St George or Kanab, UT?

[brickhistory]

Looking at post-USAF retirement spots.

St George or Kanab look awesome, asking if anyone has spent time at either place?

No, I am not basing my decision on any info gathered here, but a few data points will be useful as I can't get out there for several more months to see for myself.

Anyone been there?

[Clayton Bigsby]

Are you mormon?

That could be a huge issue.

[Guest JorryFright21]

Are you mormon?

That could be a huge issue.

Just curious, but it would be a "huge issue" why? If you hate mormons or something?

[Clayton Bigsby]

No, there's just such a very high concentration of them there that it tends to affect local laws, schools, community etc.

Not a hater, but they are a bit different. Ever been to a bar in SLC? Had to pay the club fee or whatever? And SLC is laid back and more diverse...

Just southern Utah is a very conservative area.

Edited August 8, 2007 by Jumper Bones

[Guest JorryFright21]

No, there's just such a very high concentration of them there that it tends to affect local laws, schools, community etc.

Not a hater, but they are a bit different. Ever been to a bar in SLC? Had to pay the club fee or whatever? And SLC is laid back and more diverse...

Just southern Utah is a very conservative area.

Okay, that makes sense.

[ACCBoomer]

I was stationed at Hill (way up North) and loved it. We used to head down to St Geroge for the local drag races on the weekends and it is a great place if you do not mind a small town becoming huge. If it was me I would head to Kanab, the scenery is beautiful and it is not becoming a big city...

[Spartacus]

I'm from Utah. PM if you have any more detailed questions. I would not just narrow it down to those two places IMHO. St. George is a very beautiful place but house prices are skyrocketing there. An AF retirement and any current equity that you might have may not go very far there. Kanab is nice but not really a place that many locals would say is a great place to retire. I have pretty much been all over Utah so I can suggest other places if you would like, or I could tell you where to look within those places that you have mentioned.

JB,

Nice comments there. Yeah, those laws and such might hinder your lifestyle, but have you ever stopped to think what kind of life that might create for the whole community? Crime is much lower and people are moving there like crazy to raise families and to retire. (Reference the whole point behid this thread.) While I lived there I met family after family that had just retired from the military or other people from all over the country that knew nothing about Utah other than those laws and that it's "nice" there. AND most of them were not Mormon. Anyway, I'm not trying to jump on you about what you said, but I just think that you might not fully understand everything that is going on there. Also, places like St. George, Moab, and Park City have a lot more people that are not Mormon than you might think.

[Clayton Bigsby]

JB,

Nice comments there. Yeah, those laws and such might hinder your lifestyle, but have you ever stopped to think what kind of life that might create for the whole community? Crime is much lower and people are moving there like crazy to raise families and to retire. (Reference the whole point behid this thread.) While I lived there I met family after family that had just retired from the military or other people from all over the country that knew nothing about Utah other than those laws and that it's "nice" there. AND most of them were not Mormon. Anyway, I'm not trying to jump on you about what you said, but I just think that you might not fully understand everything that is going on there. Also, places like St. George, Moab, and Park City have a lot more people that are not Mormon than you might think.

Right on. Didn't realize there'd been as much non-LDS growth as there apparently has been! I stand corrected...thanks

[scoobs]

The St George real estate market is slowing. Like they mentioed earlier a lot of people sold out in Vegas and California and moved there causing the LDS population to thin even though it doesn't matter. Suprisingly Las Vegas has the most mormons even more then SLC.

[yerfer]

The St George real estate market is slowing. Like they mentioed earlier a lot of people sold out in Vegas and California and moved there causing the LDS population to thin even though it doesn't matter. Suprisingly Las Vegas has the most mormons even more then SLC.

More than Utah? You sure about that? I'm LDS myself and I'll say straight up, the biggest concentration of the flock resides in Utah, from what I've seen (you could be right, I could be wrong). Although, I will say the members in Utah are quite a different bunch. I've been to Utah on many occasions and, even being a member is tough around the Utah Mormons. You can't really avoid it up there, because theirs scattered population of the church everywhere. Not saying its horrible, but the LDS mentality is typically different in Utah. My last trip there was quite an experience. Sandy and Provo are probably places to avoid. Sandy is loaded with older, close minded members who are pretty die hard traditional, and Provo is full of BYU herds. (Many of which come from Arizona actually).

Here in Mesa, their is a ton of members, but its way more laid back and we stay out of peoples hair.

All in all, Utah is a cheaper place to live. Lots of beautiful places, and theirs more non-members than people think. Also, if you love outdoor sports like climbing (amazing climbing), mountain biking (moab), riving rafting (joes valley, moab), snowboarding, skiing, etc. Utah is amazing for literally every sport. St George, has a ton of new sport climbing areas (bomber limestone cliffs). Kanab isn't far from Joes Valley and Maple canyon (both incredible climbing areas.). Kanab is a pretty boring town from what I've seen. I'd lean towards St. George.

