Six Reasons to Move to Utah

Here at GCD, some might think we’re a little biased when asked about Utah. As a local homebuilder with over 25 years’ experience, we’ve created many beautiful communities across the Beehive State, welcoming numerous families into this breathtaking place we call home. We natives know Utah is a rad place to be, but some potential transplants may need some convincing before they take the plunge to move to the 45^th state in this great union. Below, we’ve got six of the hundreds of reasons to move to Utah to help you make up your mind.

Go with the Snow

Many folks who aren’t lucky enough to be Utah natives visit our humble state for one thing: SNOW. We know what you’re thinking: snow is snow is snow, but no! Utah snow is truly different, by nature of its development. The storms that bring Utah snow start over the Pacific before traveling inland. They lose moisture density as they go, becoming faster, colder, and drier as they pass over Great Salt Lake. This process results in snow that is the perfect blend of powder and salt for skiing, and produces a dense base with fluffy powder on top. It’s not a marketing ploy; it’s science!

Need more convincing? The U.S. Ski Team practices in Park City, so it has to be good. Who wouldn’t want to ski with Olympians? (Or, even better, live a stone’s throw from Park City’s three ski resorts when you live at our Park’s Edge or Rustler communities.) If that’s not enough to convince you that our skiing/snowboarding is the best, we also have the country’s only ski-in/ski-out distillery. Grab a glass without ever slipping off your skis. We’ll drink to that.

Park It

Maybe you aren’t into sports of the snow variety. Maybe you need something to keep yourself occupied when there isn’t fluffy white stuff on the ground. Thankfully, there’s so much more than snow in our beautiful state. For one thing, we have five National Parks, when most states only have one. We’re outdoor overachievers like that. Whether you want to hike, stargaze or just enjoy nature, there is probably a park nearby you when you live in Utah. If you’d rather travel down a mountain face by bike than ski, we deliver there, too. Some of the best mountain bike trails in the country are in Utah, in addition to hundreds of miles of bike lanes, trails, and off-road tracks.

The Great Outdoors

National parks aren’t the only place to experience the outdoors in Utah. What some may mistake for 106 acres of aspens is actually Pando, a single, male aspen tree that makes up an entire forest. Pando is also known as the Trembling Giant, and while there is some debate over its age, it comes in weighing roughly 13 million pounds all together. Another Utah anomaly is Homestead Crater, the only warm scuba spot in the continental United States. It’s crystal clear, deep waters average 90-96 degrees.

Fossils are prolific in this state, primarily the Jurassic-era variety. Go rock hounding at one of many sites, and you might find a fossil, or perhaps a precious mineral. Utah is rife with both! It also has ancient rock art to view, some dating back to the Late Archaic period.

Best Fests in the West

If you have a different goal in mind when it comes to rock, you’re still in luck in Utah. Regional talent has produced some heavy hitters like The Used, Imagine Dragons, and Neon Trees. If you dig an act that’s from out of state, have no fear. Major acts across several genres roll into town at many of the state’s great venues or some of its larger festivals, like the Twilight Concert Series.

Music festivals aren’t the only variety in this great state. Ever heard of the Sundance Film Festival? Yeah, that’s here. Utah also has a Tulip Festival, one of the world’s largest Holi festivals, Arts Festivals and a Tony award-winning Shakespeare Festival.

Taste of Home

If you think a Tony award-winning Shakespeare festival or ski-in/ski-out distillery in Utah are strange, wait till you dip your toes in the culture! Utahans are a fun, but unique bunch, and we’re proud of that.  Take our regional foods: if you have no idea what fry sauce and funeral potatoes are (and no, they don’t go together) you clearly aren’t from around these parts. Lime Jell-O could easily be considered a food group in some circles – yes, lime, and it’s often served with shredded carrots mixed in. Our salt water taffy is equally legendary. Our state has a natural, plentiful supply of salt water, so it’s only fitting.

#UtahisRad

As fundamental as those foods are to our uniquely Utah culture, we have some other local mindsets that certainly make us proud. The Provo-Orem area has topped the Gallup-Healthways list for highest well-being in the U.S. twice in the past six years. Utah has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. The state has also worked for over a decade to decriminalize homelessness by providing the homeless with homes and social workers. It’s proven effective: the state has reduced homelessness by 74 percent. All this contributes to making Utah one family-friendly place to be, but wait, there’s more!

Utah was recently ranked as one of the safest states in the nation, something that can be attributed to Utah’s sense of community and commitment to public safety. This sense of community is also evident in another recent Gallup poll, where Utah ranked the most generous state in the country (a country that is ranked most generous in the world). The poll ranked the number of people who game their time and money to causes.

After growing up in such an awesome place, it can be understandable that Utah kids might want to stay close to home for their education. Thankfully, Utah delivers there, too! The Beehive State is home to many top-ranked universities, like Brigham Young University, Utah State, Weber State and University of Utah, in addition to a handful of other smaller universities that top the bill.

Convinced yet? We hope so! Reach out to us at GCD to get started on owning your own home in the heart of Utah. Whether this is your first home, fifth home, or a vacation home, staking your claim on a little piece of Utah heaven has never been easier. What are you waiting for? Call us today!