By CAMIE HOWARD
Believe it or not, some people actually think California is not the Mecca of the West. Instead, they choose to live in the Beehive state — embracing the natural beauty of Utah, but not the state’s most predominant religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“California was a big rat race,” Vicci Langston, a former native of the Golden state, said. “It’s like a breath of fresh air (in Utah). I like it here.”
Langston, along with her husband, Joe, and their two daughters, moved to Woodland Hills from Modesto, Calif., last April. Born and raised in the Catholic religion, that didn’t stop them from moving to Utah.
“My in-laws already lived here,” Langston said. “We would come and visit them and Joe wanted to move here to be next to them.”
Families like the Langstons are not alone in their decision, according to Welcome Utah. The privately owned organization sends out packets of information to new move-ins across the state.
Liz Taylor, director of the Utah County division, said around 1,250 packets are distributed in Utah County every month. She says 40 percent of the packets are sent to people who have moved from another state. Taylor estimates around 50 percent of those new residents are not LDS.
Taylor, who lives in South Jordan, said she has noticed an influx of non-LDS people moving to the Salt Lake City area. She said her own neighbors are not LDS — something that has never mattered to her family.
“They’ve become our best friends,” Taylor said. “They’re great neighbors.”
But not all people who move to Utah are part of a family unit. Ann Gottschalk from Mt. Clemens, Mich., made the trek to Utah Valley alone to open a new branch of Dillard’s in Provo.
“I was in Colorado at the time when Dillard’s made me an offer,” Gottschalk said. “They suggested either Boise or Provo. My former manager was from Salt Lake City and I thought I would like the area — so I chose Provo.”
Gottschalk, who is not LDS, said she was warned about the “Mormon thing” before coming to Utah. Once she settled in Utah Valley, however, it wasn’t the LDS Church that bothered her.
“I was surprised to see how small-townish everything is,” Gottschalk said. “Salt Lake City’s not even a very big city, but it does offer more in the way of activities, art and culture than Provo.”
But the family environment of Provo is something she is impressed with. Gottschalk said it’s the little things — like the no smoking law — that make Utah a pleasant place to live.
“I also like the fact there’s not a bar on every corner,” she said. “This is an ideal environment to raise kids.”
However, being single in Utah Valley does present challenges for Gottschalk. She said it is very difficult to make friends.
“The church is a closed community,” she said. “It’s hard to find people like me. I’m single and 34 and not Mormon. I suppose (not meeting new people) has a lot to do with my job, but in other places, that’s not stopped me.”
David Kimweli, a counselor with the BYU Counseling and Career Center and a native of Kenya, defected to the United States several years ago. He arrived in Provo last August with his wife and two children after accepting an internship with BYU.
“I had never been to Utah and was very excited to come,” he said. “I wanted to come and work in a Christian environment.”
Kimweli, who is not LDS, said he had no trepidations about coming to BYU.
“It is nice to be able to discuss the Bible — the scriptures — in therapy. I’ve never been able to do that anywhere else,” he said.
Kimweli said he considers himself a Christian and likes to be referred to as somebody who loves the Lord. Being branded non-LDS, he said he feels excluded.
“I like people to refer to me as what I am, versus what I am not,” he said.
Maren Mouritsen, former dean of students at BYU, said, “Nobody should be referred to as a non-anything. As a world-wide church, we would miss opportunities if we didn’t recognize the great advantages of diversity and do all we can to encourage it.”
No matter what religious faith new residents of Provo choose, most are in agreement about the natural wonders and beauty of Utah.
“I am looking forward to getting lost in Utah,” Gottschalk said. “I have a whole list of places I want to go see. I’m really going to try to experience what Utah has to offer.”
Langston said she also appreciates the view of Utah’s picturesque terrain from her backyard.
“We couldn’t see the mountains from where we lived in California,” Langston said. “Now I look out the window every morning and I see the mountain. It’s great.”
