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In the middle of the Utah desert, you’ll find one of the most rapidly-growing cities in the nation — Salt Lake City. It’s been growing for years and especially started booming when the pandemic hit in 2020. Many companies became remote-first, allowing their employees to choose where they want to live.
So, people made their way over to the Salt Lake Valley, which has actually driven up its cost of living. This may come as a surprise to those who wonder what the city has to offer. Spoiler alert: There are plenty of reasons to move to Salt Lake City besides green Jell-O and Mormons.
1. Mountain views from every angle
One of the small, daily joys of living in Salt Lake is having a view of the mountains from everywhere. No matter where you find yourself in the valley, you’ll see mountains on all sides. They also change with the seasons and you’ll get to see them transition from green in the summer to orange and yellow in the fall to the white snow-capped wonders in the winter.
2. Best snow on earth
It’s no wonder that the 2002 Winter Olympic Games were held in Salt Lake City — it has some of the best snow on earth. It’s been deemed one of the best places in the world for skiing and snowboarding and there’s no shortage of resorts where you can participate in winter sports. Do you need a better reason to move to Salt Lake City?
3. An airport to get you anywhere in the world
Salt Lake is a traveler’s paradise. The Salt Lake City International Airport can get you a flight to anywhere in the world and because it’s one of the bigger hubs, you can often find direct flights to other countries. Plus, the airport recently underwent a massive rebuild, so it’s now more modern and can accommodate more people and planes than ever before.
4. Sports for every interest
Home to multiple sports teams, particularly the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the Real Salt Lake MLS team, there are sporting events happening year-round that you can grab a ticket to. These games are also fairly affordable to attend, with some tickets priced as little as $10 per person.
5. Community events every weekend
Some see members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as too dominant in the area, they’ve also created a very community-centered culture. Many of these church members are service-oriented and you’ll find that their church events are open to the public for those that wish to attend.
6. You’ll have all 4 seasons
In Salt Lake, you’ll experience rainy springs, hot summers, colorful autumns and snowy winters. Granted, the timing of these seasons will vary from year-to-year and you may see snow in May and warmer temperatures until November, but you’ll still get a little bit of everything at some point!
7. The job market is strong
In recent years, Salt Lake City and nearby surrounding cities have grown significantly thanks to the many tech companies setting up their headquarters in the valley. The nearby Silicon Slopes area has been under constant growth for the last 10 years and the tech companies here are always looking to hire.
8. Live music for every taste
You can always find local artists performing in smaller venues in Salt Lake. And, along with them, you’ll find that plenty of the well-known, mainstream artists are often performing in S.L.C. on their tours.
9. College has an affordable price tag
Utah has always been known for its affordable college tuition and it’s becoming even more appealing as tuition costs are going up in other parts of the country. In many cases, even paying out-of-state tuition is more affordable to students than paying in-state tuition in their home state. And, if you can qualify for in-state tuition, you’ll get a great education at a fraction of the price.
10. Close to national parks
Utah is the home of five national parks — not to mention that there are more than 40 additional state parks to explore. And, the best part is that almost all of these parks are within only a few hours’ drive from Salt Lake City.
11. The magic of downtown S.L.C.
The downtown area of Salt Lake is a unique combination of old, historic buildings and new buildings or massive renovations. These buildings are for new restaurants, entertainment and nightlife. Plus, there’s lots of shopping to do at boutiques and small shops, along with the City Creek shopping plaza that contains more than 100 stores and restaurants.
12. The stars flock to Sundance
Getting tickets to the Sundance Film Festival is extremely difficult due to its popularity and the type of people that attend — which often includes A-list celebrities. Even if you aren’t able to get tickets, the hype around the festival is infectious and there’s a good chance you’ll see a famous actor strolling around the streets of Salt Lake when they have a free moment before or after the festival.
13. Great hiking around every corner
With such close proximity to the mountains, you can find hikes just about everywhere. Many hiking trails start out in Salt Lake City and take you up into the mountains and you may not even need a car to find a trail. There’s also the option of taking a quick drive up one of the many canyons surrounding the city to hike deeper into the stunning mountains and get even better views.
14. A foodie’s paradise
The food scene in S.L.C. is growing a lot and introducing new independent restaurants, along with the recent additions of some well-known restaurants, such as Shake Shack and Popeye’s. You’ll find diverse, authentic flavors from around the world in family-owned restaurants or, if you’re in the mood for something a little more traditionally American, there are plenty of little burger joints where you can give into your cravings.
15. The ease of the grid system
Once you’ve experienced the ease of the grid system, you’ll never be able to live without it. It just makes sense and navigating becomes so simple and quick to do. Everything in the city centers around Temple Square, which effectively is at location zero, and the city has labeled streets moving away from the city center going north, south, east and west, where each numbered street is relative to the location to the center of the city.
It may not seem like much, but when you go from Salt Lake to any other city, you’ll wonder how the rest of the world functions without the grid system.
16. Fry sauce is everything
Yes, it’s true that you’ll find fry sauce in every restaurant in S.L.C. It’s a staple and it does taste better in the Salt Lake valley than anywhere else you find it — just ask the locals. Fry sauce goes well with anything, but the most common place you’ll find it is anywhere that serves french fries and burgers.
17. The thriving local economy
Due to the many new businesses popping up in Salt Lake, it has an incredibly stable economy. It was one of the quickest in the nation to recover after COVID-19 and even surpassed its pre-pandemic employment rates soon after. And, it’s continually one of the highest-ranking states in terms of unemployment, taking the second spot in the nation at just 2 percent unemployment.
18. Public transport will get you places
If you’re looking for public transportation like New York’s subway or Washington, D.C.’s, metro, Salt Lake won’t quite stack up. However, it has a pretty good public transportation system overall, which includes buses, the TRAX light rail for downtown use and the FrontRunner for getting to places further from the city center. While owning a car here is nice, you can easily get by without one.
Is Salt Lake City the place for you?
There are many great things about moving to Salt Lake City, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re looking for a tropical paradise, the dry mountain air and cold winters aren’t something you want to deal with. Use the reasons to move to Salt Lake City we mentioned above to help you decide if it’s the place for you and if you’re up to it, pay a visit and find out why it’s one of Utah’s best cities to live in!
Source: rent.com