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Nestled in the Desert of
Southwestern Utah, Sun Drenched St. George Draws Retirees Seeking a Dry
Climate, Lots of Golf, Spectacular Natural Beauty and Healthy Living
Cost of Living: Meets the National Average
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In 1861, scenic St. George (population 75,000), nestled
in very southwest corner of Utah and about 120 miles
northeast of Las Vegas, started out as a cotton mission
under the direction of Brigham Young, president of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
The plan was to produce a crop that would help
the Church become self-sufficient, and although this
idea never quite worked out, St. George prospered as a
quiet Mormon outpost for more than 100 years.
Then in the 1970s, tourists began to discover it,
and during the last decade, this sun drenched metropolis
grew rapidly, mushrooming by 45%.
In fact, up until the Recession, it had been the
second fastest growing metro area in the nation. Much
of the growth came from retirees, with 17% of the
population now age 45 to 64 and 19% age 65 or better. The
boom ended two years ago, but retirees are still coming,
just at a slower pace, and they are drawn by a
spectacular desert setting, a dry climate, blue skies,
year-round golf and other outdoor recreation.
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The overall cost of living meets the national
average, and the median home price is $190,000, above
the national median but below the West's median price. Housing is an interesting mix of the old, smaller pioneer
homes in town and dozens of newer, sprawling, southwestern-style developments
with single family homes and town homes on the edges of town, many of which
were built within the last 10 years. As
with much of the rest of the country, Utah is suffering from the foreclosure
crisis, and as
of October, 2010, it had the 6th highest foreclosure rate in the U.S.
(although 3rd quarter reports suggest that the rate may be slowing).
This is reflected in St. George as prices have fallen 15% from just a year ago, in part because of overbuilding,
and local Realtors expect St. George to remain a buyers' market for at least
two years.
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SunRiver is the only actual 55+
development in town and boasts a beautiful community center and
an 18-hole golf course. Prices start
in the high-$100,000s.
St. George also has eight
manufactured/mobile home communities (none are
age-restricted), with another seven or so within
a few miles. Prices
begin under $50,000.
Apartments are in good supply, with one
bedroom rents starting at around $675 per month.
There is also a significant RV retiree
population here, and four RV resorts, including
the Palms RV Resort and Paradise Palms,
accommodate road warriors year round.
Property tax is roughly $12 per $1,000
valuation, with real estate assessed at 55% of
market value.
Residential property owned by persons age
65 and over claiming a tax abatement is assessed
at 35% of fair market value, and homeowners 65
and older who earn $27,557 a year or less can get a
credit for property taxes, plus a credit equal
to the tax on 20% of their property's
fair market value.
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When it comes to retirement income, Utah
taxes Social Security income, but those age those 65 or better may be
entitled to a $450 (single) or $900 (married) tax credit.
Retired military personnel may deduct up to $7,500
from their taxes.
Since its founding, the Mormon Church has had a
strong influence in St. George and still does so today. Brigham
Young built a winter home here, and the gleaming white St. George
Temple, built in 1877, is hard to miss (it is also the Church's longest
continually-operating temple). Today, all religious denominations
are represented, but the Mormon influence is still felt. One
notable manifestation is that St. George has no full-fledged bars, and only a few
restaurants serve liquor. Beer with an alcohol content of
3.2% or less is sold in grocery stores, but wine and hard liquor are
only sold in state-run liquor stores, of which there are very few.
This is clean living country, and while St. George is an active place,
it is also a quiet place. The city has taken on a bit of a
resort ambiance in the last few years, but it really has no nightlife,
and a lot of emphasis is placed on family, building community and
maintaining traditional values.
This is an
interactive map. Click on the arrows in the upper left hand
corner to move the map to the East, West, North or South, and
click on the +/- signs (more than once if necessary) to zoom
in and out.
And while this is a conservative, safe city,
with a crime rate below the national average, a primary reason many
people choose to retire here is the stark beauty of southwestern Utah. St. George sits along two
rivers on the edge of the Mojave Desert, and the land is constantly
changing color as puffy white clouds tease the sun. Shadows dance
over the desert landscape, often turning it in a moment from a tapestry
of blazing gold and red to a patchwork of refreshing purple and blue.
