After moving to Salt Lake City two years ago, many of my friends and relatives have asked what it is like living in Mormon Country. Almost anybody from outside Utah has the perception that if you are not Mormon in Salt Lake City, that you are a minority. I’ve even had people ask me the ridiculous question, what is it like being in cult country? I would like to clear up some misconceptions about Salt Lake City, Utah and share some amazing facts and fun things about Salt Lake City that may surprise you.
Clearing Up Some Misconceptions About Salt Lake City
Actually, Franklin County in Southeastern Idaho has the largest percentage of Mormon population in the nation, 91.5% compared to Utah County at 88.1%. The Mormons in Salt Lake City and Ogden combined make up only about 60% of those cities’ populations. The Utah cities of Provo and Orem where Brigham Young University is centered have an 88.1% Mormon population. You might be surprised at the cities that have the largest concentrations of Mormons in the nation:
Provo-Orem 88.1%
Salt Lake City-Ogden 59.2%
Pocatello, Idaho 47.2%
Boise, Idaho 14.8%
Flagstaff, Ariz. 12%
Richland-Kennewick, Wash. 6.9%
Las Vegas, Nev. 5.6%
Grand Junction, Colo. 5%
Phoenix, Ariz. 4.9%
In my experience, the Mormons are some of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. Like other religions in other towns, I have seen the Mormons in Salt Lake City reach out to people in all walks of life who are in need. The Mormon religion is not a cult. I don’t really see where their behavior is any more aggressive than the Catholic faith in terms of people displaying strong convictions in what they believe. I don’t see much difference in the reverence displayed by these faiths toward their Pope or their Prophet. Both church leaders show compassionate, caring concerns for all peoples of the world.
The LDS faith has nothing to do with the FLDS that has gained recent national attention for their polygamy and child abuse practices. While the LDS faith is dominant in Salt Lake City in that there is a church on just about every other street, there are also churches of other faiths in Salt Lake City. Even if you are not Mormon, the Temple Square area of Salt Lake City is a humble, Christian, reverent site to behold with a huge statue of Jesus inside the Salt Lake City Temple. When I lived on the East Coast and in Texas, I saw predominantly Catholic and Baptist churches, so no matter where you live, if you are not a member of that area’s religion, you just deal with it.
Big Families Mean Great Discounts at Grocery Stores and Restaurants
There are some big families here that are attributed to the LDS faith. Utah ranks number 1 in the nation with 3.13 persons per household compared to the national average of 2.62. That statistic makes for some great deals at the grocery store and an abundance of buffet-style all-you-can-eat restaurants and restaurant specials for holidays. In Salt Lake City, it is typical for grocery stores to have an annual case lot sale so large families can stock up on groceries at reduced prices. The LDS faith believes in keeping a year supply of nonperishable food in case of a disaster, but these case lot sales are great for everyone!
Did you know that Utah
Has the highest job growth rate in the nation.
Has the highest literacy rate in the nation.
Has one of the lowest heart disease and cancer rates in the nation.
Has the third longest life expectancy rate in the nation.
The Salt Lake City Area Has Exploded
I first visited Salt Lake City in 1975 while driving from El Paso, Texas to Spokane, Washington to report to my first Air Force permanent duty assignment at Fairchild Air Force Base. Back then, Salt Lake City was a fairly small city and breathtakingly beautiful. The first thing anyone hears about Salt Lake City, it that it is the Mormon capital of the world and the must-see tourist attraction is Temple Square, so we visited. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) is headquartered at Temple Square and the beautiful Temple and Mormon Tabernacle Choir buildings were awesome to view.
Fast forward to 2008. Salt Lake City has become just a small part of “Happy Valley” nestled in the Wasatch Front of the Wasatch mountain range. In 1990, the population of Salt Lake City was 159,936. In 2003, Salt Lake City had an estimated population of 179,894. However, the Wasatch Front has grown to an estimated 1.8 million people out of 2.7 total people in all of Utah! The 80-mile stretch of the Wasatch Front, also known as Happy Valley, between Ogden and Provo is solid communities with Salt Lake City right in the middle.
Temple Square is still awesome and has also grown with a new Family History Center that any family can visit to search for geneology records, even if you are not Mormon. The LDS church has also added a new Conference Center and other history centers that are open to the public. The grounds all around Temple Square are adorned with beautiful blossoming trees, flowers, and shrubs that are just breathtaking. Temple Square in Salt Lake City is an unbelievable site at Christmas, with hundreds of thousands of little lights that take months to wrap around trees and buildings.
Getting Around in Salt Lake City, Even in the Snow!
The Salt Lake City Airport accommodates over 20 million passengers a year, is ranked as the nation’s 23rd busiest airport, and amazingly is located within two and a half hours of half of the nation’s population. Salt Lake City is a major hub for Delta Airlines and a crossroads for Interstate 80 and Interstate 15 linking coast-to-coast traffic with north, south, east, and west destinations.
