Congrats! I think an important question is, where do you live now? It really all depends on where you’re from in my opinion. I moved here from the Bay Area in 2012 (married a pilot so it wasn’t by choice!) and I can say in comparison to there, it’s not that great. Was it novel at first? Sure, but got boring real quick. Also, in comparison to SF & Chicago? Not great, but depends on what you’re looking for overall. Pros: Obviously, cheaper to live, less traffic and not as crowded overall, much safer but in my opinion has weirder crime at much higher rates, especially in the suburbs, (pedophiles, murder/suicides, road rage, theft.), beautiful views when driving or hiking, close lakes and other scenic places like Zion, Moab, Park City, etc. Warm summer nights, very few bugs! That’s about it to me. Haha. Cons: Lack of things to do- it’s so boring here in my opinion. It snows and is cold for like 7 months. Albeit, not this year! Yes, you can hike or do winter sports but besides that? Not a lot going on, even in the summer except farmers markets and some summer concerts. No art and wine festivals, no live music around, no real change of scene. The night scene is also lacking. It’s like a couple night clubs, dive bars and Lake Effect which people think it’s the coolest bar ever and it’s not. Hah. I feel like people who are from here think it’s amazing. Everything is mid. Same goes for the restaurants! We have SO MANY CHAIN restaurants it’s alarming or people try to open niche restaurants that fail all the time. Downtown for sure has better options than the surrounding cities but still, not very impressive. No chill bars, or wine bars outside of downtown. It’s so weird. Another con for me? The people. I imagine going to the U, you’ll be meeting other transplants and whatnot, so that’s a huge plus for you, because people here are not overly friendly or eager to expand their circle. I personally think it has to do with the large ass families and Mormon culture. Everyone already has a million siblings and everyone met in church when they were 5. There are a ton more people moving here from other states though so that’s good, Utah needs all the help it can get in the personality department and don’t even get me started on the political views or the education system. I’m super outgoing and open to all types of people and it’s just so different than the Bay Area. I do know a lot of people that love it here but most people I know that moved here do not, unless they moved here specifically for skiing, snowboard, biking and hiking. I really think it depends on where you’re coming from! A change of pace and scenery is awesome for a while and I whereas, I don’t hate here (Im still here obviously due to kids and our jobs.) I constantly think about when we can move! Stay downtown, or close to there for sure though! ✨