I was checking Provo on Streetview and it looks like a place of nice houses.

I live far away in anotehr country outside of the US,but whjat is life like for a person who wants to be against Mormonsim?

It is an unfriendly place if you are never going to be tbm?Is it hard to gain employment if you do not like Mormonsim?

It's one of the most Mormon places on the planet, filled with people who believe they have a calling from God to tell other people how to live. This is made possible by other people who believe it's absolutely correct to be bossed around by religious bullies.

Yes it is an oprressive place to live, but it is bearable if you know some good people in the area.

I live in Provo off and on. Currently it's been an off couple of years and while I miss my friends, I don't miss the constant scrutinization from the local fuzz, stupid liquor laws, or "ignernt" attitudes from the natives.
It's also hard to find a decent job and not be discriminated against if you're an ex or never-mo.

That being said, some of the most amazing, fun, and interesting people I know are my friends in Utah County.

I work in tech support, so I think my never mo-ness is less important than the fact that I know my way around a computer. I also work for a large company whose HR rules have to match the main office in New Jersey, so any discrimination is very, very subtle. I have worked in smaller companies where the Mo-ness is more overt, but I think the boss just assumed I was LDS. I was once had a man who was interviewing me for a temp job who asked me what my calling was. I reported his ass to the temp agency, who was horrified.

My husband and I do get some grief from the neighborhood, but he believes in pretending to follow the prevailing cultural standards of where he lives, so the local ward thinks it's my fault that he doesn't attend. He was once baptized but never really believed. In our old neighborhood, the local bishopric would drop by and essentially have a meeting of the 70s in the front yard, even though Hubby never attended any meetings or services. I prefer not to lie about it, to Hubby's dismay, and I (mostly) politely tell the missionaries to go away.

I'm not a big drinker, so the local state liquor store has what I want, and there are enough stores open on Sunday that I can get what I need. I'm not really the sort to want to chat with my neighbors, so I don't bother, but your mileage may vary.

Why would you go to Provo when the entire U.S. is available? Lots of nice houses all over the country.

You couldn't pay me enough to live in Provo.

My TBM SIL felt she had to move from Provo due to all the OD's in the schools and the drug busts all around her nice quiet neighborhood.

Oh, yes, the secret of the quiet neighborhoods. Watch to see who gets lot of quick visitors during the day when everyone else is at work. (My husband's disabled, so he gets a good chance to observe.)

I live in Utah county, not Provo, and it would most likely not be my city of choice. It is run and controlled by mo's, and though there are good people, everything is based on TSCC. I live in North Utah county on the west side, and while TSCC is all over, there are actually some "normal" poeple, and we are just over the hill from SL county, so we can go shopping on sunday with no problem.

I love going to the store on sunday here and seeing how many mo's are stopping on their way home from church. Little kids all dressed up and g's showing.

You have to have a sense of humor if you are going to live here, that's for sure.

I had a friend in the morridor years ago, and when she went for a job interview the manager told her behind closed doors that he would like to give her the job as she was the most qualified, but he couldn't cause she was not LDS. Too bad she didnt have a tape recorder in her pocket.

The liquor laws in UT are run by the state,(state liqur stores) so they don't usually have your desired brand if you desire a drink, I discovered that it IS a closed society, so if ya ain't LDS, you will have major culture shock. I never could find any nightlife there. Also, the Mormons will continue to bang on your door till you convert. It happened to my family. 2 weeks after being in UT, I was trying to figure out how to go back to my home state(not UT). Well, I ended up being trapped there 19 years, and I went thru reverse culture shock when I got back to the real world....Lottery tickets, 24 hour businesses, The LDS don't run everything here, and NO "church" talk. It's great!

I lived in Provo for a week in 1977 (long story). I was a TBM at the time and I hated it even as a TBM.

If you have an EXCELLENT job offer inProvo, why not? You could still meet a few normal people and live your own life.

But with so MANY places in the world with "nice houses", I would not pick Provo as a place to TRY to find a job and TRY to fit in. There are millions of more interesting options in the world.

Don't go there. I lived near Ogden and it was horrible to live in my community. No one will talk to you once you let them know you are not interested in Mormonism. They appear to be elitist- acting better than everyone else. If you have kids or plan to it is a horrible place to be if more than 70% are Mormons. My kids were treated very badly in Utah. Shunned.

You'd think Provo would be ideal for children, with parks, tennis courts, two colleges, a fairly decent medical center, handy skiing, beautiful surroundings, a lake for water skiing, pretty and affordable housing, but it is not.

Nepotism runs rampant, and if you or your kids don't know the right people, it is almost impossible to get a decent entry-level job, or part-time or student job in Provo.

The elementary schools have a high student-to-teacher ratio (around 27 or 28 to 1), and there is not enough money allotted to schools. The jr and high schools have drug problems, even in the "nicer" areas, because the Mormon kids aren't supervised, and they have money to buy drugs and alcohol. Provo High has a high rate of teen pregnancies. It's OK, they just adopt the babies out to LDS Social Services, and are done with it. I know teachers at Provo High, and they would never want their own children to go there.

You should actually go to Provo, and spend some time there. Do some people-watching. I think anyone would pick up on the stultifying atmosphere of the place. I lived there for four years, with a year abroad for a much-needed break, and summers at a real university. My parents forced me to go to BYU, and I was not happy with the classes, though the skiing, tennis, and parties were fun. Most of my California friends left their Freshman year, and went home to California colleges. I wish I had gone with them. I was so happy to graduate and get out of Provo!

