Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City is the capitol and biggest city in Utah, and is also home to the largest Mormon (aka Latter Day Saints) community in the country, which has had a big impact on the city.

Unsurprisingly, the focal point of the city is the Mormon Temple, which looms large downtown and is surrounded by a guarded wall. Since Im not Mormon, I wasnt allowed inside, so all I can say is that the building is impressive and the security guards dont have a sense of humor.

The rest of downtown Salt Lake City is very clean and well maintained. There are some great restaurants, though the selection is limited. After all, even being the largest city in Utah, there are fewer than 200,000 people who call this city home.

I can personally recommend the Beehive Pub, where I went while visiting a friend who attends the University of Utah. The Beehive Pub has a great selection of craft beerswhich is rare in this city. We were there the day that Obama won reelection against the Mormon Republican Mitt Romney. Basically I was in the most disappointed city in America. We were 2 of about 12 people celebrating in the whole city. LOL.

Part of the reason my friend suggested this place is because it is one of a limited number of restaurants that serve normal-strength beer. This is again due to the Mormon influence, whose members are not allowed to drink alcohol, coffee, or tea, among other strict dietary and lifestyle restrictions. In fact, in the entire state of Utah, beer is limited to 3.2% alcohol when its sold in grocery stores and anyplace that has a beer only liquor license. For stronger beer, wine, and any other alcohol, you have to go to the state liquor stores and places with full liquor licenses.

So if you are looking for a city with great nightlife, this is definitely not it. There is a *little* bit of nightlife in the form of laid-back pubs and restaurants, but nothing like the bar and club scenes in comparably sized cities.

My friend attends the University of Utah, which has over 30,000 students and is very close to downtown. It has the only medical school in the state, and overall has a good reputation, regularly winning substantial research grants. The LDS influence is very strong at U of U as well. It was founded in part by Brigham Young, a famous Mormon (and polygamist), who also founded Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, as well as Salt Lake City itself. Young is best known for the exodus he sparked with his followers from Illinois to where he founded Salt Lake City. Unsurprisingly, this is not a city that is very welcoming to LGBTQ folks.

As for cost of living, there is a variety of prices with apartments, which is nice because it accommodates everyone from Ramen-eating students to professionals who want luxury. You can easily find a modest 1 bedroom for $700 close to downtown. Now, keep in mind that this is also due to the fact that wages can be pretty low in Utah. The minimum wage usually is the federal minimum wage (currently $7.25/hr).

A big reason people love this city is because its close to great skiing. Since the city itself is at 4,226 elevation, snow is not uncommon. The skiing is famous for having super dry powder and being close to the city. Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, Park City, Snowbasin and Solitude are some of the most famous, but there are NINE ski resorts within an hours drive. NINE!

Hiking is also epic here. Being on the western foothills of the Rocky Mountains, it doesnt take long to get into some beautiful wilderness. There are way too many hikes to even begin listing, so Ill just leave it at that.

One last random facta majority of people in SLC drive white cars! This is mostly due to the hot summers, but is also just a style preference here.