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Living in SLC

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

Park City is expensive, and I personally live in SLC because of the university. Also, SLC's air quality HAS gotten worse than Beijing's on occasion. And I mean, I'd prefer not to have to drive 20 minutes to grab a 15 minute afternoon run. Especially because driving only makes it worse, really.
SLC is great in so many ways, though. The people are so nice, it's gorgeous (when you can see it...), you're minutes away from some of the best climbing in the country/world, and there really is effort on behalf of the city to help residents be healthy and happy. I'm just saying--if you like to run outside in the winter, if you're a politically involved liberal, or if you have asthma, try somewhere else.

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

Thank all of you for contributing to this post! I really appreciate the information and perspective that you've provided!

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

Summit Park really isn't any more expensive than east side SLC neighborhoods. It is also quicker to drive to the Cottonwoods from there than it is to do so from the Avenues. There is a huge difference in cost and commute time between Summit Park or even Jeremy Ranch/Pinebrook and most of Park City.

SLC's very worst air quality day ever is like a normal day in Beijing, so that comparison is pretty fatuous. The inversions are awful, but there weren't many bad air days at all this winter, and you can work around them with some easy to make lifestyle adjustments like going to the gym, living above the inversion layer, going for a backcountry ski tour instead of running in smog, trail running on the ridges above town, etc. Insisting on running outside on the valley floor during the inversion is like insisting on running outside during a blizzard, hurricane, or during the middle of a 110 degree day.

And Salt Lake is a really good place for a politically involved liberal to be, assuming you are actually involved and not just wanting everything to be already done. What is the point of being a politically involved liberal in Vermont where everyone already agrees with you? State politics are tough here, but city politics are becoming much more progressive, and blueish cities in red states are very much the front lines. Look at the marriage equality fight - the case here turned out to be the domino that started all of the other bans being struck down.

Chris Burton · · Flagstaff, AZ · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 5

this place is rad

morgoth70 · · Bountiful, UT · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 25

wow, responses getting wordy here for a simple question...
as a relative newcomer to the SLC area myself, here's my two cents worth

1. The inversion sucks. Fortunately, it's relatively short-lived and pretty easily escaped by heading to the mountains

2. The tired old saw "everyone in SLC is a mormon" is stupid and light years from the truth. Yes, there are lots of mormons... BUT there are lots of non-mormons too, especially in SLC proper. It's a pretty liberal city, really.

3. I've lived all over the west and I'm here to tell you NOWHERE will you find access to the mountains comparable to SLC - at least not in a city of any size.

4. There is significant crowding in the mountains on the weekends, but not nearly as bad as you will find in Cali, Colorado or Washington

5. It's true: WORST drivers of any place I've lived! They have no clue how a freeway is supposed to work!

Hope this helps, good luck with your search!

Sean Patrick · · Minneapolis, MN · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 6,198

Do any of you SLC bike commuters/public transport commuters use a respirator on the way to work?

I'm moving there in a few weeks, and am dreading the inversions in winter. I hope to use public transport or bike or both as much of the year as I can, and my thought is that I might be able to continue commuting that way in the winter if I get a really nice respirator.

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

I used a disposable 3m one this last winter and it seemed to help. I would recommend getting one that has filters that could be changed (rating of N95 works from what I've read). I know the bike collective sells them during the winter, and probably other times too. If you are feeling fancy these are pretty fly! vogmask.com/

Sean Patrick · · Minneapolis, MN · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 6,198

Haha! Vogmasks are pretty great. And also disturbing? I mean, there's enough pollution now that there is a market for these crazy things.
Thanks for the tip about the bike collective having good ones, and just to hear that a respirator is a decent idea while biking there. I'm more optimistic now.

Clark Patrick · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2015 · Points: 0

Are there any other smaller towns near SLC that fall outside the inversion/bad air quality zone? That are still close to climbing? I don't need to live in a city (live in a 2,000 person town now), but can't stand bad air quality. SLC sounds like such a rad spot for climbing it's a total bummer about the air.

JK- Branin · · NYC-ish · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 56

I've gone on about my love of Salt Lake on here before. My favorite city I've lived in (maybe even been to).

The air quality can suck sometimes. It's easy to escape, and it's limited to a few weeks a year. The state government is wildly corrupt, and single party. I love basically everything else about SLC.

