Utah is getting crowded

[accadacca]

I've noticed the traffic getting worse and worse...

Why are all these peeps coming to Utah?

------

Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, and Washington counties saw the largest population growth last year. Why do you think more people are moving to Utah?

Utah’s population is up nearly 60,000 people from last year. That’s the highest increase since 2006.

The increase was recorded between July 1st of 2016 and July 1st of 2017. New research from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute says those numbers aren’t coming from babies being born but instead more from people moving into the state. Counties adjacent to Utah, Salt Lake, and Washington Counties saw an estimated growth of three percent.

In 2016, the St. George Metro area (Washington County) was recognized by the Census Bureau last year as the 6th fastest growing metro area in the country, with the Provo-Orem Metro area (Utah and Juab Counties combined) trailing at 7th in the nation. Estimates indicate similar growth in 2017.

http://gardner.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/State-and-County-Pop-Estimates-Nov-2017.pdf (http://gardner.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/State-and-County-Pop-Estimates-Nov-2017.pdf)
http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-utah-state-news-/utahs-population-up-nearly-60000-in-one-year/868842461

[Scott P]

Utah has great access to the outdoors, at least for now. The scenery is beautiful.

Utah has better weather (other than the inversions) and less traffic than many other areas. There is lots of sunshine.

Because of the relatively low population, housing is competitively cheap compared to some areas.

Utah is a fairly healthy state (except for air quality) and there are lots of open spaces.

Any of the Western States is the US are better to live in than any of them in the East, Midwest, and South, at least in my opinion. I would want to move to the area too if I lived in the Midwest, East, or South.

Although the article doesn't say so, part of it still is the high birthrate and it shouldn't be written off completely.

I only see two downsides to living in Utah. Those are the air quality along the Wasatch Front and most of the politicians being against protections of public lands.

When it comes down to it though, Utah is still in the top 11 of the least crowded states:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_population_density

[Rob L]

Old age. Grouchy old geezers who can't stand the northern cold and have money to move south. St George has boomed on this recipe (hence the old "mesa-top" St George airport being closed). Similar further south (and warmer) like Mesquite NV.

Florida is seeing similar. Huge tracts of land put over to housing estates.

It's about the population getting older, richer, and more able to pay for knee/hip etc joint replacements.

[twotimer]

It's gotten pretty thick around here, too.

Can't blame them, really. I would never live any further north or east of where I do now.

If my business here weren't so absolutely fantastic, I'd move to either St. George or Vegas. I like Vegas, and I don't mind the heat.

[devo_stevo]

I have noticed this too. I have lived in Brigham City pretty much my whole life. When I was a kid, once you got north of Ogden, there was nobody on the freeway anymore and it felt like you were past the end of the civilized world.

For the last 10 years or so, it has changed a lot. There are tons of people on the freeway headed to Brigham and points north as well as east over Sardine Canyon to Cache Valley.

Even in Brigham proper, it's gotten more crowded. Lots more traffic in town than there once was.

[DirkHammergate]

Utah has great access to the outdoors, at least for now. The scenery is beautiful.

Utah has better weather (other than the inversions) and less traffic than many other areas. There is lots of sunshine.

Because of the relatively low population, housing is competitively cheap compared to some areas.

Truth, it's like one of the few places in the US where Dirk got his financial clock cleaned 12 years ago in a divorce and fully recovered by having a good job and a home purchase in Sugarhouse in 2011. Outsiders take notice and traffic will be LA/Bay Area type in 20 years. Sucks when I part time Uber someone from SLC to Utah County on a Friday late afternoon. I've had that happen twice in a few months, I just go home and snuggle my blankie.