From Cali to St. George (Washington, Francis: job market, purchase, high school)

[Aerorick]

I think I can offer a very realistic idea of travel time from SoCal to St. George. And I can offer options. Towing a trailer, coming or going, time of day or day of the week. I commuted from Riverside to LAX for four years in the late 80's for work. And Marina Del Rey is just north of LAX. My trips from 47 miles north of St. George to Riverside or back take, on a good day, 7 1/2 hours in a late model Dodge Ram 3/4 ton truck. From there to Marina Del Rey would take between 1-1 1/2 hours depending greatly on the traffic. Take away the time from St. George to our place near Newcastle, and that's going the back way on 18, and your left with aprox. 8 hours. And I'd say it would probably be a little shorter if you were actually going to L.A. because you would be taking completely differant freeways once you got down the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino.
But if your car says Masseratti on the fender, it's 2am on a Monday morning, the road is open thru Vegas and your wearing a diaper it's possible, I guess, to do it in 5 hours.

[Aerorick]

A couple of qualifiers to add to how we do it. Speed: With the flow, 75-80 mph. Stops: 2 , Barstow to top off and the Moape Indian Store outside Vegas to stretch and top off again. We carry our food and drinks with us.

[Blondie-Rabbit]

Honda Element, and no diapers. I do have a fancier vehicle, but it is no sports car. I drive the gas economical car when I travel. I-15 to I-10 and out to the bay. I try to time it so that I do not hit the afternoon traffic in the LA area. Starting at 6 am here puts me in vegas their time about 6:30. I make a stop in Barstow for gas. If you don't hit the traffic is is possible, the problem is the traffic. Even Vegas has turned into a nightmare. A lot get off shift around 7 am, so it is good to get through there early. I hit the San Bernadino area with no more traffic problems. I do stop at my favorite in and out burger. I can do that in less than 15 minutes becasue I usually switch out drivers (hubby) at that time. But then I'm only 10 minutes outside of St. Geroge not 47. If you don't live near a freeway to do that 47 miles, it can be slower. If you have more questions I know a guy who goes to LA for the auctions and hauls back used cars for sale. I'm sure he could tell you how much time it takes, He makes the run once a week. His wife is the nut seller at the Shakespearan festival. Check it out direct.

[hawaiian_mama]

Hi CravenClan!

I dont know if youre still looking to talk with anyone about their experiences in moving to St. George, but I think that this may be helpful.

In my experience moving to St George has been less than easy.

My husband and I do not have any children as of yet, and we are not LDS. Starting out in our marriage, we struggled a lot, and now we are very well to do.

We were living in Hawaii for 5 years until it got to the point where we couldnt afford to live the more 'luxurious' life we had made for ourselves, and we decided to move to Utah because of all the press that St. George is getting.

However moving here was less than what I expected. We had a house built, and we were constantly having to have repairs made. If it rained half an inch, my basement would get flooded. It was a good thing that we werent finished with construction, because we had the contractors deal with it. However, we were still having problems. We eventually had to bring in some out-of-state contractors that my husband knew would get the job done. I personally think this is the best way to deal with building because the builders here, well the ones we dealt with, do not do a quality job. Our house is finished now, but we are contemplating selling.

I am Hawaiian, and my husband is Tahitian, and we constantly being discriminated against. Yes, St. George is lovely, and a lot of people are nice enough, but there really is a lot of racism here. We are lucky that my husband is a business owner, otherwise he would be working at a $9 an hour job. He has TWO degrees, and the best job he got offered was a golf course maitenance worker. Its always surprising when someone who is VERY rude to me finds out im from Hawaii, and is suddenly falling over themselves to wanting to be 'nice' to us. Im a forgiving person, but im tired of it.

Basically, most of the people here are of the same mindset, and that is of a small town, and Im sad to say that after all we had to go through, my husband and I are looking for another place to live.

Good luck on everything! If youre moving to St. George, you'll need it!

[Blondie-Rabbit]

Sorry to hear or your bad experiences. There is a large Samoan contingent in town. But you are very right about the crappy construction, and the jobs. If we had met, I would have been the first to help kick a few attitudes around St. Geroge for you. I still can if you want the help. It's not because of where you are from, I just hate fat head attitudes.

[CravenClan]

Thanks Hawaii, for your response......

I think it is different when you have kids, i think you look at things in a different perspective. We love Hawaii, and go there evey year, but there is no way we would ever live there!! Their school system is awful, it is too expensive, it would not be aplace we would raise kids.

I have heard that about construction there, my husband is a contractor, so i have no worries in that department.

I can say i am sorry for the discrimination you have had..I can not say i understand, as i am white, and not been in a racist situation. Believe it or not, here in southern california, sometimes, i feel like the minority, as it seems everyone here, is not from here, or illegally here, but that is a wholer nuther issue!

Why did you move from Hawaii to Utah?? Southern California, may have been more like Hawaii. Did you research it, or just go with the assumption that it would be fine? Just curious.

