Serving Salt Lake's GLBT community since 1992
and the rest of the alphabet too

The greater Salt Lake metropolitan area stretches from Provo in the south to Ogden in the north in one thriving contiguous city referred to as the "Wasatch Front". Nearly 1.5 million people, with a much broader diversity than you might expect, call this area home. Salt Lake City and the greater Wasatch Front communities are dynamic, exciting places to live. Only minutes away from the downtown area there are 11,000-foot peaks with both ski resorts and wilderness areas that create a dramatic backdrop to this modern western city. In April of 2008 HousingPredictor.com listed Salt Lake City in its list of the Top 25 Appreciating US Markets. The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce has demographic data and a great booklet that you can download that shows the city's vision for the near future.

"The best place to live in North America"
Places Rated Almanac

Originally settled in 1847 in traditional wagon train style by a fun loving group of religious pioneers, Salt Lake has never stopped growing and now stretches valley wide from the Wasatch Mountains in the east to the Oquirhs (Oh-kers) in the west. Even though quiet suburbs abound, SLC has managed to maintain a thriving downtown scene. Construction cranes are a common sight with several new office towers, hotels, convention center, courts complex, events center and more. Much more. $1.5 billion to be spent on 25 acres in the very heart of the city to create a 21st century version of downtown living. The project called City Creek is massive and construction is already underway. Two very significant pieces of architecture are the proposed Federal Court House and the completed new public library building which has already won architectural recognition and is thought by many to be the finest public library building in North America.

"Poised to become a city of the future"
Adweek Magazine

A completely redesigned and reconstructed interstate system through the valley gets you anywhere you want to go. In addition, it's been standing room only for commuters on the new light rail system (TRAX). These clean, quiet, electric trains are already planning to expand with further east west lines connecting western suburbs and the airport to the central city hub. Downtown is a free fare zone for both bus and train travel. Opening this month is the new commuter rail called Front Runner which speeds from the downtown intermodal hub to Ogden. This combined with the new Legacy Highway and an expanded I-15 will give north bound commuters great new options. As a result of intense environmental negotiations a 2200+ acre nature preserve was created between the new highway and the Great Salt Lake.

Named Utah as "The fourth most livable state"
Morgan Quinto Press

It's difficult for me to convey in a few short descriptions just how dramatically this city has changed since I moved to SLC in 1983. Some older locals still feel they have to offer excuses for being a resident while immigrants can't understand why this mountain city is still a secret. If a well intentioned friend is advising you from moving, chances are they have never lived or even visited here in the past 20 years.
From my modest downtown condo I can walk one block east and enjoy lunch at any number of local (not chain) restaurants or experience live theater, 1 block north to catch the light rail train with destination options from the suburbs to the University, 1 block northeast to the arena with sports and concerts, 1 block northwest and there's a 40 acre outdoor mall, 1 block west and we can have dinner in the historic Rio Grande train station, 1 block south is a renovated city park. And its not just my neighborhood. Neighborhoods throughout the city have their own walkable commercial centers and unique feel.

"One of the top 25 wired cities"
Yahoo! Magazine

Feeling a little butch? Well, within an hour of your new home are serious wilderness backpacking trails (I can be wilderness hiking within 25 minutes of downtown), three mountain ranges with peaks exceeding 11,000 feet, the great west desert, minor league baseball with the Bees, professional NBA basketball action with the Jazz at the Arena and Hockey at the E-Center. And if you clean up well, a fancy night out on the town might include any of the following: Ballet West, Ririe Woodbury Dance Co. or the Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) will have your heels feeling light, and the Utah Opera and Utah Symphony will have you humming along. Professional and semiprofessional acting companies fill many a stage here. Act it out with the Pioneer Theatre Company, Plan B Theatre Company, The Off Broadway Theatre, Grand Theatre or the long running Salt Lake Acting Company.

"Best western city to live in"
Money Magazine

Art galleries abound (over 30) and you can't possibly see them all in one day. But you can try in the monthly gallery stroll where patrons visit participating exhibits taking in the essence of art and free hors d'oeuvres with complimentary wine. Cheap date alert! Some of my favorites would include; The Salt Lake Art Center, The beautiful new Utah Museum of Fine Arts (with a very chic cafe), Finch Lane Gallery aka "the Art Barn" and the Phillips Gallery.
Got Bones? Try the Utah Museum of Natural History. Take your art to the streets with the ever-expanding festival scene. At the very least you'll want to enjoy the Utah Arts Festival, the Avenues' Street Festival, The Ninth & Ninth Street Fair, the Park City Arts Festival and by all means don't miss the Tony award winning Utah Shakespearean Festival in southern Utah.

Utah is..."One of the top three economies in the nation"
Western Blue Chip Economic Forecast & American Demographics magazine

National touring companies bring us the magic of Broadway for a great season at the beautifully restored Capitol Theatre. The Arena , E Center and Depot insure that every week you will have a great show in store. From Cher to Monster Trucks we host them all. Or you can share a ski lift and the sidewalk with Hollywood power types at the world famous Sundance Film Festival. You can preview many of the newest films months before your coastal friends. Dress is winter black, the newest cell phone is mandatory, and name-dropping is a must. "Luv ya, kiss, kiss. Mean it, bye".

Besides the aforementioned million acre woods of the Wasatch Mountains, Salt Lake City alone has over 70 parks and green spaces (not to mention the county parks). We have places to bike, like City Creek Canyon. Places to hike, such as the Bonneville Shoreline Trail system or the Jordan River Parkway and places to strut your mutt (leashless) in Herman Frank's ballpark, Mill Creek Canyon and Tanner Park.

"Third in list of best cities"
Newsweek Magazine

For the gourmet in all of us there are few ethnic culinary experiences not duplicated here, from Afghani to Vietnamese, from vegan to barbecue. Or visit our high-end grocers small and large to collect the ingredients in creating your own oral pleasure. And Salt Lake likes coffee a latte (sorry, couldn't resist!). Along with the mandatory 1,500 Starbucks locations, local family run bistros like Cup-of-Joe, The Coffee Garden, Caffe d'bolla, Salt Lake Roasting Co. and Caffe Marmalade draw crowds day and night. Catch up while you caffinate by perusing the Salt Lake Tribune, one of three newspapers serving the area.

"Third best city in America for business"
Fortune Magazine

But I'll leave the rest of the hyperbole to those whose resources of adjectives exceed mine. The Visitors Bureau has a web site with a larger budget, and is a great place to start if you have never traveled to Salt Lake City.
So come and enjoy. Salt Lake would be so nice to come home to.

 

And remember...

Whether you're moving up, moving in or just moving on, call me today!

Brad Dundas
Stonebrook Real Estate Inc.
6375 South Highland Dr.
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
bradley@xmission.com
Phone: 801.550.0330 FAX: 801.463.6114

Copyright © 1996 Revised 04/2008 Brad Dundas