So, don't let my location scare you. I moved to California to gain LE experience and eventually move back to Alaska, unfortunately the job situation back in Alaska has only gotten worse and worse and the wife and I are looking for a free state to move to now that im retired from LE. I want freedom, good people and seasons again with the ability to get out hunting, fishing, snowboarding and generally being a free American again out of the peoples republic of California. Ive only ever passed through the area and thought it was beautiful but only residents really know what its like. Wife is an accountant/controller and I am doing independent security consulting now our only son is leaving for college next summer so not worried about schools. Thank you for any info you can provide, places that are nice to live, places to avoid and just general info on the area. Its definitely on our short list

SLC and the Salt Lake Valley are terms that are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are different. There are a number of great places to live in the Salt Lake Valley where you can avoid the Libtarded attitudes.

West Valley City is gangland

East side of the northern valley near Emigration canyon by U of U is all libtarded, as is the east side of Utah Valley (just south of Salt Lake Valley) up near BYU.

The more farmland you see, the better off you'll be for like minded people.

Property values are retarded right now. Where I live in Orem, home prices are double what they were 15 years ago right before the panic, for a home HALF as big.

Do you homework for commute because I15 is a pain at rush hour, though I am sure NOTHING like it is in CA.

Stay away from the lakes as much as you can because mosquitoes and biting gnats are a pain.

You may hear otherwise, but you won't regret living in Utah Valley half an hour south of Salt Lake Valley.

That's all I have for now.

Someone on the Utah HTF advised me to look north and consider Brigham City.  I’ve been here for almost three years now and we absolutely love this area.  My commute to Hill AFB is not bad and Brigham is about perfect for my family.  I will never move back to GA.

I recommend Utah County. If I had my druthers, I'd move to a more rural/remote area. I kind of like Nephi, Price, or somewhere along the US 89 corridor south of Spanish Fork Canyon. Some say living among Mormons is difficult for a non-Mormon. I'm not LDS, but I grew up here, around them, and I have no problems with them. The one thing is, if you don't attend church with them, then you won't know a lot of what's going on in your community, because they all discuss it at the Ward. In that case, probably try to make friends with your neighbors and ask them what's going on. You can also attend town council meetings, and get on e-mail lists from your local government, and either take the local paper, or see if they have a website to keep up on the doings. As long as you're not hostile to their religion, and openly display such hostility, just be neighborly, and you should get along fine.

You will pay alot of taxes here.

Move to Vernal, it has everything you need in a big city without any of the hassle of SLC or the Wasatch Front.

I've lived in 5.5 states, and Utah has a ton going for it but prepared for massive culture shock.  It's not necessarily bad, it's just different than anywhere else you've lived (and sometimes it can be really awkward).  I'd certainly recommend Utah over so many other places!

Wow, there's so much to write I could ramble on about it for pages.

OK, the good.  You've lived in Alaska, so I can frame it that way.  Alaska is its own critter in its own rite, but maybe to understand: Utah is like a modern Alaska.  There's not much to do in the cities, but if you love the outdoors Utah is the place to be--and you can go on a road trip to another state without trekking across Canada first.  There's also very little crime, people are pleasant and helpful, and it is very much a free state that didn't have the impacts a lot of places did with the COVID nonsense (Utah county).

I came to Utah for work, and have lived in Utah county for a little over 4 years.  Utah County is about 97% Mormon, or it was when I moved here.  That's not bad, it's just different and I am not kidding you about that culture shock.  You'll notice immediately when you leave to visit another state.  Instead of writing pages, to sum up: it's as white as the driven snow, most things are closed on Sundays, traffic and zone planning are horrid, there are no bars, liquor stores (state run), or coffee shops, the air pollution is the worst in the country, and families are often with 8+ kids so going to the store is a unique experience.  Traffic and traffic jams are bad everywhere, but the drivers here are vigilantes and are out to kill you.  Drive-throughs are packed between 3PM and 9PM (the Little Caesar's in town often has 20 cars in line... I'm not kidding).

Not compared to California.  

Just what are you basing that statement on?

The property taxes on my house valued around $570k are under $3000 a year.

I'm in Utah County as well.  I'd avoid Salt Lake County.

Thanks for the info guys. appreciate all the responses

Don't rule out the southern end of the state.
Though the wages probably suck in comparison.

Best of luck.

Lived in SLC and UofU grad.  

Downtown is leftist weird anti-Mormon.

Outside of that it's really monolithic.

Great place for outdoor stuff.  Very pro-gun.  But need Constitutional carry.

I have property in the middle of nowhere but not too far from Cedar City.

That's where I may retire.  I have been in VA since 2005 but it's been taken over by libs.

I keep saying im gonna move to kamas one day. My buddy in kamas says he needs to move to hanna

Damn rona has us in a lurch looking anywhere free state for jobs, Saw a lot of jobs for PI and security contracting work would require me to jump through a bunch of hoops and get a POST certificate so Utah may not work out in the end. Still appreciate all the help, guess we'll see what the future holds but the employment situation around the country is pretty dismal

As stated look north or south of SLC.