I've been to Utah Valley more times than I can count, but I recently got a first hand feel for just how Mormon the place truly is. I saw a Sister Missionary store, a shop with "CTR" in the title, numerous Desert Books/Seagull Books, and so many chapels. About 99% of the people in the stores and restaurants were probably Mormon. I don't want to immediately assume so, but it seemed like everyone was wearing BYU shirts/hoodies, Downeast clothing, long skirts, dresses, and looked like the "ideal" LDS family. The houses I saw were all picture perfect. It was a little bit eerie, tbh.

I'm a questioning Mormon myself from a very devout family, but I'm also black and I dress kind of weird. Nothing extreme or 'immodest', but I fully admit to being offbeat for the average Mormon here in Utah and I've always felt like an outsider, even in my own ward. I went to eat lunch that day and everyone was staring at me.

Anyway, do any of you live in Utah Valley? What was it like? From what I saw, I would imagine that there would be a lot of pressure to be a good Mormon. I don't want to stereotype the area, so if you have any stories, please share! I'd love to hear them.

No need to apologize, I know it's strange. I was adopted by LDS parents, baptized, and raised Mormon. Up until recently, it was really the only identity I had. Most of my friends and family are Mormon and a lot of my self worth was tied into Church callings, seminary/institute, family history work, etc.

When U Black, U Black!

When I was born, I was BLACK

When I grew up, I was BLACK

When I went in the sun, I stayed BLACK

When I got cold, I was BLACK

When I was scared, I was BLACK

When I was sick, I was BLACK

And when I die, I’ll still be BLACK

NOW, you 'white' folks . ..

When you’re born, you're PINK

When you grow up, you’re WHITE

When you go in the sun, you get RED

When you’re cold, you turn BLUE

When you’re scared, you're YELLOW

When you get sick, you’re GREEN

When you bruise, you turn PURPLE

And when you die, you look GREY

So why y'all be callin' us

COLORED Folks!!!

Many Bothan spies...died...to bring us that information :)

I tried living in Provo for a year being an ex-mo.
Despite having family there, having already-existing friends there, and making a few more new friends (some even mormon)...I couldn't stand it. I got out in just under a year.

The second week I was there, I went to a 7-11 for coffee one Sunday morning, having run out of stuff to brew at home. The Provo cops saw me coming out at 8AM Sunday with coffee, and CA plates, and pulled me over -- claiming I had a tail light out (I didn't). They pulled me over in that same spot on a Sunday morning 4 times over the next six months, apparently they were convinced my liking coffee made me a "drug dealer," and they were really disappointed they couldn't ever catch me high or with drugs in the car :)

Another world? More like another galaxy. I remember the 2nd year we moved to Utah. My in-laws, from Southern California, came out for Christmas. I went to buy a last minute gift for my wife, a necklace from her favorite designer, at the Nordstrom's in Murray. They didn't have it at that location, but the sales girl found it at the Nordstrom's in Orem. We drove down there to pick it up. My FIL stood around while I made my transaction. When we were walking out, he said "My God- this place is the Aryan Nation! I didn't see anyone of color and all the kids were blue eyed, blondes."
Then on the way home he saw all the billboards for Mr. Mac Missionary stores, Bridal shops, Email a missionary,etc. etc.
Utah county people think a male, wearing a green or navy dress shirt, is a rebel.

Utah Valley is the Mormon Mecca, the LDS Holy Land, and the best place on earth to get your sphincter so tight you will get a headache. Sorry for the frank image with the body part, but there is a competition in that valley to see who can out Mormon each other and they are all winning. Trophies all around!

I realized the Mormon church was false during the last part of my sojourn through BYU. Being around all those extreme TBMs who were taking insincerity to new heights was suddenly unbearable. The minute I took my last final exam, I went directly to my car packed full of my belongings and put the pedal to the metal. Giant sigh of relief as I got to the Point of the Mountain and saw Provo and Orem in the rear view mirror.

How a non Mormon ever lives there I will never know. I am in awe that they can do it.

You don't have to worry about stereotyping the area, they already did it for you.

I always thought it was like stepping in something else.

Snort! Hahahah ah ha.

BothanSpy Wrote:
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> About 99% of the people in the stores and
> restaurants were probably Mormon.

Does that include Dirty Jo Punster's?