It is very easy to get around Salt Lake City because of the wide roads, lots of highways, a bypass loop around the I-80 and I-15 interchange, the TRAX metro train system, and the UTA bus system. It took me about a month to figure out the street grid system, but once you get it, it makes more logical sense than anywhere I have lived. Almost every street is numbered away from point zero, which is the Temple at Temple Square. You won’t get it until you live here, so I won’t go into detail. All I can say is get a Salt Lake City map and ask a local to explain it to you.
I moved here from Austin, Texas and was petrified of having to drive in the snow and ice. Each little community in Happy Valley takes very good care of the roads during the winter months and the state takes very good care of the highways and Interstates. According to locals, the 2007-2008 winter was one of the heaviest snow months in years. There were only two days out of the entire winter season, that driving was intense. In the middle of the valley where I live, most days that is snowed, the snow was already melted by the afternoon.
Yes, You Can Drink and Smoke in Salt Lake City
You can purchase liquor in state operated liquor stores around Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City airport has a smoking lounge right on the concourse so you don’t have to go outside and come back through security. Like most other locations in the U.S., you cannot smoke in public places.
You can drink alcohol in many of the Salt Lake City restaurants if you also order food. In fact, as of 2008, Salt Lake City restaurants can now serve a full ounce and a half of liquor in your drink. It is too bad other locations do not follow this precedent since eating helps to lower your chances of becoming legally intoxicated. This is actually a very good law. There are plenty of Salt Lake City bars, nightclubs, and sports bars that also serve liquor for a small membership fee, usually around $5 – $25 a year. Some of my favorite kick-back drinking holes in Salt Lake City are:
The Porcupine Pub
Bohemian Brewery
Iggy’s Sports Grill
Davanza’s
Jersey’s Sports Grill
Port O’Call
Keys on Main dueling piano bar (has live jazz on Mondays)
The Tavernacle Social Club dueling piano bar
And Then There is Wendover, Nevada
Some of the locals call it Bendover, Nevada. But, Wendover, Nevada is only a two-hour drive from the Salt Lake City valley area if you like to gamble or go to shows like Crosby, Stills, Nash, Three Dog Night, Dave Mason, The Beach Boys, Kenny Rogers, Trace Atkins, Boston, Cheap Trick, Loverboy, and loads more shows. You can buy real liquor in Wendover in the grocery stores, but it is against the law to bring it back across the Utah border. Trust me, while you are driving I-80 from Wendover to Salt Lake City, passed the Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great Salt Lake, there are lots of highway patrol officers just waiting to catch you speeding, driving while intoxicated, or bringing back liquor from Nevada.
Other Fun Things to Do in the Salt Lake Area
Sundance Resort is about 30 miles from Salt Lake City. Besides having great skiing in the winter, they offer all kinds of fun events year round, like mountain bike races, arts and crafts shows, movies in the parks, and film workshops. We rode the Sundance Resort ski lift in September during the Full Moon Midnight Ride weekend. We boarded the ski life close to midnight with a full moon and I have to say it was one of the coolest things I’ve done since moving here. It was about 30 degrees near the top of Mount Timpanogos, so if you ever take the Full Moon Midnight ride, dress warm.
Believe it or not, Oktoberfest is a huge deal in the Salt Lake City area. They have a big 13-day celebration at Snowbird Ski Area for Oktoberfest that attracts over 70,000 people. Local pubs like The Bohemian Brewery celebrate Oktoberfest all month. Utah does not wait for October to celebrate Oktoberfest. There are Oktoberfest activities scheduled around Salt Lake City from the end of August through the end of October. While you are at Snowbird Ski area, you can ride the Tram to the top of the world, slide down the summer Alpine Slide, ride the ZipRider, and attend free concerts.
The city of Sandy, Utah about 15 miles south of Salt Lake City is building a new Salt Lake City Real (pronounced ray all) Soccer team stadium and a new cultural arts center to help bring more Broadway shows and concerts to the valley area. Some smaller cities like Sandy, West Jordan, and others have outdoor amphitheaters that showcase plays, live local music, and summer concerts.
Also, in the small town of Tooele, about 15 miles west of Salt Lake City, Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller built the $100 million Miller Motorsports Park. In 2008, the park will host the FIM Superbike World Championship, considered to be the number 3 motorsports series in the world, behind only Formula One racing and GP Moto (Formula One bikes) racing.
Park City, Utah is only about 50 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. There are really nice restaurants and shops in Park City. There are also several lakes in this area that have great trout fishing. In January each year, Park City is host to the Sundance Film Festival for 10 days. It is a beautiful ski area, but also just a fun day trip for something to do.
I have to admit, Salt Lake City has grown on me since moving here from Austin, Texas. Who knows what the future holds? Enjoy your visit to Salt Lake City now that you know it is not just for Mormons anymore. If you are Mormon, thank you for making everyone feel welcome in Salt Lake City.
Sources:
Utah History: Salt Lake City
http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/s/SALTLAKECITY.html
Salt Lake City Visitor’s Bureau
http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/faq_new.htm
Salt Lake City Information
http://www.saltlakecityutah.org/aboutsaltlake.htm
Redefining the Mormon Empire
http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_8732985
