#8. Salt Lake City, UT

Salt Lake City, UT Quality of Life Liv Score 659 How We Calculate Our Data |
---|
Civics | 42 |
Demographics | 49 |
Economy | 89 |
Education | 64 |
Health | 63 |
Housing | 50 |
Infrastructure | 58 |
Amenities | 72 |
Why Salt Lake City is one of the best cities to live in
Bordered by the Western Hemisphere’s largest salt lake and cradled by the Wasatch Mountains, Salt Lake City, UT, is nearly picture-perfect. Salt Lake City residents have an amazing backyard, with easy access to world-class ski resorts and phenomenal hiking and mountain biking trails. Miles of protected open space, nearly 100 parks and close proximity to Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks also appeal to outdoor enthusiasts who crave adventure and are looking for an excellent basecamp to call home. Even more? Residents here can get from downtown to the chairlifts in an hour.
Other amenities that make Utah’s capital city one of the best places to live in the U.S. include a robust public transportation system, an international airport, and an exciting arts and culture scene bolstered by the new state-of-the-art, Broadway-style Eccles Theater. Business-wise, support for startups and entrepreneurs has helped SLC position itself as an emerging tech hub.
Education, health care, retail, accommodations and food service, and manufacturing are titans of industry here.
University of Utah & Salt Lake Community College
Summers are hot and dry, and winters are cold and snowy. Utah snow is known as “The Greatest Snow on Earth” by skiers and snowboarders. You may remember the Winter Olympics were held here in 2002.
Pack a picnic and climb up Ensign Peak, which provides a panoramic view of Salt Lake City. The out-and-back hike is a 1-mile trip.
Salt Lake City, UT is Remote-Ready
There are plenty of places to put your nose to the grindstone in Salt Lake City, including a multitude of welcoming coffee shops, like Three Pines or Blue Copper Coffee Room. In addition, a recent study from Teamwork, a software management company, recently listed Salt Lake City as one of the best places to live for remote workers, thanks to its cost of living, average salaries and even factored yearly sunshine into their calculations, which is important because there are so many places for remote workers to step away from their desk and explore.
What Locals Love in Salt Lake City, UT
Weller Book Works is an independent bookstore that hosts events like a breakfast club and Saturday story times.
Top ski resorts (there are 10 within an hour of Salt Lake City) and national parks make for fun day trips or weekend getaways. But SLC offers plenty of destinations for outdoor fun off the slopes, too, including the Great Salt Lake surrounded by trails and the Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, which has 21 acres of gardens, 5 miles of trails and an impressive collection of daffodils.
The South Physics Observatory at the University of Utah offers free public star parties on Wednesday nights (so long as the sky is clear!)
Choose from more than 200 beers at Beerhive Pub, which has a frosted rail to keep your pint cold.
At 210 feet tall, the six-spire, neo-Gothic style Salt Lake Temple is the world’s largest Mormon Temple. Temple Square tours are offered in more than 40 languages.
Thinking of Moving to Salt Lake City, Utah?
You’ll find listings of Salt Lake City homes for sale as well as all of Utah real estate on eXp Realty and you can refine your search. These top-rated real estate agents in Salt Lake City are local eXperts and are ready to answer your questions about the best new neighborhoods.
Quick Facts About Salt Lake City, UT
- Average Commute
- 19.7
- Median Home Value
- $637,364
- Med. Household Income
- $63,156
- Total Population
- 200,133
- Median Property Tax
- $2,191