Moving to Ogden

Moving to Ogden, Utah

April 2006

I've accepted a position at a university in Ogden, Utah. We'll be relocating in late June. We can't buy a house immediately, so we'll be renting for a year or so. Any suggestions on good neighborhoods? Is there decent Thai food, health food store, how good is the preschool on Weber State campus? We're not Mormon and we're also a multi-cultural family, so we're wondering how/if we will find any funky, Berkeley-esque type folks like ourselves there. My fear is that we will be the freaks in the neighborhood, with my SO playing his doumbek and dijeridoo, our Middle Eastern music, my sometimes weird attire, and our eclectic parenting style. Any suggestions or feedback would be most appreciated. Monika

I don't know anything about Ogden, but if you are not adverse to the commute, you may want to think about Salt Lake City. I spend a lot of time there (I live in 20 minutes away in Park City for half of the year). It isn't the Bay Area, but has lots of positives nonetheless. The Sugar House neighborhood in SLC is pretty hip -- great shopping street, restaurants, pantagonia outlet, etc. SLC has a pretty big gay community, which at the very least means that SLC is probably more open minded than other parts of the state. Wild Oats if the Trader Joes-esque chain out there. Jan

I go to Ogden on business and work with a lot of people there. I can't remember what your original post asked but I will try to give you some Ogden info. As a girlfriend who is from Ogden once explained, Ogden is where the ''bad Mormons went.'' It has a reputation for being sinful mainly b/c it was a railroad town. It feels like a place in transition. It is a college town (Weber State) so there are some cute shops and bars. The downtown main street is being rehabbed and is cute. The weather is pretty awesome. Lots of people live there for the skiing and hiking. If you are not outdoorsy I think you will go crazy with boredom. The LDS Church is the dominant force but you will find a lot of non-LDS there and Ogden has the only synagogue outside of SLC. People are SO NICE!!! You really can't beat Utahns for kindness. There is a pretty huge low-income population and lots of low-income new immigrants. What else? The IRS is a huge employer. The food? Slim pickings although you can get a decent meal downtown. Hope that helps! Elizabeth