A friend of mine (not Mormon) has to move there soon because her husband got transferred there. I'm wondering how intense the Mormon culture/pressure to be Mormon is there as compared with elsewhere in Utah, and if she will have a hard time finding non-Mormon friends to hang out with.

It's close to SLC. ;)

Also, it has a decent Thai food place, and I wouldn't expect such a thing in a town of that size.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2013 10:50PM by archytas.

I grew up next door to Lehi. Yes, it is very mormon. Not quite as bad as provo near byu, but still very very mormon

My sister lives there, and she's more or less a jack Mormon. Once you settle in and train them that you're not interested it would be tolerable. It is very Mormon, as is all of Utah County.

It's about 5-10 miles from my home.

Lehi is still pretty "rural" - lots of rednecks - but it depends on which part of the city you live in. It's less extreme in Mormonism than Utah Valley. I'd guess you would have about a 50/50 mix of active Mormons vs non Mormons/Jack Mormons.

There's some really great stuff near Lehi - Thanksgiving Point & the Alpine Loop are both phenomenal. If they have kids they will want to do the "pass of all passes" from seven peaks. Unlimited laser tag, water park, ice skating, mini golf, and more for a year for $30-$50 depending on how good of a deal you find.

Thank you for the tips--I may have to give her a heads-up and a few ideas about how to avoid being converted!

My best tip to avoid conversion is to remember to always look at both sides of any story. Mormons will try anything to stop you from doing this, because the "other side of the story" is absolutely devastating to what they believe.

Living in Lehi is probably going to be pretty rough. The neighbors will likely band together all be over-the-top friendly at first, trying to convert them to Mormonism. Then, if they don't convert, all that friendship will gradually evaporate and they'll probably be pretty much social outcasts among their neighbors. Not on purpose, most of the time. Its just that the people in their neighborhood is also the Mormon ward. Mormons do most of their socializing through their church. If you aren't part of their church, you're automatically excluded from most social activities, unless somebody thinks to extend you a special invitation.

There are plenty of TBMs there, but from what I understand, there are also a lot of jackmormons.

Personally, I'd recommend that they live in SLC, and he could commute. Then they'd have wouldn't have such a culture shock. Places like Bluffdale or Riverton (on the very south end of SLC) are only about 10 min from Lehi.

My family has done okay in Utah Valley, but I think being exmos makes it easier than being a nevermo. At least we know what's going on, and how not to freak out the locals.

I live less than 5 minutes from there in a neighboring town. It is very, very LDS. Everyone in my neighborhood is active LDS except for one family. If your non LDS friend moves to that area she and her family would most likely become a conversion project.

Like other posters, I would recommend living in Salt Lake County. There's a little more diversity.

Working for Adobe?

I have a friend that bought a house in one of the new subdivisions there about 5 years ago. She didn't like it because all her neighbors were very young brides and she felt like she'd gone back to high school. My friend really wished she had bought in one of the more established neighborhoods because she felt there would be more of an age range and less cattiness. Of course, she is LDS and had to deal with the local Mormons. Your friend will be out of that social circle. My friend moved to a whole other town at Christmas.

It's really very Mormon and you can't underestimate, if there are children involved, the way many of the other children in that area will see them as "less worthy". This can wear on kids after a while. Adults have a hard time with it too - getting the evil eye for wearing a tank top at Arby's or trying to shop on Sunday. But at least adults know it's the locals being @sshats, and kids will internalize it more. On the upside, most people I know who are non-LDS in Utah tend to band together and be closer for it - sort of a siege mentality. If she can go in with eyes wide open, looking for her sort of people and knowing that Utah County Mormons are known for their bad behavior and manners, she'll be OK. And, when she finds the nice Mormons there (and of course there are some) she'll appreciate them more.

Fortunately, they don't have young kids living at home, so that won't be an issue. They are both very friendly and outgoing, so hopefully they can find other like minded people to socialize with, but it does sound like it will be a challenge.

Has he tried begging his employer to send him ANYWHERE else?

Being from an area that has very few Mormons, I don't think they are really aware what they are getting into. They seem excited because of the beautiful scenery and because they'll be moving closer to her extended family. I don't think it's much of an option to move anywhere else if he wants to keep his job.

Does he work for an IT company?

I think there is a really good truckstop there. Or somewhere near there–who cares with truckstops?

They used to have a road named after a morning erection, (or a weed, I guess, depending on your point of view)–Morning Glory Road–but they changed it... This guys is not going to work for an IT company is he?

I have been considering relocating somewhere between Fillmore and Beaver during the summer so I can ride in the Paiute Mtns. But, that is as far north as I would go...

I would say to move on the other side of Lehi to the north, to Draper as the closest next possible place. Definitely not Utah county. We were warned by our realtor to stay on the other side of the hill and did not listen. Even some of my husbands coworkers who do live in Salt lake county have faces quite a culture shock. If this person is transferring to a big company like IMflash or Adobe there should be plenty of nomos to hang out with.

My sense is the Sandy/Draper is more Mormony than Lehi.

MILF center of Utah County.

Some of the largest Christian / Non-denominational churches are within that area. There must be a pretty good chunk of non-lds people.

My nevermo coworker raised his family in Lehi and is just now moving into SL county. He had an easier time of it since they are nevermo and not exmo, he says his neighbors were all friendly and not pushy, but they were never in the group. His kids are all great people and have many good mormon friends. He did say he didn't like the 'feel' of the place, especially when going anywhere on sundays.

If your friend's husband is in fact working at Adobe or IM Flash, I would recommend looking at Suncrest, since it's just down the mountain, or the Sandy/Draper/Riverton/Herriman area. The commute south around point of the mountain isn't bad at all.

Watch Foot Loose. It was literally filmed in Lehi.

"Loose! Footloose!"

Lehi resident chiming in! I live on the south side, just north of the Pioneer Crossing parkway. The culture is very, very Mormon. As you walk out of my front door, the ward house is on the south-east corner across the street. Right next door, to the north, is my stake center.

Since we don't attend, we aren't really a part of our neighborhood. People are friendly, but there are no real close relationships. We have two kids, and they don't have too many friends in the neighborhood as a result.

This may just be our part of Lehi though. There's all kinds of new development on the north end, north of I-15. With Adobe setting up shop, it's likely that there's more of a "mix" on the north end. Here on the south end, it's like living behind the Zion Curtain.

What really frustrates us is when we try and engage in discussions with our neighbors about small-talk stuff like the weather, gardening, etc., it almost ALWAYS goes back to the church. I really hate that "community" and "ward" are interchangeable here. When speaking to co-workers, or others who aren't aware of where we live, they say "which ward/stake are you in?" We've considered moving, but our parents are here in the valley and approaching old age, so we need to stay close.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2013 06:55PM by hard6.

Save the Lehi Roller Mills!! It is a part of heaven-- just ask me :))))