Any NON-Mormons living in SLC?

[bizeemom4]

I'm probably getting promoted/transferred to Salt Lake City in the next few weeks. Can anyone fill me in on the city, schools and implications on being a "non-believer" in SLC? Will it be hard for my kids to make friends? Will we feel like outsiders?

It looks like a BEAUTIFUL place to live - so different from the northeast! I'm so excited about the change...just concerned for my kids.

Anyone?

 

[JennyMominRI]

I'm probably getting promoted/transferred to Salt Lake City in the next few weeks. Can anyone fill me in on the city, schools and implications on being a "non-believer" in SLC? Will it be hard for my kids to make friends? Will we feel like outsiders?

It looks like a BEAUTIFUL place to live - so different from the northeast! I'm so excited about the change...just concerned for my kids.

Anyone?

There are non-LDS people in SLC. In fact the city has a good sized Jewish population.. I have known lots of LDS and they were nice normal people.. Don'y worry too much

 

[NMAmy]

I've never lived in Salt Lake but the town I lived in in New Mexico had a very large LDS population. I have many dear friends who are LDS and while they're very open to questions about their religion, they certainly never tried to convert me or made me feel like an outsider. The LDS people that I know will bend over backward to help you out if you're in trouble and are very friendly and generous. In fact, I just got an email from one friend yesterday, telling me about a job opening where I used to work and telling me she wanted me to move back to "the warm weather."

 

[bizeemom4]

That's GREAT news. People here have been telling me that it would be difficult because we'd be in the minority and my kids would be outcasts. Thank you sooo much for the reassurance. It's nice to here this from people who have real knowledge about what it would be like. I'm really looking forward to the move!

 

[JennyMominRI]

I've never lived in Salt Lake but the town I lived in in New Mexico had a very large LDS population. I have many dear friends who are LDS and while they're very open to questions about their religion, they certainly never tried to convert me or made me feel like an outsider. The LDS people that I know will bend over backward to help you out if you're in trouble and are very friendly and generous. In fact, I just got an email from one friend yesterday, telling me about a job opening where I used to work and telling me she wanted me to move back to "the warm weather."

This is my experience with LDS

 

[wide awake]

We lived in Idaho Falls, Idaho in the mid 70s...very large LDS population. My sister and I are both gifted, both skipped grades in our other schools, I got an 800 on the GRE...we were failing in grade school !!! We were also not allowed to use the bathroom, when others were. We knew lots of people that said "Oh yeah, we're not LDS, but we joined the church because you can't live here unless you're LDS "...very true. My parents left after 8 months...they weren't willing to be hypocrites. From my experience...if you have any way out of this transfer take it...or join the LDS church so your kids can get along in school. My BIL married an LDS woman...he converted...all of us live in the Sacramento area...luckily LDS is not the majority religion here...but I haven't seen any change in their behaviors, just in the amount of their influence.

 

[EthansMom]

I lived in the SLC area for a couple of years. We moved back to the NE 1.5 years ago for DH's work.

While many LDS folks are very nice, I found the Mormons in the SLC area to be more conservative than the Mormons I'd known growing up in WA state. Because there are so many LDS in SLC, some Mormons don't associate much with non-Mormons. I did make many good friends in the SLC area pretty easily, though.

Regarding the kids, your biggest problem may be the public school system. With so many families having lots of children and one breadwinner, there isn't a really great tax base in UT with the result that UT spends the least amount of money per child on public school of any state in the U.S.!

Another problem with the public schools is that some of the non-Mormon kids are ostracized by some of the Mormon kids. I don't think it's entirely intentional, but the kids all know each other from their ward (church) and will play with other Mormon kids, often excluding the few non-Mormon kids. My adult friends complained about their children not being invited to birthday parties when the 25 Mormon kids were invited, but not the two non-Mormons. Likewise with playdates, etc...

There are some half-way decent private schools in the area. That would have been the route we would have gone if we were still living in the SLC area when DS hits Kindergarten next year. Most of the private schools are non-Mormon church schools. The Catholic High School (can't remember the name) in SLC is supposed to be quite good.

One thing that SLC has going for it, is that the people there are very family-based. You'll find lots of parks, activities for kids, an adorable little zoo, a children's museum, and the like.

SLC is about a 10 hour drive from Disneyland, if that makes any difference.

 

[mommyoeo]

PM'd you!

 

[missypie]

My sister has a friend who is gay and Jewish. He is pretty funny when talking about how his dad got transferred to SLC when he was in jr. high...

 

[ducklite]

I've never lived in Salt Lake but the town I lived in in New Mexico had a very large LDS population. I have many dear friends who are LDS and while they're very open to questions about their religion, they certainly never tried to convert me or made me feel like an outsider. The LDS people that I know will bend over backward to help you out if you're in trouble and are very friendly and generous.

Substitute New Mexico for New Jersey, and I can say the exact same thing!

Anne

 

[Judy from Boise]

SLC is a great town, when you're ready to treat yourself go to Sunday brunch at the Grand American hotel (fabulous hotel).In Boise my experience is "discrimination" against non-mormons can be very subtle, like not being welcome in the local scouting group since all the labor comes from the LDS ward.Nothing overt or malicious....more uncomfortable and akward.

