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Post-College City Guide: Salt Lake City

saltlakeIf this Vernal Equinox snow storm is making you miss the slopes then check out our Salt Lake City city guide!

Some Background Stats:
Population: 186,440
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%s
Cost of living index: 69.47/100
Major industries: Tourism, health care, transportation, finance and insurance, real estate and rental leasing, government, durable good manufacturing, retail trade
Climate: Winter— ~38 degrees, Summer— ~82 degrees
Professional Sports: Utah Jazz (basketball), Real Salt Lake (soccer), Utah Grizzlies (hockey)
Closing Time: 1 AM
Best known for: “Crossroads of the West”, strong outdoor recreation tourist industry, skiing, and banking
Best Dish: Steak and potatoes, Vietnamese street food, best Indian fried chicken, Peruvian poultry

Why We Chose It:

According to Utah’s primary tourism website, Salt Lake City is Utah’s capital and gateway to renowned ski resorts, five national parks, headquarters for the Church of Latter-day Saints, and a modern downtown with great shopping, restaurants, and performing arts venues! If you decide to relocate to Salt Lake City, you must be sure to check out the Historic Temple Square, the skiing and snowboarding scene, the Utah State Capitol, Great Salt Lake, Genealogy and Family History Center, Utah Jazz Basketball games, Bonneville Salt Flats, the Kennecott Copper Mine, and the shopping in City Creek.

Considering that the majority of us Bucknellians will most likely be hesitant to move fairly far from our hometowns, it is important to note how the Salt Lake City International Airport is conveniently only five miles away from town! One can take a bus or “trax” for a meager $2.50 one-way, instead of a traditionally expensive taxi cab ride! Consequently, if you are afraid to geographically relocate due to being far from your family or due to difficult travel conditions, Salt Lake City is certainly not out of the picture!

If you decide to take on the beautiful Salt Lake City by storm, I would highly recommend investing in a Salt Lake Connect Pass! This pass gives you the opportunity to explore the city’s most famous and fascinating attractions for a marginal price. You will get to visit the Clark Planetarium, the Discovery Gateway, the Leonardo, the Lion House Pantry, the Red Butte Garden, the Snowbird Scenic Foot Passenger Tram Ride, Thanksgiving Point, the This Is The Place Heritage Park, the Tracy Aviary, Utah’s Hogle Zoo, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Natural History Museum of Utah, and the Utah Olympic Park.

Why You’ll Love It:

There is a youthful demographic in Salt Lake City, as there are a multitude of colleges and universities within its borders. Brigham Young, Westminster, and Western Governors University are four-year institutions that will ensure you do not stick out like a sore thumb as a recent graduate. Moreover, the climate and outdoor recreational reputation brings in skiers and snowboarders from all around the country. You will not feel as much of a transition from the younger, active community in the Bucknell bubble to the Salt Lake City atmosphere.

Not ready to leave Bucknell? We didn’t think so!

Check out the Alumni App to find out more about the 100 alumni in the area. We found several alumni on LinkedIn employed at Goldman, The North Face, SEI, and AECOM; working in  Entrepreneurship, Sales, Research, Engineering, and Consulting.

This post was written and researched by Sophie Hattery ’16.

Our city guides were started in an effort to highlight various cities across the U.S. to help you discover and learn about a city you may not have considered but could make a great spot for your first job or internship. See past city guides

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