I went to college and worked a job there for awhile, but I reached the point where I couldn't stand it anymore. So, I got a job in Minnesota and moved the hell away. Besides, I grew up in Indiana, and I missed being around people with good midwest values.

I'm from Indiana, also. I still live here and have never been to Utah. My sister lives there and her favorite things to do are hiking and skiing. She hates Utah so much that she is planning to give this up and move back to Indiana soon where there is no skiing and hiking is walking a flat path through some woods.

"college" town as BYU is there and there are a several thousand students coming and going. Summertime is very different than the school year.

The year around residents are the minority.

If you don't mind living immersed in Mormon culture, it's fine. If that bothers you, then don't live there.

Well, college town in as much as there are students, but not a college town by non-Mormon standards. There is an attempt at a music scene, but it's frequently visited by the cops in an effort to keep it small, if not gone. The big hang outs are the fast food places just off campus. There may be underground stuff going on--I'm 30 years past my college age--but on the whole, most of town only likes the students for their money and hopes they buy something and go back to campus as quickly as possible.

The city plan is to create a student "area" south of campus with several apartment buildings and shops so that the students "don't need cars". It's supposed to be an effort to deal with car overcrowding, but it's quietly acknowledged that it's also an effort to keep the students away from the "normal" folk. Oddly enough, they're having trouble getting funding--or developers that can stay in business/out of legal trouble long enough.

Do you frequent the music scene in Utah Valley? There's some pretty decent and interesting bands there. Did you ever check out the shows at Steamers on Freedom Blvd when it was still around?

experiences at Hitler Youth Camp.

Otherwise, yeah: oppressive.

I have lived in Utah valley For many years. Provo is still a very mormon town and area. However over the last 5 -6 years it has changed a lot. There are other entertainment and social options here. The overwhelming mormon pressure is not near as strong,,but still there. BYU is the center peice of the area and control a lot of housing and businesses.

I worked in Provo for 2 years after returning from overseas. I lived in a very fun country where people knew how to live and let live.

It is ironic that I was on my way back in to Mormonism, so I wanted to live in Mormon Mecca. It quickly became annoying.

It seemed like everybody wanted to constantly monitor how others live. My wife is a nevermo, and she hated it. She even had co-workers who would not speak to her after they found out she was not a Mormon.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2011 06:18PM by T-Bone.

I am in Provo every single year for a period of about 2-3 weeks for business reasons, sometimes in the summers, sometimes in the spring. As the people I deal with are all TBM, or seem to be, I play along and act the part. Hell, if need be, I even keep a pair of garments to look the part. Business is business and it would suffer unless I did this. I know it sounds slimy but that's how it goes.

On Sundays, I usually stay in my hotel in the afternoons or evenings. (I politely turn down invitations to sacrament in some customer's ward by saying that I go to a ward in Mapleton (or some other town)). On the Lard's Day, in the morning, I sometimes go to the Starbucks in Orem or hang out at the Barnes and Noble bookstore and surf the net, quaffing down copious amounts of cappucinos.

The State liquor store on 1700 N (or something like that) and 200 West is rather small and a magnet for evil people like myself. They have a fairly good though not grand selection of wines. They have a few selections of beer as well but they are not chilled, perhaps to lessen the pleasure of immediately consuming them.

I can get a few beers at Red Robin at the Provo Town Mall and can try out overpriced wine at Calabra (or something to that effect) or at Olive Gardens. I must admit that I feel a bit nervous doing that lest my customers seem me imbibing in such libations.

I once bought non-alcoholic beer at a supermarket and was carded despite the beer being non-alcoholic and the fact that I am very obviously over 21.
All in all, my stays in Provo are not too but that is because I take nothing seriously. However, serious conversations about politics (they are mostly impossibly right-wing) and religion are best eschewed which is a shame since it is no problem in Europe where I live.

The new liquor store in American Fork, out towards the freeway is very nice, big and stocked with a surprising variety. The beer section is impressive.

Outsider pov, fwiw....

When I visit relatives in Utah County, I make sure to head over to the Orem Starbucks on University on Sunday mornings. I can find regular people there... as opposed to pod people. Plus, I enjoy the scenery (Wasatch range).

A few years ago my BIL was taking me on a tour of BYU. I had "longer" hair at the time, with a beard. I can't remember ever getting so many snooty looks from people.

That low percentage beer, and not available on Sunday seems goofy. My nephew was horrified to see me drinking a Mike's Hard Lemonade --- he expected me to turn into a blathering idiot and go out and kill people.

In the "trading places" category, we had a TBM relative come out to visit us in California. When we took the kids to the park, you'd think they thought they were in alien territory due to all the diversity here... somewhere between scared and confused. I had to tell them to quit staring.

But like I said.... those are some of my experiences just visiting... others mileage will vary.

I wouldn't choose to live there, but it isn't all Mormon. There are inactives and non LDS. There are enough of the latter that there are a number of other churches. However, there are also the most radical LDS there. I remember going there years ago and there were ladies on every corner protesting NYPD Blue because they showed a bare butt.BYU is a different world. On the plus side, it is close to SLC and it is a pretty area with good recreation. I suspect you could find others like you and get involved with them or possibly join another church if you are religious. However, given a choice, I wouldn't choose to live there.Salt Lake is much more diverse.