Better Utah

This might sound a bit too specific, but anyway, regarding to policies, laws and stuff, what changes do you think that could have made Utah even slightly more advanced economically compared to the other states starting at 2000?
 
This might sound a bit too specific, but anyway, regarding to policies, laws and stuff, what changes do you think that could have made Utah even slightly more advanced economically compared to the other states starting at 2000?
More money towards education would be an excellent start. On top of that, not sending Google Fiber to PROVO over Salt Lake (still pissed over that decision). Utah is actually starting to relax on some of their more conservative policies and companies are moving in from the Silicon Valley Exodus.
 
When I saw the title, I immediately started thinking of USS Utah If she had been at Bremerton instead of Peal Harbor, could she have been converted to a huge AA platform?
 
More money towards education would be an excellent start. On top of that, not sending Google Fiber to PROVO over Salt Lake (still pissed over that decision). Utah is actually starting to relax on some of their more conservative policies and companies are moving in from the Silicon Valley Exodus.

Google bought the Provo City "IProvo" fiber optic network, so it's not as if there wasn't a good reason why Provo was picked.
 
I'm not sure what you mean by this question. Utah already has one of the highest median incomes in the country, without the exorbitant living costs that you see in other high-income states. As a result, you have a state where the actual purchasing power of the median household is very high.

I think this map is worth a gander. The data that this map is based off of is currently unreachable, but the point stands that Utah has the second highest MHPP in the Union.
If the states voted purely based on their average median household purchasing power (data from here)
Democratic (below avg. median household purchasing power) - 267 EVs
strongest states - Hawaii, New York, Maine
Republican (above avg. MHPP) - 271 EVs
strongest states - Minnesota, Utah, Iowa
closest states - Massachussets, Oregon, Idaho, Georgia, Delaware

genusmap.php

 
The view of most in Utah (I live in SLC) was it was a political decision to benefit BYU.

I've lived a decade around Utah. More likely, Google wanted the infrastructure- since it's already in the ground, no need to deal with the studies and local government that bog down any new infrastructure program. How long from design to the dirt being finished would it take for SLC? That could be interesting, either SLC fiber or a mayor pushes for Google, and deals with any local opposition.
 
I'm not sure what you mean by this question. Utah already has one of the highest median incomes in the country, without the exorbitant living costs that you see in other high-income states.

I know. I meant being better than how it is now. There's surely something that could have been done better.
 
What was Utah's 1970s tax situation? Maybe you could have them get a jump ahead of everyone on tax incentives before everyone got in on it and made it a race to the bottom. But, OTL, as someone who's spent no time in the state outside of a plane change in SLC, my perception of the state is similar to others who have already noted that it seems to have a high standard of living and that Jerry Sloan was good at coaching basketball.
 
I've lived a decade around Utah. More likely, Google wanted the infrastructure- since it's already in the ground, no need to deal with the studies and local government that bog down any new infrastructure program. How long from design to the dirt being finished would it take for SLC? That could be interesting, either SLC fiber or a mayor pushes for Google, and deals with any local opposition.
They're gradually releasing Google Fiber in SLC but taking damn long to do it (local cable and satellite are rushing to lock customers in five year deals to stifle it and what info I have received in the last year makes even that limited roll out questionable). Everyone I've talked to in SLC wants it including Adobe. It seems odd not to roll it out in SLC first especially with it's service industry and swelling tech firms.
 
Last edited:
They're gradually releasing Google Fiber in SLC but taking damn long to do it (local cable and satellite are rushing to lock customers in five year deals to stifle it and what info I have received in the last year makes even that limited roll out questionable). The issue with Provo is it's small, mostly a college town, and in the middle of nowhere. Only BYU can make any use of it. Everyone I've talked to in SLC wants it including Oracle. It seems odd to roll it out in a small town when it has been rolled out in larger venues especially since doing so gives others time to counter it. I get the issues with red tape. I also get how the powers that be at times tends to have an agenda that 50% of the state disagrees with.

(1)Which is why Google scooped up a running system in Provo, rather than starting from scratch in SLC. (2) Orem-Provo has over half a million according to Wiki, which if Google is trying to expand its network, is a decent amount, and has 2 universities, Utah Valley University and BYU, which if it wants recruitment is good. Although since Google Fiber doesn't charge by the gigabyte, not sure who the customer is really matters. (3) And more like 30%, TBH. But I doubt Google was swayed by the might of BYU and more likely wanted to just wanted the system. Rocky Anderson should have done something like that instead of opposing the Iraq War then, or used the goodwill earned among SLC voters by passing "ISLC" or somehting.

