29 things we Love about Living in Utah

Utah was ranked #1 in the recent CNBC annual ranking of America’s Top States for Business; and has ranked in the top 5 for the last 5 years.

Because Smith Johnson Group is headquartered in Utah, we obviously have a preference for the state.

While CNBC uses business metrics like economy, cost of living, and infrastructure; we thought it would be fun to quickly poll our office to see what things we love about living in Utah…top-of-mind short list. Overall, if you love the out-of-doors, Utah is the place for you.

But wait! There’s more!

Things we love about living in Utah, in no particular order, and squeezed together…

1. Utah Jazz basketball (Our fearless leader is a rabid fan…Go Jazz!)
2. Sundance Film Festival
3. Salt Lake Comic Con
4. Mountains (several 11,000+ peaks… “Life Elevated”) with year-round outdoor activities nearby
5. Silicon Slopes (another kind of mountain)
6. Long list of protected spaces, including 5 National Parks, 7 National Monuments, and a lot of State Parks
7. One of the world’s biggest Holi festivals
8. Salt Lake City International Airport making travel easy
9. Booming economy
10. Homestead Crater: the only warm water scuba diving destination in the continental U.S.
11. Relatively low cost of living, especially compared to the east and west coasts
12. Very low unemployment rate, meaning moving here could increase your salary and give you better job security
13. Commute to work is often less than 20 minutes…say that to someone from Utah and they think it’s awful, but most people from bigger cities think it’s great!
14. Crime rate is relatively low and atmosphere is family friendly
15. TRAX- Public Transportation systems using a lot of light rail, fairly easy to get around without a car
16. Hale Centre Theatre (newest location currently being built across from our HQ)
17. Utah Shakespeare Festival, Utah Arts Festival, Park City Arts Festival, Moab Music Festival
18. World class ski resorts (“The Greatest Snow on Earth”), skiing, snowboarding, backcountry skiing, groomed cross country skiing, snowshoeing
19. Utah PGA Golf Tournaments
20. Farmers markets, local parks and free family activities
21. The Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island
22. Salt Lake Bees baseball and Real Salt Lake soccer
23. Camping, hiking, mountain biking, mountain climbing, boating, fishing, hunting
24. Kayaking or river rafting from peaceful streams to the rapids of the Colorado River
25. Bonneville Salt Flats, ancient rock art, and Jurassic fossils
26. Four distinct seasons (sometimes all 4 in the same day!)
27. Lagoon amusement park, Red Butte Gardens, Natural History Museum, Living Planet Aquarium
28. College football (Go Utes!)
29. Desert climate (jeans dry overnight!!)

This is the short list, paired down from 80-something. We hope you’ll have the chance to make your own list, and create some wonderful memories.