St. George

The site of our 2008 summer road trip destination.

Okay, I actually have extended family here but we only stopped by for lunch on our way home from a Boise business trip. They gave us a little driving tour.

Don’t get me wrong, the mountains are beautiful and the people seem nice. Perhaps the hype from my in-laws made me have higher expectations than I should’ve…

It’s bloody hot there, with not much entertainment-wise. Basically a small town becoming a city at this point.

The buildings in the old part of “downtown” are very quaint and charming…and then you hit this massive, White Temple of Doom. Just kidding – it’s very impressive. It is literally white though, almost blindingly so.

Red Mountain Spa is here, surrounded by (surprise) red rock. Frankly, I got bored of the red rock. A quick drive-by and you say, “ooh how purty,” but it’s not that great when that’s all the scenery you have to look at.

It’s very close to Zion, so that’s pretty neat. Too bad we didn’t go to Zion…

Also, if they cut down on how many GOLF COURSES THERE ARE, maybe the influx of population wouldn’t be so bad right now. =D

(Oh, and we ate at The Pizza Factory which has awesome breadsticks that they bake twirled around a stick. Yum! Not the stick, but the bread.)

We spent the fifth night of our cross-country trip in Washington City, so we could visit Johnson Farm Trackway the following day.

I was raised in St. George and graduated from Pine View High School and Dixie State High Sch- ...I mean Dixie State College. I would gladly live there again. It is true what they say about the traffic, road construction, real estate prices, and small-town crime-rate increases all due to outsiders coming into the town. However, if you want to experience a clear night sky, majestic red-rock canyons, endless nature to hike and explore, a good game of golf, or a chance to meet some happy, home-grown southern-utahns, it is a great place to visit. I would not recommend living there if you do not like the desert climate, it does get insanely hot. Also, If the only fun you know is 40 proof, I would agree that St. George is not the best place – but Vegas is only 1.5 or 2 hours down the road. Mesquite is even closer (30 min.), with just as much vice.

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/5/UTSt..html

St. George, Utah is my home and I miss it alot. Everyone who lives there is lucky to call it “Home”. Although the growth has sprung enormously, plus the cost of housing has gone way up. If you could afford to live there I would recommend it. It’s not the small town it use to be, but it still has a bit of the small town feel and charm. It will always be my “Home Away from Home”.

I live here only temporarily and thank god because you could not pay me to stay! SG used to be a pleasant-enough small town. Conservative, yes. Almost entirely Mormon, yup. A good place to raise families. Now it’s ruined by explosive growth. Californians and their money have overrun the place, ruining the once-affordable housing market.

Unless you’re in construction, you’ll work in menial labor and make $7-9 an hour ($9 is high), and you’ll pay a fortune in rent. Crime is way up, gangs and Mexican illegals are moving in. And the city itself is ugly and lacking charm. Road construction everywhere, gridlock everywhere. SG has major problems that will only worsen in the next 5-10 years. Oh! And let’s not forget the 110-115 temps all summer long. And no night life.

There is one reason to stay in SG in my opinion: As a jumping-off point to see Zion. Otherwise, keep on driving!

The town isn’t wonderful, small and wal-marty, but the hills and canyons are gorgeous. Snow Canyon and the red rocks. The thunderstorms that come through in the summer… the smell of sage after the rain… ahhh….

I have lived in the St. George, Utah area for over 14 years. The population is just under 100,000. It is beautiful, has great weather (120 miles north of Las Vegas, about 10 degrees cooler usually) and is close to several really great site seeing areas such as Zion National Park. Winter sports are one hour to the north at Brianhead Ski Resort. CHECK IT OUT! Dixie State College recently became a four year college, Washington City has the second largest Walmart in the USA, a new dinosaur museun recently opened with the NEWEST finds!