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I'm Moving To Utah!

14K views 90 replies 24 participants last post by  ActionJackson 
#1 ·
I've made a decision. I've been in Colorado for about 19 years and it has continually gone downhill ever since. (I hope that's not my fault! :D:) Ever since they legalized pot, the druggies from around the nation have swarmed in. That's what the Dems wanted. They recently voted a queer to be the State's Governor and he's as left as you can get. They just passed a new law legalizing hallucinogenic mushrooms or "Magic Mushrooms" which is a psychedelic drug that renders a person unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

They also passed Trump's "Red Flag Law" which allows law enforcement to steal a person's guns without due process. King George would be proud!

So ... I'm getting the hell out of here and am currently planning on moving to St. George, UT in mid-August.

My question to you Utahans: Is St. George a decent area to live in? I chose it because of its natural beauty; warm (hot) climate; and Utah's conservative values (especially where guns are concerned). Am I missing anything?
 
#8 ·
I'm 58 but will never be able to retire. Three marriages and some bad financial decisions has solidified my future: Work until I drop!

I've already sent my resume to several potential employers in the area. Too early to tell if I'll have a job waiting or not. One way or the other ... I'm moving from Colorado in August. They want me to sign a new lease at my current apartment complex while raising my rent by $65.00 per month. The place is already way too expensive ($1200.00 per month) so I'm not going to sign another lease.
 
#5 ·
Great place. I’ve got my eye on a place just outside of St. George. I lived in northern Utah for about 10 years and loved it, but prefer the warmer climate of St. George/La Verkin. Hoping to be out of Las Vegas within the next 3-5 years. I’ve found the people in and around St. George to be friendly decent folks. You’ll notice some of the same drug/crime problems that you’ll have with any city of that size, but I’ve never felt unsafe in any part of the St. George area. I’m up there nearly every month. I think you’ll find plenty of good people, and places to live, places to relax and enjoy the beauty of the Southwest. Best of luck to you.
 
#10 ·
I lived in Logan and Ogden back in the late 70s and early 80s. I worked at Syro Steel in Centerville, UT for a time. I'm done with the cold though. I grew up in SoCal. I've spent plenty of years in cold climates but am done with it. Nobody knows how to drive in the snow around here. Of course, Denver is a "sanctuary city" so I can't expect great drivers at any time of the year.
 
#9 ·
The good thing about rattlers is that they give you a little advanced warning. I don't mind a few snakes. I hear that there may be a roach problem in the St. George area. I choose snakes over roaches any day. I can deal with the roaches though. Keep the kitchen clean. Keep food properly stored. And keep plenty of "roach motels" in the nooks and crannies and I should be fine.
 
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#7 ·
Does the area glow in the dark?

Beginning in 1951, the era of nuclear weapons testing was a time of tremendous change at both national and local levels. In the name of national security, a variety of nuclear weapons were tested in a remote area of the Nevada desert known as the Nevada Test Site. Fallout and radiation from these tests have affected communities across the nation, resulting in ongoing health problems, loss of life, and generational impacts that continue to this day.

"Another aspect is the large number of special needs children in southern Utah. When I was in 6th grade, I was in charge of helping the Special Ed class have lunch for part of the year so the teacher could have a break. I’d take the group to lunch and then stay with them until the teacher came back.
Being a responsible student resulted in pretty grown-up tasks now that I look back at it." SOURCE:https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=1251771&facet_setname_s=uum_dua

"J Truman’s earliest memory is of sitting as a child on his father’s knee in Enterprise, Utah, transfixed by a show in the sky from nuclear-bomb testing in nearby Nevada, including watching pink-gray fallout clouds pass overhead.

“My parents died from cancer,” he says, blaming those radioactive clouds. So Truman, director of Downwinders, Inc., has fought since the 1970s for compensation for victims." SOURCE:https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/07/06/under-bill-compensation/

"Intermountain Dixie Regional Medical Center announced that the hospital’s exposure screening and education program will be holding public information meetings to discuss the scheduled end of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which expires July 9, 2022. Two meetings will take place in Southern Utah, one in St. George this Wednesday and one in Enterprise May 15.

