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Living in SLC

Original Post
Prametheus · · Teton Valley · Joined May 2013 · Points: 55

I'm considering moving to SLC for obvious reasons. My only concern is the air quality during the winter months. If I lived in SLC, I would likely have a M-F 9-5 job and would spend most of my time in the city proper. So, friends of MtnProj and habitants of SLC, what has your experience been like living in SLC? Has the air quality affected you in any way? Has it been getting worse with the influx of newcomers?

Thank you

ry guy · · Moab, UT · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 6

I bike commuted a far bit in the winter and without a respirator on the bad days (it seems december and january and the worst) I could tell something was in the air. It didn't bother me too much but after getting a cold over the holildays it didn't really go away until the air cleared up for a few weeks, just had some raspy junk in muh throat for awhile, otherwise A-ok. I myself am a newcomer so I can't tell you anything about long term changes

Rocks and Snow · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 0

The air quality sucks in the winter, the predominant religion is irritating, the drivers suck. Now that we have the negatives out of the way...

Access to the mountains is insanely easy. I live downtown, and can be climbing within a 5 minute drive of home (City Creek Canyon), or make the long tedious drive to Millcreek, Big Cottonwood, Ferguson, Little Cottonwood Canyons in about 15-30 minutes.
A few hours south/southeast/West, and you are in the San Rafael Swell, Moab, St. George, West Desert.
Being at the intersection of 15 and 80 means that getting out of state is simple by car. Having a decent sized airport gets your farther away without any problems
Skiing is amazing, and just as simple to get to as the climbing.

My biggest real complaint after moving here in '08 was the food. Luckily there have been a lot of newcomers on the scene over the past 7 years, and it is continuing to improve.

Just be cautious of where in the valley you move to. Downtown, Sugarhouse, and Millcreek are all good areas to start your search.

1800Doctorb · · GJ, CO · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 0

i found the inversion to nearly be a deal breaker (moving away soon anyways). it isn't there all the time (just a handful of times between nov and feb), but it can be heinous when it is. felt it in my throat, lungs. like friggin delhi but less interesting. i definitely stopped running and biking on days when it was there, so yes, it affected me.

like a toxic fart miasma.

1800Doctorb · · GJ, CO · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 0

haha, and yes. people absolutely CANNOT drive in slc.

Marc801 C · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65
Tim Lutz wrote: The only obvious reason to move to SLC is that you are Mormon.
Or a climber. Or skier/boarder. Or outdoors person. Or mountain biker. Being Mormon is one of the least obvious reasons.
Josh Allred · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 161
Tim Lutz wrote: The only obvious reason to move to SLC is that you are Mormon.
Really Tim??

SLC is one of the best cities in the country. Hard to beat the access to the climbing, skiing, hiking, bike riding, paragliding, etc. I can leave work at 4:30 - 5 and be on the crag in less than 30 mins. I can also get up at 4:30 - 6 and get turns in or do a short hike before heading to work at 8:00. Plus for trips only <4 hrs away from Grand Tetons, City of Rocks, Zion, Moab, Canyonlands, etc. 6 hrs from Red Rocks and Ouray. 10 hrs from Yosemite and Black Hills.

Air quality there is terrible for about 12-20 days a year. I've never had problems with the air but I am sure it has affected others.

The people of SLC (including the Mormons) are awesome! Some of the nicest people you will ever meet live out here. There is a lot of great outdoor enthusiast. Plenty of rock gyms and gear shops (BD, Petzl, Backcountry HQ). Plenty of food, restaurants, small music scene. Couple of local colleges to mix it up.

Also grew up in Phoenix and Orange County. Came out here to UT for college don't think I will ever leave.
BackCountry Sortor · · Ogden, UT · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 400

It is certainly getting worse with the influx of newcomers. There hasn't been much resolve from those with the power to do something about it, or the community as a whole, but I believe we're close to the tipping point with more and more pressure each year to change habits, industrial regulations, etc. It can be mind-boggling to drive the freeway on a terrible air day and still see 95% solo drivers... less eye-to-eye contact on those days.

Depending on the year, it isn't too bad (this winter), or it provides a few weeks of increased indoor habitation with a general disgust when outdoors. My family and I stay indoors during the week and hit the ski resort during the weekend when it's bad.

For what it's worth, I don't find it bad enough to consider moving away. I should add that my son is asthmatic and breathes Albuterol and Budesonide a few times a week in the winter when the air is bad, mostly as a preventative measure.

1800Doctorb · · GJ, CO · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 0

granted i only had 2 winters here, but if this last winter's inversion wasn't 'too bad,' then yeesh.

for me, i would also say that the last two years' worth of snow were pretty meager and didn't live up to my expectation of legendary wasatch blower, but i would say that that's just the new normal anywhere. sometimes you get it good, and sometimes that's not the case.

i would add that while the immediate access (wasatch) is great indeed, that the range footprint is small and everybody gets outside. meaning things get real mobbed. absolutely great stuff within a handful of hours tho.

i'd live here again before any number of other places, but i'd also live any number of places before here again, if that makes sense.

derp

ClimbHunter · · Reno, NV · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 15

The inversions get really bad for a few weeks each winter, but the air-quality is poor most of the time. It effects some people more than others. I had near-constant, mild sinus and respiratory issues while living there. Many of my friends seemed less affected.

