As a native of Chicago, moving to a small town in Utah has been a significant adjustment.
I live in Brigham City, Utah, a small community about an hour north of Salt Lake City, with my husband and our sixteen-month-old son. We moved here in September 2005 because of my husband’s job.
The move was a positive change for us in many ways. Living in the Midwest all of our lives, we had both spent too much time each day commuting to our jobs and sitting in traffic. My husband still has a thirty-minute drive to work but he cruises through beautiful mountain ranges instead of sitting on clogged interstates looking at billboards.
Moving here also gave us the chance to downsize our lifestyle in anticipation of having a baby. We decided we didn’t need the big, brand-new house we previously had and we opted for a smaller, older home so that we could afford to live off one salary once we had a baby. I love staying home to take care of our son, so that has been a huge blessing.
Brigham City is a quaint town with a charming main street, beautiful old homes, nice sidewalks, and friendly people. We live within walking distance of shops, the grocery store, and the library, and I love the lifestyle of being able to walk everywhere. I’ve probably put more miles on my stroller than I have on my car this year.
Wherever you walk, you can see spectacular mountains. I also get amazing views of the Wasatch Front of the Rocky Mountains from our living room and dining room windows. Of course, the other benefit of living in the mountains is outdoor recreation, like skiing and hiking.
The area is growing a lot and it’s one of the few places where the real estate market is still strong. Our home has appreciated more than fifteen percent in the past two years, which is a major plus for us as a young couple just starting our family.
But living here has it downsides, too. It’s lonely sometimes being so far away from my family and friends. It was also a little intimidating being such a minority when we moved here. We’re not Mormon, but most of our neighbors are.
