OptimismInAJar

I probably would buy a house if I moved there, which I feel like I could comfortably afford. Or a small condo if I wanted to save money. Also, property taxes there are on average less than half of what I pay here. But it's important for me to keep in mind that a lot of places in Utah are quite pricey. If I had to move out of the Provo area, living costs are something that I might need to seriously consider. Thanks for pointing that out.

I lived there about 5 years ago. I rented a room in an apartment with 3 other guys for about $260 a month. I saw one bedroom apartments going for $450 a month (which I would have gotten if I had made a little more there). Also, I lived in Provo which is technically a "college town" so I think that drastically brought down the price of everything in that area too. But I know a place like Park City, for example, would be a lateral move financially.

Hello, everyone. Glad I found this place. I'm just looking to get some people's general thoughts about something. I'll try to make this short, so if you're curious to know more detail, let me know. Basically, I was born and raised near Chicago. I once lived in Provo, Utah for a short time in my early twenties (I wanted to be by the mountains) but now I'm back in the Chicago area. I dabbled with the LDS faith during my time in Provo but I felt it was too "pushy" at the time. Since I've moved back to Illinois I have worked extremely hard and now I have a good job that pays well, yet I'm more unfulfilled than ever. I'm really missing Utah. There are a few reasons for this: Illinois, if you don't already know, treats its citizens like milking cows. We the citizens only exist to pay taxes and then pay even more taxes the next year. If you've seen Chicago on the news within the past couple years, you probably think it's nothing but nonstop protests and violence. And you'd be right. People are even literally sniped on the expressways during rush hour and everyone is just like "oh well." I think Utah can be a strange place, but most of the people have strong conservative values in my experience and it is thus a more peaceful place (and when I use the term "conservative" I'm not trying to make this about politics, I'm just talking about traditional Christian values) In fact, although I'm not LDS, I strongly identify with LDS values. Utah is way more affordable. The money I make in Chicago allows me to barely get by. In Utah, I would be living like a king with the same salary. I lived relatively comfortably on minimum wage in Provo! I would be able to completely financially support myself, my mother when she retires, and my own family (should I have one someday) even if I was the only working parent. Now, if I wanted to move to a more conservative state with less taxes, there are a lot of options out there. I'm not a mormon, so why would I go back to Utah? Let me be blunt here: I want to marry a mormon woman. The LDS church has considerably low divorce rates, strong family values, and places a high importance on loyalty, sexual purity, and traditional family roles. All these things have been statistically proven to benefit society and promote a more satisfactory life. I want in. Think of it this way: if I wanted to avoid being attacked by a bear, I wouldn't stay somewhere where 50% of all the people are attacked by bears. Likewise, if I want a good marriage and no divorce, I shouldn't stay somewhere where 50% of all the people get divorced. Now, there are some things I like about where I live when comparing to Utah. In the village I live, the air is way cleaner (there's no mountains to hold in all the smog), there is almost no crime, and, well, pretty much everything I know is here. So moving would be a huge decision for me, but it's something I think I should consider within the next year or two. I at least need to weigh my options. I know obviously not everyone on this forum lives in Utah but I'm sure most of you have either visited or know people in the area. I'd love to hear your feedback. Am I being delusional? Would I be accepted in the LDS community even if I don't convert? What are some social complications I might face? Thank you for any feedback!