Major downside to Utah is the cold (unless that doesn't bother you). My uncle lives in Hyrum (just north of Logan) and he says the winters can be brutal. Then again...this is coming from an Arizona native who lives in the 120's.

Good luck with your decision.

Edited August 9, 2007 by yerfer

[scoobs]

Your right Utah Mormons are a lot different then the rest. SLC is blowing up right now and prices are getting out of control. The actual county of SLC will be non LDS majority for the first time ever in the next few years. But that doesn't include the Orem Provo area. St George cools off at night but still in the 100+ range in the summer. Nice thing is Cedar City which you might want to look into in is way cooler temp wise.

[Spartacus]

Scoobs,

What are you doing? Have you even finished college yet? You told me a couple of years ago that you were going to do ROTC etc and I have never seen you. BTW, Orem/Provo is not Salt Lake County. They are in Utah County, which is a big difference. I also highly doubt that Salt Lake County will become predominately non-Mormon in the next few years. Utah Mormons CAN be different than the rest but be careful of stereotyping. Personally, I am a strong Mormon, and I have lived in and out of Utah and I think that WITHIN the Mormon community Utah Mormons can be very judgemental. However, if you are non-Mormon then it is not so noticable. I really think that it's not a huge issue for someone who is not Mormon moving to Utah because things will seem different to them anyway, but there are so many non-Mormons there now that it really is not a big deal at all.

One thing that everyone here needs to know/remember is that Utah and much of the West was settled by Mormons. Mormons were killed in Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. They were driven out of those places in the mid 1800's and were greatly persecuted, and this happened within a country that is supposed to recognize freedom of religion. Anyway, these Mormon made a "trek" to Utah because they had no other place to go. On the way many died because of sickness, and the harsh conditions that they went through. When they got to Utah it was desolate. But, because it was the only place they could go, among other reasons, they settled there and continued to be persecuted by the U.S. government. Mormons built Utah into what it is, and that is why there is such a strong Mormon influence there. Sure, many people may think that Utah is TOO Mormon but realize why it is. That is where they basically went to be left alone, so that they wouldn't have to worry about being killed. The Mormons where there first and made it into an awesome place to live, and they welcome anyone who wants to come. If you understand these facts then you should understand why the laws are the way they are there and why it seems to be a little "different."

[scoobs]

If you read my post I didn't say Orem or Provo were in Salt Lake County. And why are you giving me a history leason. I was raised LDS and in SLC so I know. Oh and Salt Lake County is changing and their freaking out. As far as college I got tired of Utah and moved to Phx and then back to San Diego. I'm not paying out of state resident fees. I already owe to much in student loans

[Spartacus]

Scoobs,

Dude, other people who would have read your post wouldn't understand the difference between SL County and Orem/Provo so that is why I said that. I wasn't giving you a history lesson... I said "everyone" meaning that I was talking to people who may not know what is going on there. SLC has been changing for a long time and it is nothing new... I just have a hard time believing that Mormons will be the minority there in a few years. At least that's not what I see and all of the people that I know who live there.

[Beaver]

Mormon fight!

[Chuck17]

Awesome!

Chuck

[ChkHandleDn]

Your right Utah Mormons are a lot different then the rest. SLC is blowing up right now and prices are getting out of control. The actual county of SLC will be non LDS majority for the first time ever in the next few years. But that doesn't include the Orem Provo area.

Scoobs is right to a point: Mo Population Shrinking, although it won't be until 2030.

I've lived in Utah for most of my life and it's definitely become more diversified since I first moved here. If you move to a smaller town and are non-Mormon you will definitely notice a difference in the way you are treated. However, if you're in a larger area such as SLC, Ogden, etc the only thing you'll really notice is that some of the cities are practically ghost towns on Sundays. The drinking laws are a little weird, but once you get used to them it's really not that bad. Overall, it's a great state to live in because of the lower crime rate and the abundance of outdoor activities.

Edited August 10, 2007 by lagguer

[Guest Utard]

I'm from St George and I went to school in Orem/Provo. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me as well.

[yerfer]

I'd like to say I'm sorry if I pointed out some stereotype of Utah LDS members. Not all of the members in Utah are extreme. My point was that many of them are. My experience in Utah, with the multiple visits as a member myself, haven't been so good. Last June I spent 2 miserable weeks in Sandy and Provo around people who were very extreme and were incredibly rude to me and the others I was with. But I will say, its not how were taught to be. I wasn't saying their behavior was a reflection of the teachings in the LDS church. I was mentioning the people and how they abused what they've been taught.