According to a press release from Dixie Regional, information will be presented about the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and possible compensation available to downwinders, a term used to describe the more than 60,000 people who were exposed to radioactive fallout in Southern Utah and eastern Nevada during the nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site from 1951-58 and July of 1962." SOURCE:https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/a...downwinder-compensation-program/#.XO0-i49OnIU

This is part of my current research on a book. Almost everyone who lives in the US has been affected somewhat by the fallout from the atmospheric testing. We are ALL downwind, but the folks in southwest Nevada and southwest Utah were closest to ground zero.

---tort-- :taped::taped::taped:
 
#11 ·
Over the next thirty years, 91 of the 220 cast and crew members had developed a form of cancer. Forty-six had died, including John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz (who shot himself soon after learning he had terminal cancer), Agnes Moorehead, John Hoyt and director **** Powell.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049092/trivia

Jo hn Wayne filmed near there. Heavy smoking + radiation.
 
#12 ·
John Wayne filmed near there.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049092/trivia

91 of the 220 cast and crew members had developed a form of cancer. Forty-six had died, including John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz (who shot himself soon after learning he had terminal cancer), Agnes Moorehead, John Hoyt and director **** Powell. Lee Van Cleef had throat cancer, but died of a heart attack.

Smokers + radiation.
 
#15 ·
Just a few warnings.

Unless you are in town, Be sure to check water rights and also know what they really mean.
In in a subdivision, will you be on city sewer and water? Will utilities be at the property line and you need to pay hookup fees, that can be pricey.
Check at least 3 different loan sources if you are purchasing, one being the local credit union. Rates can be all across the scale and you are the new guy in town.
 
#19 ·
There's something about that desert heat that I like. It's a heck of a lot better than Denver's 6 month winters. Cold, dreary, icy, and depressing. Not to mention dangerous on the roads. I know how to drive in snow but most of the illegals and Californians who come here have no idea what they're doing.
 
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#18 ·
Sorry conservative Utahans but I'm taking my conservative vote to the Prescott, AZ area. I contacted numerous businesses, realtors, apartment complexes, etc. and got very little feedback. I'm thinking that the folks of St. George don't want any more people moving to their region. I can understand. I feel the same way about the huge influx of people to the Denver, CO area. Coming for the drugs, of course.

Anyway, Prescott is beautiful and has a slightly lower population. They also have 4 welding supply companies there (I have more than 20 years in that field) so there's a good chance I will find a job fairly quickly.
 
#20 ·
Utah update: Not going as planned!! But I don't know a time in my life when anything DID go as planned.

1) Planned on renting a U-Haul trailer in Denver and taking my belongings with me to Utah; putting them in storage; and moving them to my new place when I got a place. U-Haul dropped the ball so I had to put everything in storage in Denver. I'm forced to return to Denver to retrieve all of it when I find a place.

2) I planned on staying in my pickup tent most of the time to save money. However, was not able to get my computer to work unless I was near WiFi. So ... I've been renting a hotel for 5 days straight (as of today ... Friday). That's about $65.00 per day. I need the WiFi to look for jobs.

3) I have handed out lots of resumes (both online and in person). Have only had one interview but wasn't hired. I'm actually glad I wasn't hired by this company, Orgill (I think). Huge turnover and lots of bad employee reviews. Another company (one that's more up my alley) appeared to be interested yesterday morning but I haven't heard back from them yet. Still hoping.

4) I can't rent a place until I have a job. The job I want requires that I have a CDL with HazMat. Went to the DMV to start the process but they need me to have the following: a permanent residence; my birth certificate; two official mailings proving that I have a permanent residence; a passport or Social Security card. My birth certificate, passport, and Social Security card are all in my safe in storage in Denver and I can't produce two "official mailings" since I don't have a permanent address. So ... I can't get a place without a job; I can't get the job without the proper license; and I can't get the license without a place.

5) My pickup transmission is beginning to slip. That could cost up to $3500.00 to fix depending upon the severity.