 

[barkley]

i think it depends (school wise) on the age of the kids. the younger ones are not so likely to experience problems with peers (although they may not be included in bday parties due to parental choice). with lds in highschool it can be an entirely different matter. i'm non lds but went to a high school with a pretty considerable lds population and they basicly stuck together socialy. in a very conservative, traditional mormon upbringing girls are encouraged to attend college but ultimatly the expectation is to marry and raise the children-this can cause some of the lds high school girls to be somewhat non inclusive to non lds because they don't feel they share similar life goals. the lds high school boys (not all-but a good portion) seem to be more accepting of non lds boys-but are very focused on mission preparation (which in my experience seemed largly to be trying to convert non lds girls).

my best friend from high school converted our senior year and has been faithfully practicing for almost 30 years. she visits in-laws in salt lake city and plans on her sons attending byu, but she concedes that she could not live there because the membership is much more conservative in their practices.

i would advise looking into private non lds schools as well-my in-laws live in a "church town" (7th day adventists in anqwin california) and they concede that despite the church/state separation regulations regarding public schools, public schools in a "church town" often mirror the teachings of the church.

 

[motherhen17404]

We lived in SLC for a year. My DH was fired from his job because we would not convert to LDS. The LDS church runs the state of Utah. Don't fool yourself thinking they don't. I have had LDS members from other areas of the country say that SLC LDS are just to intense for them! My DS went to a private school in SLC. It was not really a mormon school, but most everyone there was mormon. We really liked the school, very small and DS did very well there, but that was kindergarten. SLC was a nice place to live, but I would never try it again.

 

[wide awake]

Just to add...if you think that it is a beautiful city...sure, the Mormon buildings are lovely...if you want to see what SLC is like drive I-80 from anywhere in Nevada...through town, then to Wyoming...not too big a deal, if you do the Nevada/Utah border to the Utah/Wyoming border it is maybe 3 hours if traffic is bad...pretty darn ugly !!!

 

[cardaway]

I know somebody who lived there and moved away. They said living in that area without being a LDS was like being the people that don't join the union,

You know, it's not required you join the union.

 

[hentob]

I do not want to start a LDS bashing thread, but...If you have children, please don't do it. They _will_ be outsiders.

 

[Duchie]

One of our good friends lives there and he loves it. He's single with no kids, so I can't speak to how it will impact your kids. He really enjoys the outdoor life (skiing, biking, etc.) and says he finds stuff to do year round. The only downside he has ever mentioned is night life. He's not a big drinker but enjoys a beer now and again. He says the city laws lean away from such activities, so bars and stuff are kept to a minimum.

 

[ducklite]

One of our good friends lives there and he loves it. He's single with no kids, so I can't speak to how it will impact your kids. He really enjoys the outdoor life (skiing, biking, etc.) and says he finds stuff to do year round. The only downside he has ever mentioned is night life. He's not a big drinker but enjoys a beer now and again. He says the city laws lean away from such activities, so bars and stuff are kept to a minimum.

I totally disagree on the nightlife thing. There are a TON of bars--and even peeler joints, in SLC.

You ask any roadie for any rock band where the wildest girls in the USA are--the first answer is going to be SLC. There are plenty of clubs--I've been to a few of them, and alcohol is served freely--unlike some dry and semi-dry counties in the Carolinas.

They might not be in the heart of downtown across the street from the Temple, but they are most certainly there.

Anne

 

[motherhen17404]

I totally disagree on the nightlife thing. There are a TON of bars--and even peeler joints, in SLC.

You ask any roadie for any rock band where the wildest girls in the USA are--the first answer is going to be SLC. There are plenty of clubs--I've been to a few of them, and alcohol is served freely--unlike some dry and semi-dry counties in the Carolinas.

They might not be in the heart of downtown across the street from the Temple, but they are most certainly there.

Anne

Yeah, but Utah has some strange laws about alcohol. When we lived there, it was against the law to have say 2 people sitting at a table with 3 drinks on the table. In other words you can not have more then 1 alcohol drink per person on a table at one time. Also the beer there is not full alcohol beer, it is sort of a near beer. And the "peeler" joints are not allowed to serve alcohol, they were called "juice bars" because that is all they could serve. If a place did not serve food then the bar would required membership to go in and have a drink. But you could buy a daily membership for $5. Maybe things have changed, we lived there in 1995.

And if you want an adult movie or other adult novelity. Have to go across the state line for that. Then again, all the mormons go across the state line to do their gambling and drinking. Wendover, NV was crawing with mormons who were not suppose to be there. I was there one night and was playing the slots and heard a voice that seemed familiar. I looked around and there was my very mormon boss playing craps and downing several rum and cokes. And he was the one who told me what mormons do and don't do. You know, no drinking and no gambling. Like he said, "Hear no evil, speak no evil and never recognize a mormon in Wendover!"

Sorry if it seems like I am bashing mormons, be we just found them to be a little two faced in SLC. Oh, and my BIL ended up marrying a true mormon SLC girl. Let's just say, he is not allowed to see or speak to any of his family members without her there. She learned from a controling church just how to control others.

 

[jgmklmhem]

I have lived here for a few years and have had and aunt and uncle live here for almost their entire post-college lives. I would say don't let these stories scare you. We have had absoulutely no problems and we now live in Utah Valley which is even more Mormon than SLC. We have never been ostracized for being gasp, Presbyterian. My aunt and uncle raised two kids in SLC and rarely had any problems and with our girls we have not seen many problems. I also worked at the University of Utah for a while under a Jewish professor and he said he has never had any problems raising his three boys here. We have never had a problem getting REAL wine or good beer (even ones brewed right in SLC). Clubs are everywhere (even strip ones, Tallahassee FL doesn't even have any strip clubs). Just like with any reigion you will find those who are wayyyyyyyy more strict than others. I had more problems with Southern Babtists in FL and AL than I have had with Mormons here.

I will add that I definately leaned conservative before moving here so the politics didn't bother me so much but say a MA liberal might find it a bit hard. I will also say I have always been strong in my faith and have always been a Christian. I could see how someone who is not strong in their faith or has none at all might be hit upon by the Mormons more than someone who already has a faith be it Christian or Jewish.