Moving to Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City was founded by the Mormons in the mid-1800’s, and the Mormon population has remained the most noteworthy aspect of the city to this day, greatly shaping its culture. This is not to say, however, that the City by the Great Salt Lake is begins and ends with the religion.

Salt Lake City offers residents amazing views and great hiking, boating and skiing opportunities. It is also a major metropolitan area with everything from large corporations to quality resorts to NBA basketball.

Geography of Salt Lake City, UT

Salt Lake City is located in a high-desert valley; however, it’s home to one of the most beautiful skylines in the world. Grandiose mountains jut into the sky on all sides, of which the Wasatch and Oquirrh are the most dominant. Their peaks are snow-covered for much of the year, and they’re home to many glaciers and streams. But that’s not the only natural beauty around; the Great Salt Lake graces the edge of the city, providing gorgeous, rippling reflections of its surroundings.

Salt Lake City is the center of the larger metropolitan area, which includes  Bringham City and Ogden and is home to over 1.1 million people. Provo, Utah, home to Bringham Young University, is about 45 miles to the south.

Positives of Moving to Salt Lake City

Weather – Salt Lake City gets snow, but temperatures rarely dip below the 20‘s, and though in summer it can top 100, it’s a dry heat. In between those extremes, the weather can be very pleasant; the city enjoys roughly 280 sunny days a year (Chicago gets ~80).

Mormonism – Bringham Young and the Mormons (a Christianity-based religion) founded Salt Lake City in 1847. Since then, the Mormons have built a number of beautiful churches and structures throughout the city, which has remained largely Mormon. For Mormons, this is obviously a positive; however, even for non-Mormons, it’s a good thing. The architecture is nice, and their Mormon neighbors generally focus on family and avoiding vices, leading to the city’s low…

Crime rate – Crime in Salt Lake City happens, but nowhere near as often as in many cities of its size, and the crime situation borders on non-existent when compared to, say, Detroit or L.A.. Salt Lake City is a generally peaceful, kind place to live.

Skiing – The Wasatch Mountains to the east are home to a number of powdery, sun-drenched, skiers’-dream slopes. There are also a number of beautiful resorts in the mountains. The skiing and snowboarding scene attracts tens of thousands of tourists each year.

Economy – Salt Lake City isn’t the epicenter to any vital industry, like tech in Silicon Valley or banking in Charlotte; however, it is a regional hub – the largest city for hundreds of miles in all directions. This means it does a little bit of everything, and the city’s business scene is quite strong. The local economy also benefits from the tourism industry.

Negatives of Moving to Salt Lake City

Inversions – Because it is surrounded by mountains, Salt Lake City experiences a terrible natural phenomena in which the cold air becomes trapped over the city, along with smoggy air pollution. Warm sunny air sits on top of the cold air, out of reach of the residents.

Lake Stink – This is a minor problem, but it’s interesting enough to mention. A few times each year, the bacteria in the Great Salt Lake release sulfur-like smells over the city, which last a couple of hours. These are generally recognized as bad times to be outside.

Restrictions – While Mormonism is a great cultural spark and attraction, the religion is very restrictive with respect to drugs, including alcohol and caffeine. Though the city itself does not prohibit things like beer or coffee, the social restrictions play that role, and the city’s offerings generally suffer.

Diversity – Salt Lake City is 75% white/Caucasian, and about 50% of the population is Mormon. Those numbers increase in smaller, surrounding areas. In other words, it is probably the least diverse large city in the U.S.

Lack of Entertainment – The city sorely lacks in a bar/nightlife scene, and, though it has some attractions, like the NBA’s Utah Jazz and nearby skiing, it generally lacks many of the experiential activities of large cities. Residents complain of a downtown that dies at dusk and of a lack of restaurants and hang-out spots.

Thinking about moving to Salt Lake City? Check out some Salt Lake City moving companies: Salt Lake City movers.