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Salt Lake dull? Perfect? Readers weigh in

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Bookaholic | 1:59 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
My one-word descriptor for Salt Lake City is PLACE. I am LDS and for Mormons, this is the PLACE. :O)
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Captain P.R. Smith | 3:56 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
"Wonderful"

I have lived all over the world. Served both a mission to Europe and I have served in the Army as an officer. I have lived in Virginia, Georgia, Kansas, California, Texas, the Netherlands, Germany and North Carolina. I have also served in Iraq, Egypt, and Kuwait.

Of all the places that I have lived, Utah is by far my favorite. I love the skiing, the beauty, the cleanliness, the lack of crime, the shopping, the food, the hiking, the mountains, the outdoors. I love having numerous Temples so close by. That you had the Olympics. The pioneer history, the football games and basketball...go Jazz! I graduated from Utah State University many years ago, and it is so wonderful to be finally call Utah Home.
If you don't like it, try living in some of the destitute and terrible places I have, and then you may realize, there is no place like Utah!
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Doug | 6:41 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
Acceptable
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Chuck Boyd | 6:42 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
So what single word was used most often? Tell us please! Some of us are curious, and that was your intent, was it not?
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John | 6:52 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
Dull dull dull dull dull dull dull dull dull dull dull dull dull dull dull dull dull. Oh, and dull. Frankly, I'm weary of trying to convince myself that Utah is my place because of the (truly) beautiful outdoors. I just find it for the most part dull. Not that there aren't places I enjoy hanging out at (yay Coffee Garden!) and people I enjoy hanging out with; it's just the collectively I find SLC...dull. And I speak as one who inexplicably has moved here three times since 1996.

(Oh, for those who are going to flame me and say "If you don't like it, leave!" I have two things to say: 1), Please give it up already, and 2), I'm going to as soon as the housing market bounces back. Not soon enough, if you ask me.)
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Diverse | 7:10 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
Would be my choice--from the people to the climate and especially the terrain. Utah is a beautiful place, but since it's now so crowded and the traffic is congested and aggressive (as well as the posters on this site), many words could describe it. Love the place, but glad I no longer live there.
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tom | 7:15 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
SNORESVILLE. I lived there all my life, but moved away ten years ago. I didn't know what I was missing. I found out that the rest of the "free world" was so much more exciting. When I go back to visit, I'm apalled.
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KC | 7:24 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
There are positives and negatives to every city in the country. No place is perfect, but SLC certainly has much to offer. I recently moved here from San Diego in 2005 and I am shocked at the number of people who berate and criticize their own city/state. Civic pride is the sign of an involved, concerned, educated populace. Anyone can criticize.
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Frank | 7:31 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
It is what you make it.
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Dear John | 7:48 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
Dear John, who wrote SLC is "dull dull dull...". It doesn't seem like you're advocating any change, just trying to be insulting. What would you like to see change so you don't consider it the place so dull? It might be interesting to hear what you'd change.

My suggestion for one word? "Money", as in not enough of it! At least it's on my mind more than I wish it were.
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Conejo | 8:26 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
For the Jet set, bar hopping, club spastic, ignoramus, living life on the edge people Utah is NOT the right place. For those of us who have outgrown our teenage years there is plenty of fun to be had WITHOUT running from the cops, hiding in the cemetery, or skiing drunk (remember how fun that was?) You are like the surfer that moves to Wyoming and complains about the waves. HELLO. WYOMING DOESN'T HAVE WAVES AND UTAH ISN'T FOR PEOPLE LOOKING TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT PARTYING. IT'S CALLED....UTAH WHERE DID YOU THINK YOU MOVED TO?
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to John | 8:28 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
moved here 3 times? I don't understand. Was it your job that kept bringing you back? Family? What?
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Joe Moe | 8:36 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
Still, most people aren't following the primary rule of this game. It's not about the best single adjective to describe the place, but the single word/concept "most on Salt Lakers' minds."

Myself, I might suggest "purpose."

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Johny Fairplay | 8:43 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
Theocracy
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Culturally-illiterate | 8:52 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
Utah has no culture. I grew up in Utah and always figured Utahns were about as normal as anyone else. However, there were plenty of non-Utahns in my office who would tell me that Utahns were not normal. I thought they were up in the night.

Then, one day I moved away and I realized there actually is culture to be experienced outside of Utah. I went back for a visit and all I noticed were all the white people in their Old Navy t-shirts. Indeed, I realized right there that Utah has no culture whatsoever at all.

I enjoy visiting Utah, but I enjoy returning to my home outside of Utah where my kids associate with many people from differing ethinicities and cultures. I'm LDS and I enjoy going to church where people go because they want to go, not because they want to catch up on the latest gossip or because they don't want to look bad to their neighbors. I enjoy that people live their religion because they want to and they want to be good examples to others, not because they fear being the topic of gossip.

Yep, Utah has no culture.
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Frederick from Logan | 9:11 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
I live in Utah because I want to. I have a whole lot of words that describe what I like about my home and not one is ugly. It is so easy to criticize. The word I would like to use is serenity. Just plain simple "serenity."
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AH, SLC | 9:15 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
Play it cool, with the members , show very few embers, beautiful healthy looking women, but it seems to me most enjoy the fall as much as the rise of a person..so it must be the little town syndrome!
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Non-believer | 9:16 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
You can always tell when there is a slow news day because the DN always comes up with some really "stupid" articles. There is nothing else to write about? How about some really positive things? How did this article ever get passed an editor?
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to illiterate | 9:27 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
Good name by the way. It describes you.
I have spent lots of time out of this state, including Europe. Utah does have it's own unique culture, if you actually understand the meaning of the word culture. If you expect SLC to be NYC or London then you are going to be really disappointed. But why do you need another Detroit or LA or Madison? We already have them. If we have to turn every big city into the same thing then they lose their own character. So what if SLC is dominated by the LDS church down town, and so what if the majority of the people are white. Culture has an historical element which means that the place has evolved with a composition unique to other places. If your definition of culture means that a city has to have a certain percentage of every single race and religion, tons of theaters, and lots of clubs and bars to go to afterward, then you exclude most of the world of having any culture. Would you say that Jerusalem has no culture? What you�re looking for is diverse amalgamations where you can just get anything you want. Not culture.
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To Non-believer | 9:33 a.m. Jan. 21, 2008
Yeah well, you read it, AND commented on it. So what does that say about you?
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No. Utah sees a major earthquake every 350 years. Last one? 350 years ago.