M Mobley · · Bar Harbor, ME · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 911
Tim Lutz wrote: The only obvious reason to move to SLC is that you are Mormon.
I bet there are almost as many lesbians living in SLC as there are Mormons these days, times have changed.

zak wrote:Yes the best way to avoid the air pollution in SLC is to drive more.
FTFU. This was a favorite of mine for the almost 20 years spent there, especially when the granola munchers were doing it.
BackAtItAgain · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 15
JK- wrote:I've gone on about my love of Salt Lake on here before. My favorite city I've lived in (maybe even been to). The air quality can suck sometimes. It's easy to escape, and it's limited to a few weeks a year. The state government is wildly corrupt, and single party. I love basically everything else about SLC.
I take it you are enjoying the increasing pressures in the canyons due to the increases of SLC being "discovered"?

To those that say "not as bad as Cali or Colorado" - the trend line I see says very soon that statement will not hold up....

Just my two cents....
Pnelson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2015 · Points: 635
BackAtItAgain wrote: I take it you are enjoying the increasing pressures in the canyons due to the increases of SLC being "discovered"? To those that say "not as bad as Cali or Colorado" - the trend line I see says very soon that statement will not hold up.... Just my two cents....
Nailed it.

I got back home to Utah and climbed around the SLC area for the first time in 7 years or so this past summer, and a lot has changed due to the sheer numbers of people who want to recreate outside. There's less of a shared sense of camaraderie, more "oh crap, are they getting on the same route as us?" tension in conversations, more awkward stares when I tried to make small talk at the crag, etc. The Front Range has definitely lost a lot of its regional uniqueness.

I'm quite happy living, climbing, and rafting in the second-most obese state in the nation– fewer crowds, less attitude, more affordable living...
JK- Branin · · NYC-ish · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 56
BackAtItAgain wrote: I take it you are enjoying the increasing pressures in the canyons due to the increases of SLC being "discovered"?
As far as cities near great outdoor recreation, we're doing okay. In two years of living here and climbing 1-3 times weekly I've only had to audible on routes once. Can pull up to crags where you are parking at the crag and have it to yourself not infrequently. Throw in an approach of more than 15 minutes and I almost never see anybody else.

Are the rec opportunities more crowded than when I lived in a town of 25k? Yes.

But they are also better developed (a few thousand routes to choose from instead of a couple hundred, hundreds of miles of trails), and I have all the nice city features that a town of 25k did not.
bus driver · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 1,516

You know I've never been on one of the beautiful rock clims and been like, "oh man this air really sucks" however, I am happy to stoke the fear of bad air because it seems to be a top issue keeping some folks away from salt lake and my super secret stashes.

A season pass at one of the ski resorts is a good diversion for when the city is in the soup. I've never been skiing and been like, "oh man this air is really bad". . . The drive back home a few days a season is about the only time I find myself saying that.

One positive is that there's a few ice routes that seem to form up best during times of inversion which causes the bad air.

BackAtItAgain · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 15
JK- wrote: In two years of living here
Where did you come from before? Please don't say Colorado...

This place is being loved to death - as climbing is a bit more "fringe" - the population affect is not quite as impact-full yet as it is to the skiing, hiking, and mountain biking communities. It's time is coming as well. ALmost impossible to park anywhere in Big or Little on a weekend in the winter/spring/summer/fall.

Maybe everyone moves to Canada after Nov 8th, EH?
Marc801 C · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65
BackAtItAgain wrote: ALmost impossible to park anywhere in Big or Little on a weekend in the winter/spring/summer/fall.
That's really overstating things, by a lot.
It's not anywhere near that bad (other than Albion Basin at Alta in July/Aug).
Jeremy Polk · · Sandy, UT · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 5

SLC sucks. The skiing isn't that great. The climbing is chossy. The mountain biking is no good. Terrible economy. The roads are in bad shape. And Mormons... they're really awful people. Tell your friends.

Stan McKnight · · AZ · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 261

I lived in the valley for a little over a year. I moved because the air quality during the winter affected my asthma. Most people don't have problems though. The difference in air quality is noticeable but doesn't affect most people.

That being said, the climbing, hiking, mountain biking, and skiing in the valley is top notch. You are also positioned just a few hours from Zions and Moab (about 4 hours) so that weekend trips are easily doable. You won't be disappointed in the outdoor resources.

BigNobody · · all over, mostly Utah · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 10

It's Zion you tard. Not Zions. Get it right or move.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northern Utah & Idaho
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