. I still love the mountains. Cafe Rio rocks my socks off. My family is there. The Chuck E Cheese I worked at in high school is still somehow in business. Utah Lake is much cleaner now that Geneva Steel is gone. The air is much cleaner now that Geneva Steel is gone. X96 is still on the air. You have world class snowboard/ski resorts less than an hour away.

8. Regardless of number 7, I could never live here. It feels stifling and claustrophobic. It's like a more modern, more crowded Amish community.

aaron Wrote:
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> It's
> like a more modern, more crowded Amish community.

Pleasantville.

Thanks for this post. I grew up in Orem. Sounds like a more crowded, more conforming version of where I grew up.

I had to leave Utah County at the end of the last Century. It was too much concentration of Mormons and my family.

I needed to see how living a life somewhere else felt.

I didn't need The Mormon Church in my backyard to feel happy. I was miserable in Happy Valley.

Utah Co. is one of the best places to go shopping on Sunday!

No- not really. Most businesses are not open. The one's that dare to open on Sunday feel and hear the wrath by the righteous the other 6 days.

I think they only want you to spend money at church on Sundays.