As twenty-something and single, I didn't find the culture to be a lot of fun overall (and I grew up in the Bible Belt). I could imagine moving back when I'm older and my priorities are different.

The mountain access is great, but it's also great for the other million+ people that live there. Expect more lift lines, ski-traffic and less outdoor solitude than you had in Wyoming.

If you want to ski and have a real job, SLC is probably as good as it gets.

Sean H · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 120
ClimbHunter wrote:The mountain access is great, but it's also great for the other million+ people that live there.
HAHAHAHAHAHA yeah right. Try climbing in California. The vast majority of those million+ people you mentioned don't venture to the mountains. If you had something like Little Cottonwood and Big Cottonwood within 30mins of the Bay Area we'd have eroded them into nothingness by now.

(Basically just saying that having lived there, I found the crowding to NOT be an issue at all compared to places like CA or CO.)
1800Doctorb · · GJ, CO · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 0

definitely all a matter of perspective

BackAtItAgain · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 15

Just remember... IF you move here, you will be contributing to the inversion....

Josh Triplett · · Bountiful, UT · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 0

I'm originally from CA, but lived in SLC most my life. I love the metropolitan atmosphere and still mostly family friendly aspect that runs parallel. The air is an issue, I'm not sure how to address it, there are so many people, driving an awful lot of cars in a place that a natural inversion exists every year. With the expansion of SLC, population wise, it is unlikely that the pollutants in the inversion will get better. This makes me sad, but not enough to leave. The access is amazing, so many national parks with in a 12 hour drive. Despite what people say drivers here are middle of the road, I would like to see all the people hating on bad UT drivers (of which there are plenty), drive in FL.
As far as Mormons go, every one of my climbing friends/partners are not part of the church here and amazingly don't spend any time bitching about it. I'm not going to get into politics but, seriously people come off it. I'm so sick of the ignorance, there is an influence from the church, and it isn't near as arduous as some haters would like you to think. There are poor acting people everywhere, it is a fact of life.
As far as opportunities for work it may be tricky to get a 9-5 depending on your skill set, but Utah has one of the best financial/business outlooks in the States. So opportunity is getting better all the time, and when you compare it to the other states in the West it isn't even close. Maybe you should make an extended stay if possible to see what it is like out here for yourself. It could go along way to helping you make your choice easier.
On a totally related note and more to the point the climbing community out here is amazing and I find it very easy to make friends all over no matter what area I'm in. There is a great atmosphere of positivity and conservation around our crags.

1800Doctorb · · GJ, CO · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 0

not sure if ignorance is what you mean, maybe opportunistic derision?

zak · · Salt Lake City · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 85

The air quality is pretty bad, and can be pretty depressing for a month or two in the winter. The Mormons do control state government and most media but will generally leave you be if you ignore them. Colorado is also a good choice for climbing, awesome rock, cleaner air, more liberal, and more opportunities for self employment.

Rubber Tramp · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 5

The air is also really bad in July when it is cooking hot. I got sick winter before last pretty bad and since have a nasty death cough that hangs around when it get cold out. I had to stop biking on really cold days and when the inversions set in. It's like chewing on a chunk of metallic material that you can't quite figure out the flavor, then you realize your throat is also burning. And yes, the drivers are incredibly bad. I was pedaling through downtown this a.m. in particular, in a lane with cycling symbols on the pavement so that drivers know where to look out for cyclist and almost got hit in a cross section by a driver making a turn. They saw me but didn't attempt to stop and since I was going to loose the fight due to the lug nut rule I locked up my brakes. A block later I had a driver in a Suburban try running my off the road (literally). I yelled at them and they rolled there window down to tell me to move over and get out of the way.
Other than that, I really like it here. I rank it in the same category as Seattle for satisfying my outdoors enthusiasm.

Sabrina Dawson · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 41

It's bad and getting worse. I avoid running, biking, or even doing much hiking outside in the winter. Sometimes it gets so dense you can't even see the mountains. I'd be lying if I said it were the reason I'm moving next year (in actuality, I'm job hunting abroad) but it's definitely not a pull to stay.

Andrew Gram · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,725

Why do people insist on running outside in SLC during the inversion? Throw on some microspikes, drive 10 minutes up mill creek canyon, and the air is totally fine. It definitely sucks and is inconvenient, but it ain't Beijing - SLC is an easy place to gain a few thousand feet of elevation to get out of it.

If you are really worried about the inversion, think about living in Park City. When I lived in Summit Park at the top of the pass between SLC and Park City, I never really even knew inversions were happening unless people came up from the valley to visit and bitched about it. Hard winters, but 15 minutes down to the valley and a really cool quirky vibe.

I really love it here. I have great friends, a great community, and really easy access to just about anything I want to do. It isn't for everyone, but nowhere is.

NickO · · West Slope · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 30

Andrew nailed it. If the inversion is the deal breaker, simply add 10-20 minutes to your commute and live in Summit Park/Park City. Backcountry skiing and biking out your back door in Summit Park but don't tell anyone.

zak · · Salt Lake City · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 85

Yes the best way to avoid the air pollution in SLC is to not live there, and a good way to solve that problem is to drive more.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northern Utah & Idaho
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