What’s it really like living in Utah?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Mormon culture is pervasive. SLC feels very weird.

I agree we have family out there-nice to visit and nice to leave.

Yeah; I mean: would you really want to live around, you know, those people ??!?

Oh FFS.

I have no problem with Mormons. In fact, on an individual level, every Mormon I know is lovely and kind and the kind of people you *would* want to live around.

But being a religious minority among a very high demand religion is hard. It just is. I grew up in Mesa, AZ which is very Mormon and it was just a really difficult group to penetrate *especially* when you make it clear that you have no plans of converting. I wouldn't say my Mormon classmates/neighbors/etc. deliberately set out to be exclusionary to non-LDS but when your religion is such a HUGE part of your life and the moral code is what it is, it is just easier to spend time around others who have that in common with you than to invest time and friendship etc. those who do not. Especially when you live in an area where many/most of the people around are also LDS. (As opposed to somewhere like DC where, just due to the numbers, insularity is much less likely.) *shrug* I

You’re being too nice. Yes they did.

You are projecting your experience onto a huge, nonmonogomous group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Mormon culture is pervasive. SLC feels very weird.

I agree we have family out there-nice to visit and nice to leave.

Yeah; I mean: would you really want to live around, you know, those people ??!?

Oh FFS.

I have no problem with Mormons. In fact, on an individual level, every Mormon I know is lovely and kind and the kind of people you *would* want to live around.

But being a religious minority among a very high demand religion is hard. It just is. I grew up in Mesa, AZ which is very Mormon and it was just a really difficult group to penetrate *especially* when you make it clear that you have no plans of converting. I wouldn't say my Mormon classmates/neighbors/etc. deliberately set out to be exclusionary to non-LDS but when your religion is such a HUGE part of your life and the moral code is what it is, it is just easier to spend time around others who have that in common with you than to invest time and friendship etc. those who do not. Especially when you live in an area where many/most of the people around are also LDS. (As opposed to somewhere like DC where, just due to the numbers, insularity is much less likely.) *shrug* I

You’re being too nice. Yes they did.

You are projecting your experience onto a huge, nonmonogomous group.

Fair enough. How many times does it need to happen for it not to be a projection, person who’s telling us they are Mormon without telling us they are Mormon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s it really like living in Utah?

I have colleagues from Utah who praise it as perfection.

I would have assumed it was somewhat restrictive given the Mormon culture?

The brand new (and large) houses set to mountains in the background look fantastic from the reality show views.

Fake Christian bible thumping land babies breeding at 14
Amazing culture of women being abused

Don’t you have Tesla you should be burning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The women are so beautiful

Until they smile. Brown teeth and stink. I’m sorry, because it must be painful.

Really? Every Mormon I've ever met has incredibly nice teeth. Like to the point where if I'm somewhere in the mountain west/PNW/California (i.e., places with a not insignificant number of Mormons) and I see someone with perfectly white and straight teeth I assume they are Mormon.

A lot of Mormons go into dentistry because it's good money but you get Sundays off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Mormon culture is pervasive. SLC feels very weird.

I agree we have family out there-nice to visit and nice to leave.

Yeah; I mean: would you really want to live around, you know, those people ??!?

Oh FFS.

I have no problem with Mormons. In fact, on an individual level, every Mormon I know is lovely and kind and the kind of people you *would* want to live around.

But being a religious minority among a very high demand religion is hard. It just is. I grew up in Mesa, AZ which is very Mormon and it was just a really difficult group to penetrate *especially* when you make it clear that you have no plans of converting. I wouldn't say my Mormon classmates/neighbors/etc. deliberately set out to be exclusionary to non-LDS but when your religion is such a HUGE part of your life and the moral code is what it is, it is just easier to spend time around others who have that in common with you than to invest time and friendship etc. those who do not. Especially when you live in an area where many/most of the people around are also LDS. (As opposed to somewhere like DC where, just due to the numbers, insularity is much less likely.) *shrug* I

Chandler HS grad here--all of my friendships with Mormon kids faded in high school because they all went across the street to the Seminary to hang out at lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Mormon culture is pervasive. SLC feels very weird.

I agree we have family out there-nice to visit and nice to leave.

Yeah; I mean: would you really want to live around, you know, those people ??!?

Oh FFS.

I have no problem with Mormons. In fact, on an individual level, every Mormon I know is lovely and kind and the kind of people you *would* want to live around.

But being a religious minority among a very high demand religion is hard. It just is. I grew up in Mesa, AZ which is very Mormon and it was just a really difficult group to penetrate *especially* when you make it clear that you have no plans of converting. I wouldn't say my Mormon classmates/neighbors/etc. deliberately set out to be exclusionary to non-LDS but when your religion is such a HUGE part of your life and the moral code is what it is, it is just easier to spend time around others who have that in common with you than to invest time and friendship etc. those who do not. Especially when you live in an area where many/most of the people around are also LDS. (As opposed to somewhere like DC where, just due to the numbers, insularity is much less likely.) *shrug* I

You’re being too nice. Yes they did.

You are projecting your experience onto a huge, nonmonogomous group.

Non monogamous?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know non Mormons who like Park City too.

Plus 1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Utah has one of the highest rates of mental health issues in the U.S., with around 1 in 3 teens in the state suffering from depression. The state also has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, with 665 lives lost to suicide in 2023. Utah’s high school graduation rate is terrible, with 12% of students failing to graduate. It's clear that the state faces significant challenges when it comes to the mental well-being of its youth, even if some things seem to be trending in the right direction.

OP, if you’re a parent, I strongly recommend looking into other states. Even if your own children aren't facing these issues, they will be surrounded by peers who are struggling. Their school will have a large number of of kids who are sad, lonely, and often lack the support they need from their families or schools.