6) I almost decided to fly back to Denver to retrieve my Vital Documents but decided to get them replaced online. That's more money out of my pocket and they will have to be sent via USPS. That means more days in a hotel than I can really afford.

Has anyone ever wished to go to sleep never to wake up? America is no longer a free land when a man can't move from State to State without this much red tape. So ... depressed hardly describes what I'm feeling right now.
 
#25 ·
This isn't meant to be mean spirited so don't take it that way.

I'm sorry this isn't working out but this seems like really poor planning.

1. Of course you need your vital documents to get a job. Why would you leave your birth certificate, passport, and social security card in storage in Denver if you're seeking to get employment in Utah??? Would you hire someone without vital documents? Not me.

2. Of course if you don't have a job, you're not going to likely be able to rent a place without a huge cash up front payment. With landlord/tenant laws totally in favor of tenants, would you rent to someone who showed up with no job and little money? Not me.

And the CDL Hazmat license should have been secured when you did have a residence and documents when in Colorado, not while you're transient living in hotels.

3. Of course you're going to need wifi to use the web. There's likely various adapters to use your cell phone signal to get wifi, or other sophisticated methods. Heck I've been in this situation too. You pull over next to Starbucks for 2 hours or go to the local library and do what you need to do for a few hours a day. That's free or for the price of a cup of coffee in Starbucks.

4. Really bad time for a serious vehicle issue, but hard to believe this was unexpected that it just started now? Shouldn't take a questionable vehicle on a big road trip. If it needed maintenance before then that should have been done.
 
#21 ·
Thought you had changed your mind and decided Prescott Az. was the place for you.
BTW I have never gotten a job by sending resumes, only by showing up and shaking hands.
You say you are 58yr. old, laws or not your age is working against you. For you it is especially important to show up, shake hands and personally deliver your resume.
 
#22 ·
Yup. That's why I said that I've been handing out resumes both online and in person. Interestingly, the only actual, official interview was based on an online resume I sent.

I would rather have gone to Prescott but the more I listened to people from the area the more I realized two things: It's growing at a really fast rate and the price of living was considerably higher than where I am now.

And there's nobody who knows better than me that my age is working against me but thanks for the reminder.
 
#23 ·
Don't feel to bad, I'm in the same spot, 67yrs.
I think your cost of living will be a lot less in St.George. I bet if you could bring home 4k per month you would be set.
Of course I don't know if you are still paying your Ex. If you are then consider a cash buyout if you are able. Sometimes 50k in her hand could be better than $800.00 per month.
 
#24 ·
I was in Hurricane and St. George for a couple of days but migrated to Cedar City. Cheaper, smaller, and much more beautiful. My ex and I get along well. She's never asked anything of me but I do pay her car insurance and her cell phone. Together, that comes to about $100.00 per month. Since she's disabled, I don't mind giving her a helping hand.

I agree that I can afford to be paid less based on the significantly lower price of living. They wanted $1300.00 per month for a studio apartment in Denver while I can get a two bedroom for $750.00 here.
 
#26 ·
For my pending move I've got several word documents and a master list of projects to complete, tasks based on immediacy and timing, important things I must bring with me and have access to (like vital records), and so forth. While you can't predict everything, there are some pretty obvious things that one must consider when moving.
 
#33 ·
I'm currently in Cedar City. I'm going to get my transmission fixed then head back to Denver with my tail between my legs. As part of my survivalist mentality, I was hoping to leave the giant city of Denver and get into a more rural or small town atmosphere but the governmental red tape has made that nearly impossible.

