It looks like I'm the only one from the controversial Salt Lake Valley.
First the population might be 200,000 but don't let that fool you. Pittsburgh has less than a million and it's huge. Why, because all the burbs run together that aren't considered part of the city. The Salt Lake Valley now runs from mountain bench to mountain bench. The western bench in the next 10 years is to be developed with an estimated 500,000 more folks as well as a ski resort in the Quirrh Mountains.
As for the weather being cold here, nothing could be further from the truth, then again I was born and raised in the frigid southwest Pennsylvania area where ice damning and breaking off in the rivers sinking river barges was not unheard of. This new Years eve it was 32 degrees and I was out in a pair of shorts, chaco sandels and my Moab sweatshirt. Try that in PA in January when the wind chill is minus 10 with a humidity factor of around 80 percent.
As for prejudice it's no different than anywhere else that I have been (I've been to 49 states and 17 countries). Yes, the largest religious population is Mormom, but that only comprises 47% of the total population in the Salt Lake Valley. All yeah "happy valley" is not Salt Lake Valley. It is Utah County. It's a total different ballgame down there. Is there alot of blacks here...............no. If you see one in a weeks time that would be saying alot. Is it ethnically diversed..........O'ya. Tongan, somoian, Asian, Mexican, bosnian, you name it we probably got it, even my sorry Northern Irish/Swedish butt. As for job outlook, it's absulutely horrible. The unemployment rate is really low but then again you have to look at what the main industries are here. It's Government and education, after that most folks are working two jobs at some customer service type employment. An individual without college can expect an hourly rate of around 12 to 14 an hour and that's working in the telemarketing arena. A four year degree holder avg pay the first year out is 34,000 (I just saw that on the news). Thirty four thousand does not pay the bills in this neck of the woods. The cost of living doesn't rival....say California but it's quickly getting there. If you smoke, drink, or put gas in your car (yeah right) expect to pay really , really high tax.
As for the wheeling..........come on please you got to be kidding, Moab is in our back yard. Locally are trails are more 4.5 to off the charts than the middle of the road trails. Personally I prefer the 4.0 rated.
For a guy who has moved literally 19 times in a 20+ military career there isn't to many places that I would rather live especially for the whelling and the killer skiing they have here with the 50 to 60 foot annual snowfall in the mountains.
