By Elizabeth Hong
Salt Lake City recently ranked No. 19 in the top 25 U.S. cities for singles this year, according to One2One Living Magazine. Although many singles in Utah Valley prefer their higher-ranked hometowns for things to do on dates, they said dating in Utah is better for finding people with similar beliefs.
Heleena Hawkins, 21, is a finance major from Glendora, Calif. Glendora is a suburb of Los Angeles, which ranked No. 10 in the magazine poll.
'Being single in L.A. is fun because it is close to a lot of things,' Hawkins said. 'I don''t live right in L.A., but for me, it is only a short drive to the beach, to Universal Studios, you can drive down to Orange County. There are a lot of things to do that are not far away.'
Hawkins said that although there are more things to do in L.A., she prefers dating people in the Salt Lake area.
'In the Salt Lake area it is a lot easier to find people who will choose dating activities that won''t go against what you believe in. I favor dating up here more because I like having people around that have my same standards.'
Ashley Christensen, 20, is a UVSC student from Seattle. Seattle ranked No. 13 in the One2One Living magazine poll. She said that being single in Seattle has its advantages, but it is definitely a different dating scene than in the Salt Lake area.
'You are able to explore the city in Seattle, and there is a lot more to do there,' Christensen said. 'Of course, eventually you run out of things to do, a lot of people just go to the movies or to Starbucks, because there are like four within a block.'
Christensen, said it is easier to find people with the same values and standards in the Salt Lake area.
'It is easier to find people with things that you have in common, but then again in Seattle I''ve noticed people have a lot more individuality.'
Orange County, Calif. ranked No. 16 on the list. Joseph Earnest, 21, a business major from Orange County, said Orange County definitely has its perks when it comes to being single, but he said it is easier to find a girl in the Salt Lake area.
'The place itself is a lot warmer,' Earnest said. 'There is a lot of surfing and I like going to the beach. I like Orange County for the atmosphere, but for dating I like Provo and Salt Lake better.'
For Earnest, dating people who are LDS is important, and that is more difficult in Orange County than in Utah Valley.
'You don''t know who is a member and who''s not, and I want to date members,' Earnest said.
Some of the other cities that ranked ahead of Salt Lake in the One2One Living Magazine poll were Raleigh-Durham (No. 1), Denver, Chicago, Boston, Miami and New York City.