This story is and excerpt from The Salt Lake Tribune Inno Lab Notes newsletter where we explore housing, transportation and energy solutions.
A few weeks ago Utah Voices editor Sara Weber put out a call asking for Utah renter’s stories (you can read some of the responses Sara received here).
I was particularly struck by one story from Sandra Zeigler about the costs of renting a shared room for their college-age kid.
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Zeigler and their wife Gwen both grew up in Utah and met while attending Utah State University. They moved to Queens, New York, and returned to Orem in 2016. They found that it was expensive to raise four kids in Utah’s suburbs.
“I was shocked at just how close the rent costs were, where Utah is touted as ‘reasonable’, and NYC is broadly panned as excessively expensive,’” Sandra told me in an email.
They found that not only were housing costs comparable to Queens, but little things cost the same if not more — trips to the zoo or Natural History Museum, food and bus fare. While they shared just one car in Queens, once they moved to Orem they had to buy a second one. Their kids couldn’t walk to school or dance practice. They spent more time shuttling them around, and money on gasoline. “Our time in New York was definitely on the pricey side, but honestly, it wasn’t much better once we moved to Utah,” Sandra wrote.
The family decided to return to New York State this summer. But cost wasn’t the only reason, Sandra explained over a call.
Gwen and one of their teenage kids identify as transgender. “If you’re outside what is socially acceptable it’s a very uncomfortable place to live,” Sandra said. “The reason that we’re moving back to New York is because Utah is absolutely not safe for trans folk.”
This past legislative session Utah lawmakers passed a bill that bans many transgender people from using bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identities in government buildings, which includes public schools.
Gwen has already relocated to New York and Sandra and the kids will follow once the school year is over. “It’s a lot better,” Sandra said, “I mean, she doesn’t live with the daily stress of being arrested just for using the bathroom.”
The high cost of living and anti-trans laws made Utah inhospitable for the Zeiglers. Will more families be forced to follow in their footsteps in the coming years?
“The one thing I never thought I’d actually hear myself saying is that my family are becoming political refugees in the United States,” Sandra said, “It’s mind-blowing.”
Has your family considered a move out of Utah? Why? Email me at sjeremias@sltrib.com and tell me about your experience.
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