I know plenty of individuals of other beliefs who live in Utah and are treated great by the members.

Hope this clears up any hard feelings. I never meant to offend anyone. By no means do I wanna cause any tension or bad relations.

On a second note, Looks like I'm going to Utah soon. Just gotta call today from a buddy of mine, who's getting married. Yee hah.

P.S. Sorry if off topic, but did any of you go to BYU or U of U ROTC? My buddy's curious about both det's. If you know anything about it, please PM me. Thanks.

Edited August 11, 2007 by yerfer

[Clayton Bigsby]

To the LDS and Utards, just out of curiosity, where were the polygamists and extreme LDS conservatives holed up at? I know the media reported southern Utah, but I'm pretty sure they weren't near St George or the environs because I'm pretty sure they'd be run out of town. Were they closer to Colorado, or NV?

[Spartacus]

JB,

The polygamists are spread around different places but I think that the majority of them are in Arizona and Colorado. I think that what you may have seen on the news was Colorado City.

[Mark1]

Just move to the Colorado Front Range area and be done with it. All the benefits of Utah (plus more in my opinion) without the fuss over fitting in or having someone else's belief system influence what you can and can't do in public venues.

[ellsworb]

all this LDS talk ONLY makes me think about the South Park where they discussed and reviewed the Joseph Smith story:

"Dum dum dum dum dum dum dum"

HAHAHA. . Time for another bourbon

[Guest AceFlyHigh]

I lived in St. George for 2 years and I think it is great. You're an hour and a half from Vegas and about as far to the Grand Canyon. Zion National Park and Bryce are even closer. Lake Powell and Mead are pretty close and then there are two smaller resorvoirs as well about 15 minutes away. It's warmer than most of Utah...with summers getting real hot...more like Vegas than Salt Lake as far as climate. Winters are around 60 or so..and your still only 2 hours from a couple of ski resorts (Brianhead is about and hour and a half...Elk Meadows is a little farther). The community is very safe and clean. Mesquite is about 20 minutes away if you want to go gamble or have some entertainment/buffet at a casino. Mountain biking and rock climbing are fantastic there. Civil aviation is a lot of fun too, with a whole lot of great VFR days and lots of sun. California isn't a terribly far either with less than a 6 hour drive to Southern California beaches.

Oh..and Colorado City is in Arizona...on the Utah/Arizona border really close to Kanab. The name is a little deceiving....it's not in Colorado. Kanab is nice...I've only driven through and done a couple of touch and goes when I was getting my privat pilot's licencs. It is pretty small though. St. George is small...but when I lived there it was about 75,000 or so in the entire area. It's probably more like 100,000-150,000 people now...it's had a lot of growth. Kanab I think is more like 20,000. But I may be wrong.

Hope that helps!

[BlackJetDriver]

I lived in St. George for 2 years and I think it is great. You're an hour and a half from Vegas and about as far to the Grand Canyon. Zion National Park and Bryce are even closer. Lake Powell and Mead are pretty close and then there are two smaller resorvoirs as well about 15 minutes away. It's warmer than most of Utah...with summers getting real hot...more like Vegas than Salt Lake as far as climate. Winters are around 60 or so..and your still only 2 hours from a couple of ski resorts (Brianhead is about and hour and a half...Elk Meadows is a little farther). The community is very safe and clean. Mesquite is about 20 minutes away if you want to go gamble or have some entertainment/buffet at a casino. Mountain biking and rock climbing are fantastic there. Civil aviation is a lot of fun too, with a whole lot of great VFR days and lots of sun. California isn't a terribly far either with less than a 6 hour drive to Southern California beaches.

Oh..and Colorado City is in Arizona...on the Utah/Arizona border really close to Kanab. The name is a little deceiving....it's not in Colorado. Kanab is nice...I've only driven through and done a couple of touch and goes when I was getting my privat pilot's licencs. It is pretty small though. St. George is small...but when I lived there it was about 75,000 or so in the entire area. It's probably more like 100,000-150,000 people now...it's had a lot of growth. Kanab I think is more like 20,000. But I may be wrong.

Hope that helps!

Oh, how I remember the hollowed mormon "fights"... Reminds me of my sheltered childhood home... Grew up in UT. I'd live in Boise, ID or Sun Valley area. If you don't like Kanab, Moab or St. George... I recommend Cedar City. Elk Meadows/Brianhead snow sucks and the season is too short. If you want good snow go up north, SLC area or even up to Sun Valley or Jackson Hole. I love the northern part of the state. On second thought... I recommend you live somewhere else like Arizona or California like everyone else. ;)

BJD