Salt Lake - My Kind of Place

Salt Lake is a really great city. I am writing this here, in my blog, because this secret won't get around and we won't be innundated by outsiders.

I came to Salt Lake in the early 70s as a teenager. I have lived in many other parts of the US and the world and I always come back to Salt Lake.

It is a quirky place sometimes, with an omnipresent dominant culture that I often find myself at odds with. I am a Blue in a sea of Red and I really don't like to even ride through Utah County.

But all in all there isn't any other place on earth I would like to be. My family is here. I went to school here, and I have found a career here. I can be in the wilderness in a half an hour from my front door. We have world class skiing, mountain climbing, desert camping, lakes, open spaces, motorcycling, rafting, hang gliding, rock climbing, mountain biking and most other things outdoors. In the spring I can get in 10 runs on the slopes in the morning and 9 holes of golf in the afternoon.

The business climate is better than most and is geared toward the small business owner. We like to promote buying local and our cost of living is low compared to most. We have access to an international airport and our workforce is honest, well educated and motivated.

We do a good job of educating our kids, even though our teachers are paid dirt (I hear they actually receive a cup of dirt a week). Our air and water are clean and for the most part (you wouldn't think this from some of my previous postings) our government does a good job protecting us and planning for the future. We have a world renowned Medical Center in the University of Utah and some part of Utah consistently ranks among the best places in America to live/bring up kids/work.

For those of you who think I haven't tackled the elephant in the room, not being Mormon hasn't created much strife for me. I don't buck against the tide, I go with the flow. I don't bristle every time someone asks "what neighborhood do you live in" meaning what ward do I go to. I don't throw my non-Mormonism back at them so I get along with most people I work with. So what if they think I am Mormon.

Most Mormons I know are wonderful people. They are kind and giving, believe in hard work and helping others. They try to work things out and they are not mean or disrespectful. Of course there are exceptions everywhere, but on the whole, I like Mormons. Some of my best friends, and loved ones, are Mormons.

Salt Lake is the kind of place you want to tell everyone about but not have them come here. You want to keep it the way it is. In fact I would like to go back to the days when I arrived in 1974. We weren't ever mentioned in the outside world for our natural treasures.

We also didn't have a complete freeway to Las Vegas, we had to fly to Denver to get anywhere and we felt like the red-headed step child. OK maybe not that far back, but it would be nice to see Salt Lake retain some of its small town charm and not grow into just another big city.