We never wanted or expected to live in Utah.
It was a culture shock, but we made the best of it, as military families have to do.
We lived there for four years.
My husband deployed a few months after we arrived. On our anniversary. I spent the first winter of my life alone with four kids. Our cat died and the basement flooded while he was deployed.
The Best of Hill AFB
Outdoors Activities
We’re not so much into winter, but I hear the skiing is wonderful. I did like how sunny winters are and it doesn’t feel very cold. We enjoyed hiking, fishing, and camping. We explored national and state parks. It is beautiful there!
Affordable Housing
We rented a humongous house with a huge back yard and there were lots of nice houses for sale. There were new ones being built all over! We knew many who chose to retire there.
Deals for Families
Since Utah is known for large families, there are many deals for kids and families. Lots of museums and other attractions have family passes or free admission for kids. There were lots of consignment sales and thrift stores.
The Worst of Hill AFB
Religious Discrimination
The Mormon Tabernacle is in Salt Lake City. Many LDS military members put Hill AFB on their wish list to make their pilgrimage.
I wasn’t so surprised to be treated differently because we’re not Mormon, but I was surprised to learn that even non-Utah Mormons are given the cold shoulder.
And separation of church and state? Not so much in Utah. There were blanks on even gymnastics forms for my kids as to which ward we belonged. It came up way too often in conversation for our comfort.
Once my daughter reached age 12, she was excluded from activities in our neighborhood. This is the age that kids are more indoctrinated into their church. At the high school, kids even take classes at their ward for their mission.
Our kids couldn’t even play with any other children in the neighborhood on Sundays. Mormons take their Sabbath Day seriously.
Alcohol Laws
The alcohol rules and laws are very weird in Utah. I’ve never felt so like an incompetent child as going to a restaurant and being told I can’t have a cocktail without ordering food first. I grew up in the South, so Blue Laws aren’t news to me, but Utah alcohol sales laws baffle me. Liquor stores close at dinnertime, even on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Smell
During dry, warm days…the brine shrimp in the Great Salt Lake cast a disgusting rotten fishy smell over the whole valley.
Air Quality
The Inversion in late winter makes going outdoors unpleasant. Those with breathing problems should stay inside.
Dear Jennifer,
I happened upon your blog when I was searching for some interesting photos of Hill AFB, but my heart sank when you talked of your experiences with families and neighbors who excluded you because of religious affiliations. I was born and raised in the farming communities west of the base. In my adulthood, I lived in Italy and then in the DC area for many years (contract work). Now, my family and I are back in my hometown which is now suburbia and not rural at all. What you described is not who we are or who we try to be, but your comments are unfortunately and disappointingly common. I wished your family could have known my family or somebody else who had lived outside of Utah, but alas, well-meaning, faithful people can have a difficult time distinguishing between outright prejudice and wholesome efforts to be good. I think of how Jesus tried to get the Jews to see the Samaritans more clearly, but few listened and understood. I don’t think things are much different now with Christians.
Having been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ (some call Mormon) all my life and living in different areas of the world, please take it from me that the same experiences you had can be had in reverse, i.e. we were excluded when someone thought we were polygamists or the youth Bible class in my home before high school was a proving ground for “young brides.” When these neighbors actually got to know us, they were shocked to be so wrong and we became fast friends. We didn’t drink with them or party on Sundays, but that didn’t matter. We still communicate with each other to this day (more than 12 years later). Whenever the missionaries would knock on their door, they would talk to them and then call us to tell me if they were kind or otherwise. Believe me when I say that those who truly love God and love their neighbor are the most beautiful of people.
Now, I also saw your post about no longer attending church. I feel for you. There are many in all religions who are no longer finding what they’re looking for in public worship. Let me suggest that perhaps we have forgotten that our personal worship is for us and our public worship is more about helping others – and in so doing, it helps us to become better. My public worship is more about fostering an environment where Christ’s teachings can reach all of us, than it is about me getting what I need. My needs are usually fulfilled in private pondering and searching. Others people seem to need association and to be influenced through entertainment before they’ll look for their private moments. I have found that some people go to church *because* of their private moments and try to help others find theirs – while others go to church with *hope* to find the peace and comfort they miss in their privacy. I think public worship is about bringing us together – so that we may be one. And that doesn’t always happen, but it is splendid when it does.
Sorry to be so long-winded, but your pains spoke to me. Because of your sincere faith, there is great hope for your family wherever you might be.