ST GEORGE : Utah

Saint George, Utah is the 7th largest city in Utah. It has become one of the more popular retirement communities in this state. Located in extreme southwestern Utah, it has spectacular red rock bluffs overlooking the town, a mild climate in winter, and terrific recreational opportunities such as hiking in the nearby Zion National Park and many golf courses. The population of the city is now over 70,000 - the area has about 110,000. The Metro area is  one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S. Photo of St. George skyline courtesy of Wikipedia and MojaveNC.

One reason why St. George has attracted retirees is that religiously it is more diverse than most other locations in Utah, except for Park City. Although there is strong Mormon presence, people of other faiths are also here in significant numbers. St. George is called Utah's Dixie because of its southern location and the cotton traditionally grown here. For profiles on over 900 cities and towns go to reviews of the best retirement communities . For more information about how to retire in Utah or towns like Park City

Developers of active adult communities are targeting Saint George, although there is a severe slowdown now.  The median selling price in 2012 was about $180,000. The market is recovering and new construction starts have increased substantially.  See link at right for information about St. George Active Communities.

Mount Zion National Park;  8 nearby golf courses; miles of hiking and biking trails; Tuachan outdoor ampitheater presents 3 broadway productions each summer and concert series which bring big names in music; the spring in the spectacularly beautiful red rock setting  http://www.tuacahn.org/ ; tree-lined streets; St. George is the regional health care center; Red cliffs provide outstanding scenery and beautiful blue skies with occasional puffy white clouds and clean air.

This area is growing so fast that not all of it has been attractive. Although winters are mild, summers can be very hot. If you are not LDS, it might be off-putting that more than half of the population is of that faith however it helps make a very safe and pleasant place to live! St. George is almost perfect but it is downwind from Nevada atomic bomb test site which caused problems in the past (Google downwinders for info). The approval of a gypsum mine near St. George caused controversy in mid-2012 but does not impact everyday life in the residential areas.

Retirees from all over the country are moving to Saint George for its warm climate and beautiful scenery. Although the majority of residents are LDS, there are least 24 other churches present in the area and many faiths are now represented. Active planned communities like Entrada and Sunriver do not have a majority of practicing Mormons. Residents are of all faiths. Use this reference for profiles of state retirement guides

St. George is located at 2,840 feet above sea level in an area of spectacular red cliffs and bluffs. Mt. Zion National Park is nearby. Winters are mild and summers very hot.  However, it usually cools off at night and the mornings are beautiful.  St. George Google Map

St. George at this point does not appear to offer much from a cultural standpoint. There is a local 4 year college. St George has an outstanding Professional Theater in the Tuachan theater. There is a celebrity concert series in the Spring and fall. The St George Musical Theater is a civic theater with major productions each year. St. George is home to Dixie State College of Utah, a four-year institution with some cultural events. And there is always Vegas, just 2 hours away for every imaginable entertainment and Mesquite Nevada is only 30 minutes away with 3 nice casinos.  Virtually every restaurant Franchise you can think of is represented such as Red Robin, Alpplebees, Chili's, Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Chick-Fil-A, Golden Corral, Brick Oven Pizza just to name a few.