More on topic, I'd try OTL but more of everything. Goldman Sachs has a decent presence in SLC (cheap cost of living expenses and next to a major airport, solid universities within an hour of SLC (at least U of U and BYU, next tier Weber State etc). maybe after 9/11 NYC wants stock data backed up in a place that has little to none of: domestic disturbances, natural disasters, etc and picks SLC more than OTL? Financial services need good computer stuff, so Silicon Valley sends its minor league stuff to SLC/ Silicon Slopes? Feels like the key is having Utah as the minor league farm team, so decent wages yet cost of living doesn't go up too much (helps the wage go father).
 
Last edited:
(1)Which is why Google scooped up a running system in Provo, rather than starting from scratch in SLC. (2) Orem-Provo has over half a million according to Wiki, which if Google is trying to expand its network, is a decent amount, and has 2 universities, Utah Valley University and BYU, which if it wants recruitment is good. Although since Google Fiber doesn't charge by the gigabyte, not sure who the customer is really matters. (3) And more like 30%, TBH. But I doubt Google was swayed by the might of BYU and more likely wanted to just wanted the system. Rocky Anderson should have done something like that instead of opposing the Iraq War then.

Provo is 115000 unless you take the Metro Area if you want actual facts vs conflated facts (and being to Provo, anyone believing the conflated numbers needs to stop sipping the kool-aid) and if you look at what is centered in Provo vs what is centered in SLC (collegiate and economical) it makes more sense to go to SLC since that is where the real tech, business, and population boom is as is tech research (the University of Utah has only been in the field of computers for half a century being one of the first connected to the internet and giving the world Nolan Bushnell). Buying into a Provo is like buying into Cypress and then moving on to Los Angeles. Let's not pretend the powers that be didn't negotiate Google to Provo rather than Google deciding it made more sense.

30% brings into question if you even live in UT since the LDS members I've seen in this state can be divided between the faithful, the fundamentalist, the lapsed but still reporting and those who claimed membership in order to immigrate (want me to tell you about the sheer number of meth addicts and alcoholics I've seen declare LDS membership but haven't been to church in years?).

There is a reason tech firms are heading to SLC in droves yet Google went to Provo. THAT is the strange thing.

And you're right, this conversation has gone off topic.
 
Provo is 115000 unless you take the Metro Area if you want actual facts vs conflated facts (and being to Provo, anyone believing the conflated numbers needs to stop sipping the kool-aid) and if you look at what is centered in Provo vs what is centered in SLC (collegiate and economical) it makes more sense to go to SLC since that is where the real tech, business, and population boom is as is tech research (the University of Utah has only been in the field of computers for half a century being one of the first connected to the internet and giving the world Nolan Bushnell). Buying into a Provo is like buying into Cypress and then moving on to Los Angeles. Let's not pretend the powers that be didn't negotiate Google to Provo rather than Google deciding it made more sense.

30% brings into question if you even live in UT since the LDS members I've seen in this state can be divided between the faithful, the fundamentalist, the lapsed but still reporting and those who claimed membership in order to immigrate (want me to tell you about the sheer number of meth addicts and alcoholics I've seen declare LDS membership but haven't been to church in years?).

There is a reason tech firms are heading to SLC in droves yet Google went to Provo. THAT is the strange thing.

And you're right, this conversation has gone off topic.

Sorry, you are quite wrong. I know Utah quite well, you might do well to talk to ex-Mormons who aren't bitter at the Church, and not just those ex-Mormons who are bitter. I know one from work, she voted for Trump. More evidence? How many voted for Clinton, not just not for Trump, but actually voted for Clinton? How many people vote Democrat in congressional races, since not one person in the Congressional delegation is Democrat. It's almost as if there are more conservatives in Utah than Mormons, and that SLC is the outlier, and not the norm. And since we are throwing out names, the U of U gave us cold fusion. The OP asked how to make Utah richer. You gave as one of the reasons that Google Fiber is in Provo and not SLC. Here's an article from 2013 mentioning 3 big tech companies Provo has. Quickly Googling the populations of SLC and Provo gives 193,744 for SLC (2016) to 116,868 for Provo (2016). I'll wait for a citation, even from the Salt Lake Tribune, that Google was swayed by BYU, or on BYU's behalf, or that 50% of the state is opposed to BYU.
 
Last edited:
Top