Surrounding mountains and striking red sandstone buttes on the north
side of town add to St. George's mystical quality.
Within all this natural beauty, opportunities for outdoor fun
abound. There are ten golf courses, most fairly affordable (the
City Cache Card offers discounts), as well as thirty-five miles of
paved, walking and biking trails that connect twenty-five parks, dozens
of neighborhoods, lovely desertscapes and the town center (there is a
neighborhood park or paved walking path within one half mile of everyone
in St. George). The Sand
Hollow
Aquatic
Center
offers swimming and diving venues. The St. George
Recreation Center is home to racquetball courts, game rooms, hobby and
craft activities, a gym and more.
Movie theaters, tennis courts and plenty of shopping are available.
The Red
Cliffs
Mall
has more than 50 stores, and the Promenade has even more. The St.
George branch of the Washington
County
library system is in a pretty red brick building and has public
computers with Internet access.
SunTran is the public transit system and offers four routes
through town. The regular fare is $1.00, but anyone
age 65 or better rides for 50 cents.
And while St. George may seem isolated, it is just off of
Interstate 15, Utah's primary north-south connector.
Utah
is famous for its state parks, and several spectacular ones are close at hand.
Rugged
Zion
National Park
may be the most well known and is home to soaring red rock formations, cliffs
and inspiring desert vistas. Not too far off is Bryce
Canyon
National Park, a series of pink limestone amphitheaters that seem to glow at sunset.
Visitors can bike, hike, ride horses or fish. There
are also three large nearby reservoirs that double as parks and marinas for
fishing, water skiing and boating.
Arizona's
Grand Canyon
is 300 mile south.
Senior Sampler is the weekly
newspaper geared for seniors, and the friendly St. George Senior Citizen's
Center (60+) sponsors a wide variety of activities and events, including health
screenings, dance classes, legal services, meals-on-wheels, yoga, trips and a
volunteer program. St. George also hosts the annual Huntsman World Senior Games, in which
seniors from all over the world compete.
Dixie
Regional
Medical
Center is a 245-bed comprehensive community hospital with two locations and a
world-class cardiac care center. It has been recognized as a Top 100
Heart Hospital and is the major medical referral hospital for northwestern Arizona, southeastern Nevada
and southern Utah. Medicare and Medicare patients are accepted. In addition to Dixie Regional, St. George is home to the St. George
Surgical Center, a nationally accredited multi-specialty ambulatory surgical
center. The Doctors' Volunteer Clinic, a private, non-profit,
community-based health care clinic, provides medical care at no cost to
citizens who cannot pay.
St. George is hot in the summer.
It receives about eight inches of rain annually, usually evenly divided
throughout the year. Temperatures in July and August can easily reach 100
degrees or more but with very little humidity. Evenings cool off
considerably, usually dipping into the 60s and 70s. Winters are generally
mild with daytime temperatures averaging in the 40s and 50s. It snows a
few inches each season, and winter night time temperatures can dip into the 20s
and 30s. The sun shines 300
days of the year. The air quality
is below the national average (due to desert dust storms and temperature
inversions), but the water quality is above the national average (although it
is "hard" water).
For all of the positives about St. George, there
are some drawbacks to keep in mind. Infrastructure has not always kept pace with
growth. Traffic has increased, and
there is suburban sprawl on the city's outskirts. The growth has slowed, but not all long-time
residents are happy with the influx of newcomers. And some of these
newcomers complain that there is a definite division between Mormon and
non-Mormon residents, with each "side" keeping to itself.
Others say that St. George, with all of the recent transplants, is more
welcoming than it has ever been (many neighborhoods are divided evenly between Mormons and non-Mormons). And it is worth noting
that in the 1950s, nuclear testing was carried out not far from St. George, and
in the aftermath, residents were testing for increased levels of cancer.
Today, though, the background radiation in southwestern Utah
is the same as elsewhere in the U.S.
So while this desert oasis is not for anyone seeking lots
of nightlife, liberal politics or a fast pace, it may be the perfect place
for outdoor lovers in search of a safe, quiet, conservative city in a dry
climate and a beautiful natural setting.
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