(Park City, though, is a nice bubble of normalcy!)

Plus 1
Bethesda to Park City person here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Went to Park City in the summer once and liked it except for a bad restaurant experience.

We were turned away despite most tables being empty. Ok, maybe we were right before the rush. But my gut had a different feeling, so when we walked out, I booked a reservation through Open Table for 30 minutes later and walked back in. I didn’t even care if we ate there really, it was about principle now.

The only thing I can blame it on is to assume that they thought my friend and I were a gay couple.

Insult to injury, when the bartender asked where I was from, she was one of those “that’s not DC!” people who want you to name your one-red -light- to -the -city neighborhood when you’re across the country and a stranger makes small talk.

Anyway, I’ve wondered the same. I find LDS people to be extremely nice, but living as a constant outsider would get old. It’s beautiful and the cost of living is attractive though.

Why would you say you live in DC if you don’t?

That’s weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's hard to "break in" and make friends if you are not LDS.

I lived in SLC and then St. George for years for work. Even though I was very friendly with my co-workers, who were all Mormon, I was never invited to things outside of work like fellow coworkers were. I lived there for almost 8 years and really only had 1 very close friend and 3 somewhat close friends during my time there.

I will say, I never faced any outward discrimination for being queer. I never had my pride flag stolen nor was I ever harassed or assaulted. The Mormons are very judgmental but overall peaceful people, lol. I've had my pride flag stolen here in VA (Loudoun County) more times than I ever did in UT. I have heard if you "look" queer or have an alternative look to you, you may face more discrimination. I never advertised that I was a lesbian while at work, but I also didn't shy away from saying things like, "my girlfriend and I went to Red Iguana for a dinner date on Saturday night." when discussing what we did over the weekend on Monday morning.

If you're a big alcohol person, you might find UT a bit restrictive. They have one of the strictest DUI laws out there where you can get a DUI at 0.05% BAC, which is only 1 drink for many people. They are an ABC state like VA, but unlike VA their ABC stores are not open on Sunday. Restaurants are also not allowed to offer Happy Hour discounts in UT, and you aren't allowed to just go in a restaurant/bar and order a drink without also ordering food. All alcoholic drinks must be ordered with food. They also have laws on the alcoholic content allowed for their beers served in restaurants. I can't remember fully, but I believe all beers must be under 5% ABV. So it can be harder to get a variety of beers there, especially IPAs.

I love the state of Utah. It's beautiful and a total mecca for anyone who is very outdoorsy, which I am. I loved hiking and exploring the land and would absolutely move back there for work if needed.

There are gay LDS members. I only know that after watching videos on youtube about it, by lds folks. Only watched those videos with DD because she has some friends who are gay and some who are LDS (but none who are both).

It was an interesting topic to look into! It also heightened our authentic understanding of who LDS folks really are and what they actually believe (contrary to many of the destructive stereotypes pushed by the mainstream media and others).

Utah is indeed a really beautiful place.

You can be gay and Mormon...technically...I guess...but per the doctrine, gay people will never be able to reach the celestial kingdom, participate in what the religion considers to be its most sacred/important ordinances, achieve "God's plan" or receive the highest blessings of the religion.

so yes, but with major caveats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Went to Park City in the summer once and liked it except for a bad restaurant experience.

We were turned away despite most tables being empty. Ok, maybe we were right before the rush. But my gut had a different feeling, so when we walked out, I booked a reservation through Open Table for 30 minutes later and walked back in. I didn’t even care if we ate there really, it was about principle now.

The only thing I can blame it on is to assume that they thought my friend and I were a gay couple.

Insult to injury, when the bartender asked where I was from, she was one of those “that’s not DC!” people who want you to name your one-red -light- to -the -city neighborhood when you’re across the country and a stranger makes small talk.

Anyway, I’ve wondered the same. I find LDS people to be extremely nice, but living as a constant outsider would get old. It’s beautiful and the cost of living is attractive though.

Why would you say you live in DC if you don’t?

That’s weird.

This has been addressed a million times here. Because when you’re thousands of miles away and a stranger makes small talk, normal people don’t get into the weeds of your zip code. What’s weird is people not understanding this.

[Anonymous]

But why doesn’t Utah want fluoride in their water? I’d really like to understand their position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Mormon culture is pervasive. SLC feels very weird.

I agree we have family out there-nice to visit and nice to leave.

Yeah; I mean: would you really want to live around, you know, those people ??!?

Oh FFS.

I have no problem with Mormons. In fact, on an individual level, every Mormon I know is lovely and kind and the kind of people you *would* want to live around.

But being a religious minority among a very high demand religion is hard. It just is. I grew up in Mesa, AZ which is very Mormon and it was just a really difficult group to penetrate *especially* when you make it clear that you have no plans of converting. I wouldn't say my Mormon classmates/neighbors/etc. deliberately set out to be exclusionary to non-LDS but when your religion is such a HUGE part of your life and the moral code is what it is, it is just easier to spend time around others who have that in common with you than to invest time and friendship etc. those who do not. Especially when you live in an area where many/most of the people around are also LDS. (As opposed to somewhere like DC where, just due to the numbers, insularity is much less likely.) *shrug* I

You’re being too nice. Yes they did.

You are projecting your experience onto a huge, nonmonogomous group.

Non monogamous?

You know, sister wives and such.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But why doesn’t Utah want fluoride in their water? I’d really like to understand their position.

Why doesn't West Virginia want their children vaccinated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends, an interracial couple, moved there for his job. Less than a year later they left - they were miserable. Said if you weren't white and Mormon, you didn't want to be there

This is spot on. First, they will try to convert you. When you decline, they will shun you.

ok; so I understand now. This is an issue,

What about locating certain neighborhoods? I mean, like ones with fewer or none of them living there?

Could a realtor help with that?