Thanks
Christina

[C44]

Hello to everyone living in the St. George area!
I've been living in Washington for over a year now. Had I read this forum, I probally would not have moved here. Originally from Hawaii, lived in Cali for 12 years, moved to Salt Lake-lived there for about 12 years, and now am down here. Can't figure out why I'm here yet.

I have been trying to find a job for the past year. I am educated-Graduate Degree. Over 12 years experience in sales, marketing , and communications.
I was so desperate, I applied for a job at a convience store. Of course, they didn't hire me-I think they thought my app. was a joke.

I wish I had a video of all the job interviews I went to in this town. I used to do the hiring at my last job, so I am familiar with the process and am very comfortable with being interviewed. At some of the interviews, I was asked if I had a problem with praying. Now, I am non-LDS. don't have a personal problem with praying, BUT???? What the heck is going on here?

I understand that I re-located to a low-paying job market, but am I mistaken to believe that this neck of the woods is part of the United States of America? Did I mention that I am a female? I swear the interviews I went to conducted by men were downright condescending!

Are there any companies out there willing to hiring a hard working, loyal, educated, non-LDS females? If so, PLEASE contact me! I have excellent references, great work ethics, and am willing to start at this point at the bottom! Thanks for any leads!

P.S., are there any social clubs or activities that connect non-LDS people? It is really hard to make friends here.

[dogmom]

Dear CravenClan...i think you really need to spend some time here looking around and getting a feel for it...We have been here almost 2 years, moved here from NorCal due to lower cost of living (we are retired, but young!) You mentioned you are looking for 'green'. Only green we have is the turf in our back yard No it is a lovely area...we are in Green Spring area of Washington City, just north of St. George about 2-3 miles. We live near the golf course, our development is called Green Spring Heights, there are not many homes and they are all custom built, no cookie cutter homes here. we have nearly 3,000 sq ft on a very large lot. We have a clubhouse with tennis court, two pools, spa, fitness room and clubhouse to use, and our cable tv comes with it for only $70 a month. You will be hard pressed to find a newer development without a HOA but I have to say ours is very quiet and leaves you alone. Our neighbors are pretty nice, quite a few are non lds, too. Hate to sell but we have family issues.

Like I said, you and hubby need to come for at least a few days and look around...some areas have lots of families, others not. Ours is a good mix...we are moving out of state due to the fact that my parents have been living with us and it is just not working. I am working through the mormon issue, I have my own life and they are busy with theirs. Keep busy, keep the kids in activities and you will be just fine.

Let me know if you have any questions about Green Spring...Its a nice, nice area, and very close to Costco, Kohls, etc... Good family area...Pine View H.S. and Sandstone El. would love to answer any questions you have about the area in general, too. Good luck.

PS I LOVE temecula...friends of ours godparents own Wilson Creek Winery...almond champagne...I can taste it now!

Oh, and I don't think crime is any worse than SoCal...the paper and tv station here are small town and so everything gets reported...no different that other places so don't let that scare you off..

[The Casselli's]

Well, I'm sorry your going through the same situation as most of us. I'm also a career women from California and moved here 3 years and 1 month (who's counting). I was with my last employer in CA for over 15 years. In the last 3 years here, I have had 3 jobs that don't last more then 6 months and pay less then 12.00 per hour.

I totally agree with you. I've gone to many interviews and thought I did great but don't get selected due to "over qualified" and are afraid I may keep seeking employment elsewhere for a buck or more (which possibly true). I don't understand the Utah system here. I hope you saved enough money for emergency matters. God forbid that you (we) become ill, need surgery, or treatment and there is no benefits like state disability in CA. Most employers don't provide disability insurance and if they do, you have to pay for it and have no pre-existing conditions that also include medical insurance there is a waiting period of 6 months to 1 year depending on the type of policy the employer provides within the company.

Have you tried going to workforce services and placing your resume in career builders.com? I know the city and state is always hiring but also don't get too excited. There was a city attorney opening and the salary was under 40,000 per year! I checked the school district openings and the teachers salary was 10.05-13.00 per hour and you must have a BA degree. Although, there still is hope if your in the medical field. Nurses are in high demand and get paid (so i heard) about 20.00 per hour.

[Removed Reference to Mormons]

So that I do not waste my time or their time on interviews. I always call directly and speak with the higher up employer or manager and ask question as to salary, benefits, etc. If it's worth for me then I'll schedule an appointment. If it's not....Adios!

GOOD LUCK with job hunting and please keep us posted as to your venture.

[The Casselli's]

I think it would be a good idea to post "new friends" and see what happens. Hey, you can always respond to me or send me an email. I'm here alone with my husband. We love joining with our new friends and just doing whatever. The only thing we really don't do is clubbing cuz...well did that done that, but we do go to Mesquite and Las Vegas and love shopping and movies AND i just did the zion narrow canyons river hike! That was wild and want to try out some more fun stuff. We have 2 dogs and love to meet pet friendly people who want to get together with our pets.

Hey, don't feel left out....email me. Love to meet more new friends myself. I in my 40's and I've made friends of all ages from 21 years of age to 70's! Were all different in our own way but it keeps us from growing and learning from one another. Hope to hear from ya!