Currently live and was raised a majority of my life in Logan, Utah.
Born in Alaska. I have also lived in San Bernadino and Hesperia California, Salt Lake City, Price, UT, Fargo, N.D., Cheyenne, WY, Kansas City and Hutchinson, KS.
All have had their Pros and Cons. Life has been good in all locations.
Logan is a great place and I will retire here as it is truly "home" for me. It is beautiful and gives great access to the rest of Northern Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. It is growing steadily and will continue to grow which is sad, as it will become more like the rest of the Wasatch Front, "Southern California North" as I like to call it. Commuting on I-15 has really gotten nasty the last few years (I drive several times a month down to the Orem/Provo area for work) and it will only get worse. Aside from the growth, the only other thing about Logan that I would change is the winter inversions. The topography and the predominant winds allow cold, stagnant air to be trapped frequently during the winter making it pretty grey, dreary, and unhealthy from a respiratory standpoint. Fresh storms will clean things out but I have seen them last 2-3 weeks at a time. It is not uncommon in January, February, and early March to have it 20-30 degrees warmer 4-5000 feet higher in the mountains with clear skies! As the valley grows it will continue to get worse. About all that can really be done as I see it is 1. Ban wood-burning stoves and fireplaces 2. Get rid of all the dairies (big part of Cache Valley's heritage) and 3. Encourage use of electric vehicles for driving in the valley. Just saying that makes me feel like a Colorado liberal but I don't know what else can be done and even that will not take care of what predisposes us to the problem in the first place.
Southern Utah is great with all of the National Parks, scenery, etc. St. George is too hot for me in the summer but I could certainly be talked into spending my winters down in that area as I get older. The growth in St. George is an even bigger problem than in Logan. Both have become major metropolitan areas in the last decade or so. St. George in the 1960's-1970's was really a hidden "gem" but has now been discovered by Californians and those silver-haired people!
Cedar City is a nice town, only an hour north of St. George, but located at 5000+ feet elevation. Winter is a bit different than St. George and the wind can blow at times!!! Southern Utah State University is a great school. Different feel than Cache Valley though... less green in the summer and less water but you are still real close to all the good stuff down south and you can escape easily to St. George, Mesquite, and Las Vegas for a winter reprieve easier than Logan. In Logan, you drive to Salt Lake and fly to Cabo or Hawaii!
Price was a nice place if you don't mind being just a little more isolated from the bigger cities (70 minutes to Provo on Hwy 6). I lived there for 9 years and really enjoyed it. The LDS population is not quite as high there if that is a big deal for you.Coal Mining was huge in the area back in the day and the area attracted many Greek, Italian, and other Eastern European immigrants as well as the usual Scandinavian groups so common in Utah. They have some great ethnic festivals in the summer that I really miss now that I live up north. Access to all of that which Southern Utah offers is easily accessible from the north which is nice but you can fly out of Salt Lake City in 2 hours as well. Flaming Gorge is 2 1/2 hours to the NE and the Western Slope of Colorado is 2 1/2 hours to the SW. It is a great location!!!
I have never spent more time outdoors in more interesting, diverse locations than I did while living in Price, Utah. Housing can be much cheaper than in St. George or in Logan as well. Tikkanut's pictures do not lie. If I were not from Logan originally, I would still be in Price. It's not perfect, but it is pretty darn good if you love the outdoors with easy accessibilty.
Pocatello, Idaho would be good. It is close to Yellowstone and the Snake River. It is probably a little warmer than Logan, but not much. There you trade the inversions of Logan for Snake River fog in the winter and some wind as well. I'd give it a try though! Sorry to hear about all the issues in Twin Falls now. It historically has been a nice area, too. Agriculture seems to bring the immigrant issues though these days.
Evanston, Wyoming is not a bad place despite what others have said. Most just drive through on I-80 and never stop. My father and his two brothers chose to retire there. The brothers are still there and very happy. You get the simplicity that life in Wyoming brings as well as the tax advantages. Housing and utilities are inexpensive. Salt Lake City and Ogden are barely an hour away for Sam's Club, Costco, the airport, sports, high-end dining, and major medical care. Hunting and fishing for residents of Wyoming is without equal in the West (except for maybe Alaska) and much more accessible. My father is comfortable in Logan now (83 and significant health issues) but given the choice, he would rather be back in Evanston. Interestingly, I never felt like the wind blew that much there like much of the rest of Wyoming. There are no inversions there either and 10 degrees on a still, sunny morning felt much warmer there than in Logan FWIW!!! Rock Springs, Rawlins, Larimie, etc are totally different animals.
Hope my observations help. I like them all! My grandparents left Logan to move to Vacaville late in their years in the early 1990's to escape Logan's winters and be close to Travis AFB for more extensive health care if needed. I thought they were crazy but understood their thought process. I've often wondered if they would do the same now!!!
