Posted by:
Anonymous
(
)
Date: August 11, 2012 03:39AM
I live in West Jordan and this is my experience.
Weather:
Summers are hot (95-100) and Winters can be brutal if a bad inversion settles into the valley. Freezing temperatures and the pollution keeps building and building until a storm clears it out. Really sucks if you have breathing problems. On the plus side, there is nothing more beautiful than the sight of the mountains following a storm before the haze starts to come back. Sometimes it seems that spring and fall get skipped altogether.
Neighbors:
You may find a few that you are close to but in general, Mormons will either "love bomb" you to try to get you to join their church and when that doesn't work they will just ignore you. Your kids may be shunned as well.
Churches:
You can't throw a dead cat without hitting a LDS church. Other churches are fewer and farther between. If you like to go to church be prepared to drive a bit to get to one you like. The LDS ward you live in will likely hold a few events each year where the whole neighborhood is invited. It's a good chance to at least meet your neighbors.
Schools:
Jordan school district is dead last in per-pupil funding in the entire country. Other districts are not a lot better. There are some very good charter schools out there though but again, be prepared to drive your kids across town to get there. Also, if you're not LDS your kids will have a hard time making friends.
Recreation:
Lots of outdoor activities. Lots of family oriented businesses too. Lagoon amusement park, Boondocks, Salt Lake County recreation system are all great.
Crime:
Generally low but some areas are worse than others.
Transportation:
The highway system was rebuilt to help support the 2002 Olympics. There is also light rail and buses and a heavy rail train which runs from North of Davis County to SLC and will be expanding service to Provo by the end of the year.
http://rideuta.comGovernment:
Everything is pretty much run by the LDS church. They stay out of most day-to-day stuff but if they want something they get it, period.
Housing:
I saw in the paper that housing prices in Salt Lake County were up for the first time in years. It may be a good time to buy.
Jobs:
Utah has a relatively strong economy but be careful. Mormon business men can be terrible to work for. Non or ExMormons probably won't fair well working for a LDS employer no matter how hard you try to keep religion out of the workplace. Mormons tend to give perks to other Mormons whether they deserve it or not.
That's all I can think of right now. Good luck.