All,

Looking at a possible move to SLC. Had some questions, and luckily I found the "secret" slc forum.

1. Areas to live? Most likely I'll be working near the airport. Still not real familiar with the area, but wondering if there are areas to avoid. I'll most likely rent a house/condo for a year, find the right area to buy, then buy something in the local area. No kids, so I'm not too worried about school districts.
2. Taxes? I'm coming from the #1 taxed state in the US, Maine, so I'm guessing that they are lower, but anything to be aware of as I negotiate salary? Tax to register car? Sales Tax? Income Tax?
3. Car laws. Front plate required? Tint laws?
4. Tuners for Audi's. Really rural here in Maine, so I'm hoping that there are some tuners in the SLC area
5. I'm guessing the skiing is great. Growing up in MT, I'm ready to get back to real snow after 6 years on the ice out here in the East.
6. Any upland bird hunting? Or good fly fishing?
7. Anything else that you can think of that would be good to know before a move to SLC?

Thanks alot.
Lane

Stay away from West Valley City. The place is overrun with thugs. That place makes the news every night for crime.

You have to have a front license plate by law, but I have had a vanity plate on mine for two years and haven't been hassled once. The tint is a different story, 43% for the front and whatever you want for the back. I had to peel mine to pass safety last month.

As for tuners, I work on my own car with a Bentley and a Vag Com. If you ever need a Vag Tool, I can hook you up.

Fly fishing is awesome, if you ever want to go, I am down. PM me if you have any other questions

1. If you are working near the airport, check out some of the nicer/newer places by the Gateway. Other good areas are the Avenues, Sugarhouse, University, etc. Avoid Rose Park and North Salt Lake.
2. Taxes are mid range. Car registration is a bit high.
3. Front plate required. Tint is 43% in front. Which basically means aftermarket tint of 50%, because you already have some tint going.
4. Check out Streamline for tuning/maint. I'm sure Hans will pipe in soon.
5. Skiing is absolutely awesome. And I came from Long Island, where I went to VT all the time, so I know where you are coming from.
6. Don't hunt, so can't help you there.
7. Don't freak out about the beer and mormons. The beer laws are screwy, but generally easy to deal with. Buy beer when in Nevada or Wyoming, or have out of state friends bring you some. Most mormons are normal people, who won't bother you. I've lived here since Dec 04 and just this week had my first run in with missionaries, and all they did was knock on the door and then went away 2 minutes later when I didn't answer.

When do you plan on moving?

grew up in NH, school in ME (bates) and the greater BOS for a while.

Here are my thoughts:

1. I chose to live near the University because there are trees. It would be an easy commute too. Plus there are few nice little hoods; the avenues, sugarhouse and east of 11th btwn 2nd and 5th South.

2. Taxationland! Anything will be better. I have not noticed significant changes when moving from MA.

3. I sure don't have one, but am supposed to. It will not fail your inspection or anything.

4. There are a few decent indies. My recommendation far and away is Streamline Industries (3rd East 21st South). These guys live and breathe Audi's and do good work. Plus they give T-Shirts and cool stickers for your car.

5. If you can ski the east you can ski anything. You will love the snow here, the fight to get up the canyon can be brutal though.

6. The flyfishing and birding sucks. Don't even bother. Note the sarcasm because I am laying it on pretty thick. Lots of great fishing in the immediate and surrounding area. Hunting too. Check out Western Rivers at 11 East and 9 South.

7. Your car will never be as clean as MarkFank's! Winters are great, summers are too hot. Make sure you get a place with AC or at least a swamp cooler.

Good luck!

they are really not that different if you combine a few of them from VT, MA and NH. I mean hell you can at least buy beer on Sunday morning!

I like the east coast lifestyle (atleast from FL) but the snow is better...Hard choice! I'm moving back after this season...SLC is too-uptight and unrealistic! (sorry to be a ball-buster)

Personally I've never found Florida a very desirable place to be so I haven't spent much time there. But compared to the Northeast, there is no question that Utah is less uptight. "Unrealistic," is a comment that I don't understand.

What do you mean?

and for the most part, I prefer the "lifestyle" in SLC. May be more uptight, but they aren't arrogant a$$holes like you find on the east coast, where everything is a competition and they just HAVE to win.

you are likely not in the majority here due to the presence of the LDS church and the overwhelming conservatitive lean. I don't fit either mold and my lifestyle hasn't changed a bit. I am still an atheistic liberal. There I said it! :)

Move to near the University...as one of the AWers suggested...its much more liberal...atleast compared to the rest of Utah..

If you do not know what MOMO means you will quickly learn after you "try" to interact with the community up here...quite different...

half an hour from a whole lot of ski resorts? I guess it depends on what you are into as well. As far as alcohol goes, I don't drink much but I have never seen any access problem, I think it is the whole 'have to be a member' thing that weirds people out.

Good places to live are pretty much any address that has East in it. The city is (mostly) laid out like a graph centered on Temple Square. For instance, our shop is on 396 East 2100 South; that makes it roughly 4 blocks East of of the road that leads to Temple Square and 21 blocks South of the same.

Housing costs aren't that bad either from what I hear about the rest of the country, I would consider buying as soon as you are certain you will stay here because I have a feeling the market isn't going to go down for a while.

As far as Mormons go, who cares? Go South and you will have a majority Southern Babtists and East many Catholics and Protestants. You will most likely find a dominate religion anywhere you go in the world. And SLC isn't as impacted as much as the Provo area as far as scrapbooking stores and video stores that carry edited movies (yeah, I know, it's that bad).


There are a few shops in town, mostly regular repair but I know our shop probably carries the most (good) aftermarket stuff for your car then anyone else in Salt Lake. Plus I drive an S4 too! But I also encourage people to work on their cars themselves if they want to as well.

Any other questions feel free to ask, somebody will know the answer.

SLC is the least populated place for mormans as lots on non-followers live here but its still you feel their presence when live here, not as much when I visited Utah but living here you see a church on every few blocks and get looks from LDS when your not doing what they believe in, they take their church stuff way over board.

Only on AW could I ask questions that are so varied, and get solid answers. Thanks to all. If I decide to come out for an interview, I'm sure that I will have more questions.
I'm not to worried about fitting in with the locals. Maine is the worst about that. Being from ''away'', made me an instant outsider up here. Even though I spent time yanking hurt Mainers off mountains and the water, I wasn't born here, so my thoughts didn't matter. I would be happy to spend my winters knee deep in powder, and summers playing golf, fishing, and maybe playing at MMP. I spent 10 years or so in Florida...not sure I could go back to the heat and humidity. If it works out that I end up in SLC, I'll make sure I bring you guys some decent beer. Thanks again. Lane