Posted by:
exminion
(
)
Date: January 24, 2019 08:35PM
Salt Lake City is ideal for people on their way up. For teen-agers, good after-school, weekend, and seasonal ski jobs are always available. The SL Community college and the University of Utah are well-suited to kids who have to work their way through. All of my children live in our same neighborhood, and they're married with three children, each. Their children are going to the same schools they went to, and they have not yet had problems with Mormon bullying. Their schools have a lot more diversity, these days, which helps.
As a young adult, I had great non-Mormon mentors, in my career. My SLC employer actually paid for my advanced education! There are good not-Mormon companies in SLC, plus, more Mormon companies are wanting to hire more "diverse" personnel. Even Mormons don't like too much church gossip and schmoozing in the workplace. Summer is right--be yourself!
After graduating from the U of Utah, one of my sons went into business with his best friend, a Mormon who left the cult on his mission, and their business is thriving. Most of the colleagues they hired are non-Mormon, because, to be honest, some Mormon employees are not very honest, not very hard-working, not very focused on their jobs, not very realistic, not very social or polite. A lot of Utah employers have experienced this. That's why you need to be yourself--you don't know what an employer is looking for, in the way of character. My own mentor did not hire Mormons (though it's illegal to say so). Another big business owner I know in Silicon Valley will not even look at resumés of BYU graduates. No one talks about this stuff. My son's company is National, and virtually all of their clients are from outside of Utah.
My other son found permanent work with the SLC company he had been working for, to put himself through the U and grad school. This was a Mormon family-owned company, and when he could see that the Mormon relatives were in line for the same promotions, he left and got a better job with a NATIONAL company. They had better benefits and retirement plans, as well as better salaries. Go National, if you can.
BTW--do not work for the State of Utah. As the other posters said, Mormonism is in control of the politics. The morale in State offices is the worst!
The Utah housing market is pretty good for buyers, even though prices are on the rise, like in most other places. Your investment in a house in SLC will probably increase at least 5% a year, perhaps more. Both my sons happened to not get married until they were almost 30, but in the meantime, they saved, and bought very nice SLC houses, a few blocks from me. My daughter and SIL live here, too, and my SIL's entire family. Community events are family events. Nice people. I'm glad the Mormons keep to themselves. You aren't imagining or accusing, because, as a group, Mormons can be very rude and aggressive. That is their reputation. They are the third rudest drivers, next to NYC and Miami.
Bountiful is too Mormon for me. So is Provo. So is Draper. Park City would be my first choice, for a non-Mormon area, and I spend a lot of my time there. It's overpriced, though, but probably worth it.
The less-Mormon areas of SLC are closer to downtown. Some are expensive, but not as expensive as fancy neighborhoods in Draper, for example. Federal Heights, The Avenues, Indian Hills, St. Mary's areas close to the University are mostly non-Mormon. For smaller houses and apartments, Sugar House and the Highland area is good, but is getting more expensive. Stay above 700 East in South Salt Lake, to avoid higher-crime areas. In general, neighborhoods with smaller houses appeal to non-Mormons. Mormons need big houses for their big egos and big families. My Provo, Bountiful, and Draper Mormon relatives have 8-10 kids, and three families have 12 children each!
Holladay is ideal. Like most of SLC, the farther East you go, the more expensive and larger the houses are. Holladay has good schools, and a healthy socioeconomic mix. It's only 20 minutes from everything, even South Valley, where there's likely to be more construction. IMO, no one needs a 3,000 sf house (except for my relatives).
Sandy is mostly non-Mormon now. The the past few years, Three wards, that I know of, have been phased out into oblivion. Sandy has been voted an "ideal place to live" several times over the years. It's further south than Holladay, and, therefore, less expensive than Holladay. Good schools. Shopping. Hospitals. Parks. Transportation. Low crime. Skiing 20 minutes away. But, I have always loved the suburbs!