I can't get a place without a job. I can't get a license without a place. I can't get the job I want without a license. So it's back to the Denver cesspool for me. :(:mad:
 
#36 ·
A lot of people like Denver
Not me so much, but there is a lot going on there.
Sounds like you have some marketable skills
Me, not so much so I am reduced to self-employment

None of my business, but if you can do it and tolerate it, do some OTR for a year or two
Live on the road and save up some money
Then you can move

I am probably going to move, as a resident, to South Dakota, Florida, or Texas
As a full- time RVer
Those three states allow you be a resident and roam-about
I just hit 60, so two years and I am done
Like Metallica says

Wherever I May Roam


(And the road becomes my bride)
And the road becomes my bride
I have stripped of all but pride
So in her I do confide
And she keeps me satisfied
Gives me all I need
And with dust in throat I crave
Only knowledge will I save
To the game you stay a slave
Rover, wanderer
Nomad, vagabond
Call me what you will, yeah

Oh, but I'll take my time anywhere
Free to speak my mind anywhere
And I'll redefine anywhere
Anywhere I roam
Where I lay my head is home, yeah

(And the Earth becomes my throne)
And the Earth becomes my throne
I adapt to the unknown
Under wandering stars I've grown
By myself but not alone
I ask no one
And my ties are severed clean
The less I have the more I gain
Off the beaten path I reign
Rover, wanderer
Nomad, vagabond
Call me what you will
Yeah you will
 
#40 ·
ActionJackson My only other obstacle is to find a way to get two pieces of mail addressed locally. I assume the DMV will want a couple of utility bills. That's going to be a real dilemma.[/QUOTE said:
Can you use a UPS Drop Box as your address, cell phone bill and a Propane tank refill receipt with the Drop Box address ?

Anyhow Best of luck to you.
 
#42 ·
Stay at hotel/motel, get mail delivered there direct, no P.O.
That will establish residency.
Take mail, passport, S.S. card to D/L office and you should be good, you had to have birth certificate to get passport. If you don't have a passport then take your birth certificate with you.
I asked the older lady in the office today and that is what she told me to do.
 
#45 ·
I think I remember from another post...you have a GM truck?
Instead of spending 3000 on rebuilding the transmission..... get a good used transmission installed.... about half the price

Take a job that doesn’t require CDL ... even if it’s washing dishes. Anything.

I told you once before....POst offices offer a street address for the PO Box

Find someone renting a room in their house. ...cheaper than getting your own place

Now you have a residence

Keep taking additional jobs. Gets the cash coming in. Eventually you can get your CDL again and get a driving job

I have to agree with Leadcouncil. You didn’t plan well. Don’t spend so much time worrying about city statistic data.

Don’t go back to Denver.
 
#46 ·
So here's a possible problem solving scenario.

Since you need your documents, which are in Denver, here's what you do.

1. Plan. Take only essentials with you.
2. Locate a used transmission at a local junk yard or rebuilt one, etc. Have auto mechanic install while you are away.
3. Rent least expensive fuel efficient micro car possible and haul tail back to Denver to get your documents. Ensure you bring keys, combos, etc. with you.
4. You will save time with efficiency, and not pay for lodging during your time away. Bring sleeping back, clothes, hygiene. Shower in a truck stop. Sleep in the car, since most cars now have seats that fully recline. You say you're spending $65 daily on lodging. You will save that but spend instead on car rental and fuel. So about a wash.
5. Arrange to stay with friend in Denver to recharge for a night.
6. Get documents and return to Utah. Total time should be maybe 4-5 days. By then your truck should be fixed.
7. Return rental car, get truck.
8. Get back on track applying for licensing, lodging, jobs.

Problem solved.
$2000-3000 ish for transmission
$300 and 5 days to fix the error on leaving paperwork in Denver.

Some careful planning will fix this pretty easily and minimal costs.
 
#47 ·
Thanks all for your ideas, advice, concern, and general help. I got a call about 4 hours ago from a lady in Arizona who's offering me a job back in the Denver area. She called me when she saw my resume on Indeed.com. She has two open positions in Englewood, CO and says I'm the right fit.

I have a formal over-the-phone interview with her tomorrow at 4:00PM. Instead of following my idiotic dream ... I'm going to take the sure thing if she hires me. Back to the grind and back to the rat race.

Utah employers want to hire Utah citizens. I fully understand. If I were an employer I'd go with the locals first and the outsiders second. No sense in wasting any more of my time or theirs (not to mention the fact that I can only spend so much money before I run out).

It was a silly dream in the first place. Just trying to relive the freedom of my youth and trying to prepare for harder times. Dumb!
 
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