Living in Downtown Salt Lake City

Living in downtown Salt Lake City is far more of a treat than most Americans would assume. Many assume that Salt Lake City can be defined simply as the headquarters for the LDS church and the home of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Life in downtown SLC (and all of Utah for that matter) is determined by far more than just those two facts.

The goal of this article is to provide meaningful advice and insight to anyone who wonders what life might be like in downtown Salt Lake City, including:

• Debunking myths about life in SLC
• Best apartments in downtown SL
• Using SLC’s public transit - for FREE
  

The three general myths many outsiders have about SLC – or Utah for that matter – revolve around alcohol, coffee and Mormonism…and they’re all related. The LDS faith opposes the consumption of "strong drink" such as alcohol, coffee and certain kinds of tea. Needless to say, a very large population in Salt Lake City does not drink any of the three. That is not to say, however, that it is illegal to do so OR that it is difficult to find such drinks. In fact, there are countless coffee houses, bars and clubs throughout downtown SLC.

Three Favorite Downtown SLC Coffee Houses

• Beans and Brews is a popular chain in Utah and opened a location on 300 S and State in 2008. Love their coffee and innovation.
  
• Raw Bean is another great location on 600 S and West Temple. A couple buddies and I would meet regularly on Thursday mornings for Bible studies. The staff there is super friendly, and they have a deal where every tenth coffee purchase is free. Also, they always give you free biscotti for dine-in purchases.
• The Coffee Connection recently opened on State Street near 1700 S (across from SLCC). The best part about this place is that they understand that people need outlets for their laptops. There is a room lined with diner-style booths and wall outlets at every booth.
  

Three Great Places for Alcohol in Downtown SLC

• The Beerhive is a new pub with a full offering of domestic and imported beer. It is said that the owner helped establish The Bayou (another great downtown place for drinking and sweet potato fries). opened in 2009 and is located at 128 S Main Street.
• Squatters is another favorite beer drinking joint. In fact, of all the pubs in Salt Lake, it may be the "most Utah" of any of them. If you come to SLC, be sure to visit Squatters. It's great for family and friends.
  
• Buy your wine and specialty full-strength beer at the State Wine Store just north of the intersection at 300 S and 300 E. For a limited selection of wine, but a robust selection of liquor, go to the State Liquor Store at 400 South and 200 West.

There are some oddities when it comes to purchasing beer, wine and liquor from stores, but for the most part, SLC is no different than any other city. Beer can be purchased in most stores that you'd expect to find beer, but wine and liquor can only be found in irregularly-placed "State Liquor" and "State Wine" stores.

The Mormon Myth

In 2005, Salt Lake City proper, was determined to be more non-Mormon than Mormon for the first time since Utah’s founding as a state in 1896. Moreover, the Salt Lake City Tourist and Visitor Center reports that more than 40 percent of Utahns choose to practice a religion other than traditional Mormonism. With more than 2.5 million people in the sate and roughly 75 percent of them living in the SLC area, it is clear that while members of the LDS church founded this state, it is by no means an LDS-only state. No means at all.

Do note, however, that there are extremely great benefits to living in a state that inherently has great values. Take smoking, for example. Utah was the first state to reach the CDC's 2012 goal of decreasing the adult smoking rate below 10 percent. Also, crime is relatively low in downtown SLC. This may be in part b/c there are few people that claim it as their residence. Also, the LDS church has a vested interest in the activity of downtown SLC. Their robust resources help ensure that it continues to thrive. The Downtown Rising project is an example of this.

As a general rule of thumb, the closer you are to downtown SLC, the more diverse the population is in terms of race, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation. As you move east from I-15 or south along I-15, with downtown SLC as your center point, you generally find wealthier neighborhoods and less diversity. On the flipside, many neighborhoods west of I-15 in Salt Lake City are more diverse with less wealth. Because this article focuses on living in downtown Salt Lake City, I will highlight some the top 3 apartment buildings in downtown.

• I must pay homage to the Broadway Towers where I most recently lived (230 E. Broadway is also the same as 230 East 300 South). I paid $810 a month after living there for four years for a two bedroom unit with 1.5 baths. Originally it was in the low $700s. Heat and air are electric, so there is no gas. Water is covered by the apartment building. There are 2 feet of concrete between each floor of this 12-story building. Sound insulation is quite good. It's also in the middle of life downtown with two grocery stores nearby.
  
• The Hawthorne Court Apartments on 727 E 600 S are also great apartments. The price was a bit steep last I checked, but the apartments and location are high quality. It's also not far from a grocery store.
• The Brigham Apartments on 200 E and State are also very nice. The price for the amount of square footage, however, is not as optimal as the Broadway Towers or the Hawthorne Court Apartments. The floor plans are a bit strange sometimes, too.
  

Overall, I think the Broadway Towers is probably the best bet for your money. If money is no object, then head to the Hawthorne Court Apartments. Brigham is also good, but it's probably best for one person rather than two. Be cautious of living in other apartments closer to TRAX or the railroad crossing near the Gateway. In both locations, trains are required to blow their whistles. Trax is usually OK if you keep regular hours, but the train's whistle must always blow when it goes by. The train is exceptionally loud and can be heard on clear days all the way down at the Broadway Tower...but only faintly.

One of the best things about living downtown is using TRAX, Utah's light rail system. In this regard, Utah is ahead of its time. Salt Lake City is not as big as many "large cities," yet it has highly efficient rails. It's not massive by any means, but if you live downtown, it is all you need.

Better yet, there is a free fare zone. My wife and I would regularly board at the Library or the 300 South Main Street stops. From there, we would head to the Energy Solutions Arena, the Gateway or Temple Square. These stops were all free, and, of course, the TRAX runs the opposite direction for free. When there are big events like Jazz games, TRAX is really the only way to travel. Parking can be a nightmare downtown like any big city, so if you can walk 10 minutes, you ought to be fine no matter where you go.

Better yet, TRAX is continuing to expand. In 2009, SLC completed its new rails that extend to the Greyhound bus stop and Frontrunner. Frontrunner is a high-speed train that currently runs north to Ogden. It has free WiFi, too.

Lastly, there are plans to extend TRAX to the airport, which is only about 15 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. This makes traveling to and from the airport easier than ever. You don't have to bug friends for rides or spend the extra cash to store your car at the lot (so long as you have a parking spot at your downtown SLC apartment).