My experience is that crossing the state line into Utah is like going in to an alternate universe and Utah Valley has the thickest Mozone layer over it.

I didn't pay much attention to the lack of diversity when passing through there these past two years.

I stayed at an Asian owned and operated hotel. Ran into people of color when shopping @ City Creek.

There is a strong Mormon influence, obviously. Yet just driving down North Temple with the tran tracks in the median, and people walking around, it looked like any city, USA to me.

I also stopped in a Mexican neighborhood to shop at a local grocer's. Salt Lake has a little Chinatown, and a Jewish population. It also has the seventh largest gay population in America.

On my way to the airport on one of my stays, I stopped at a little gift shop downtown and bought a couple Navajo Indian souvenirs to bring home, that were handmade from local artisans.

It seemed pretty diverse to me overall.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2017 08:25PM by Amyjo.

The OP is talking about Utah Valley where Provo and Orem and BYU are, not Salt Lake Valley which, yes, is much more diverse. Being in Utah Valley is nothing like what you describe your visit to SLC to be.

SLC is more diverse because outside of the Mormon Vatican, I mean Temple Square, it's a secular city. The Provo/Orem area on the other hand, is like finding yourself in a parallel universe that's right out of a Twilight Zone episode.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2017 08:50PM by adoylelb.

Oh thanks. I thought they were the same place.

Orem and Provo aren't too far away. Though BYU being a college town (Provo,) doesn't surprise me at the lack of diversity there. The school itself does little to promote diversity in its ranks.

Utah valley is diverse, a year or two ago I looked up the statistics of Provo High, and yes there is 30% or more Mexican. But like the rest of Utah not many blacks (though SLC and Ogden have a few). But as you move north up into Alpine, Lindon and other such gentrified areas then the minorities are negligible.

Other Mormon hamlets that are like Aryan nation are Star Valley Wyoming, no diversity there. Garden City Utah. And places down south like Damaran Valley

Have any non-Mormon cultural anthropologists ever studied Utah Valley?

I bet it would be fascinating to see what (relatively) objective, trained scientists skilled at observing, recording, and comparing cultural traits had to say about this phenomenon.

Anecdotally one can read this and other sources to see how outsiders are treated, how clothing styles fit within narrow expectations, etc. But I'd like to see some hard data, especially comparing Utah Valley with other societies of similar size.

And of course, for every culture there's a counter-culture (kids these days!)...

I can't even begin to explain what growing up in Utah County was like. I left the second I could. I have a perfection complex and have been working through years of therapy to feel good enough, which I'm no where near there. The standards of perfection are unbelievable and everyone puts on a huge-fake facade. Nobody can measure up so everyone has their secrets while putting on a face for the ward/neighbors. It's a lonely, miserable existence. I get so anxious and unhappy any time I go back to Utah to visit. The worst part is that I am a huge disappointment to the ward I grew up in-which translates into my parent's overall status. It's really messed up. Your status in the ward totally depends on having money, 7 kids who all went on missions and got married in the temple and an important calling.

My impression was that Utah Valley is filled with BYU grads who didn't want to leave the mother ship, didn't want to leave home.

I know many people who were afraid to leave the mother ship of Utah Valley. Some didn't even like going to SLC saying it was too worldly.

Utah Valley is another planet. I actually had a pretty good experience growing up there due largely to having decent Ward leaders and convert parents who also thought that Utah Valley was a little weird.

While at BYU I saw many graduates go out into the real world to get jobs only to return a year later. My professors called it the "Return to Zion Syndrome".

My sister (engaged to be married) decided that Utah Valley was the place to be. She had gone to college there and ended up moving home over a breakup with a boyfriend (we later found out is gay--seems to run in the family). She moved home and immediately got engaged to a hometown guy and they actually have a happy marriage.

BUT for some reason she thought it was the place for me. My boyfriend was leaving on a mission. She found me an apartment, etc. The apartment turned out to be a complete joke and I spent the week with her old roommates until my mother could make it down to take me home.

I was extremely devout mormon. I found the whole experience deeply disturbing and I moved home to Brigham City.

That was 1977.

Gotta love the subtle snark going on in this thread, do you people walk around other places with higher numbers of other ethnic groups and make quips about their skin,hair and eye color, or is it just White Mormons you target? Do you walk about commenting how black some places are?

No didn't think so.

Pathetic.