{"id":6106,"date":"2022-08-10T11:03:55","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T17:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/?p=6106"},"modified":"2023-06-01T16:29:22","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T22:29:22","slug":"17-reasons-not-to-move-to-washington-city-utah-voted-by-the-locals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/17-reasons-not-to-move-to-washington-city-utah-voted-by-the-locals\/","title":{"rendered":"17 Reasons Not to Move to Washington City, Utah (Voted by the locals!)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Despite being a wonderful place to live, Washington City, Utah still can strike a bit of dread in the locals. From unyielding summer heatwaves to the high cost of rent and water rights, living in Washington can be tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why would someone not<\/em> want to move to Washington City, Utah?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The Overwhelming Summer Heat<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Southern Utah\"Opens<\/a> is a desert. Hot, arid, and dry, with summer averages settling in at 102\u00b0 Fahrenheit, often with the temperature scoring much higher. The highest all-time recorded temperature is 117\u00b0 Fahrenheit, with the most recent scoring of that all-time record in 2021. The last intense heat wave of that magnitude was in 1985. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intense heat makes it difficult to get any work done outside during the day and difficult at night due to how the red rock bakes at high temperatures and then radiates the heat long into the night, making it difficult to cool down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only time to be able to do any sort of yard work is the very early morning before the sun comes up and begins to bake the world again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The high temperature discourages the youth and young children from playing outside in the summer months – unlike in other less hot environments. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are common ailments that paramedics deal with when rescuing unprepared hikers alongside the hiking trails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Costly Water Rights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Due to the location, despite receiving water fed from the Virgin River and other surrounding aquifers, water is scarce in Washington and St. George and the other surrounding cities in Washington County. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Virginia Watershed has a tendency to suffer drought conditions and will become insufficient for the demands of a population by 2060, due to how the population is projected to more than double by that date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This scarcity leads to a very costly water bill and heated debate over where a secondary source of water could be found to serve the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. High Rent and Property Taxes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to locals, rent and property taxes have risen to incredibly high heights, with an average 2-bedroom apartment’s monthly rent costing $1,700. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many locals blame the soaring rent and other costs of living due to the influx of people moving from even higher cost-of-living states such as California and driving prices up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. The High Amount of Scorpions<\/h2>\n\n\n
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The warm winter and incredible heat of summer lead to the strong presence of many scorpion species. One of which is the extremely painfully venomous Arizona Bark Scorpion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arizona Bark Scorpion’s sting can cause severe pain, coupled with numbness, tingling, and nausea in adults. Temporary dysfunction (i.e. immobilization or convulsions) in the area stung can occur. Other symptoms include the potential loss of breath for a short period of time. These symptoms typically last between one to three days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like most other scorpions, the Arizona Bark Scorpion will glow when exposed to a blacklight. This is very useful as the Arizona Bark Scorpion is most active at night and its coloration of tan or light beige blends in well with the natural rocky terrain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Strong Conservative Presence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Washington is a city rich in historic sites and history, and with its strong ties to history come strong ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints colloquially known to most as Mormons to which the city owes its founding when the current leader of the church (Brigham Young) recruited 38 families to move to Southern Utah to grow cotton in 1857. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a cultural heritage, there is a deep-rooted desire to honor and revere the pioneers who toiled to ensure their future generations would survive and live in their faith. This has led to a very strong conservative movement and many of Washington’s residents are Republican in order to protect their family heritage and ways of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional family values and the nuclear family model are held in high regard, and often those who are more liberal and\/or non-traditional may find themselves feeling excluded unintentionally, despite the welcoming and neighborly values that many Washington residents may exhibit, simply because of the differing viewpoints one may bring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Too High of a Growth Rate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Washington City is nestled in with St. George\"Opens<\/a> in Washington County and is ranked the fastest-growing metro area in America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This rapid growth is attributed by local residents to the high cost of living in California and the comparatively lower-priced homes and cost of living in the Washington County area. Other locals attribute the family values as a reason for why more people are moving to Washington County and triggering such a massive amount of growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This growth has led to several problems that city officials and other local government bodies are still working to overcome and plan for, such as new infrastructure and supplemental water rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Too Much Traffic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A side effect of the massive amounts of growth within the population, traffic is difficult to avoid on the best of days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On major holidays and during high tourist season, the traffic in and around Washington City is a nightmare as floods of people surge into the shopping centers and the surrounding food chains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often the traffic gets so bad that entire blocks are in a gridlock through several changing green lights and it can be difficult for locals to even manage simple milk run during the highest peaks of these high-traffic seasons – honorable mentions going to Christmas season and the many tournaments held in Southern Utah and further afield to Las Vegas as many tournament goers will stop through on their way to the great city of lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. The Roads Were Not Planned for the Growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many of the roads that lead into local neighborhoods and later developed areas of Washington are one lane both ways with little flow for the massive amounts of traffic that has begun to outpace the capabilities of the roads they drive on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

City officials have begun the process of construction to widen these roads and to slowly broaden two-lane roads to four in places to allow for more traffic to be able to flow. This has been received with mixed views due to the disruption of already congested thoroughfares and high amounts of traffic being rerouted into areas that can cause major disruption to otherwise quiet locations of traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Too Many Cockroaches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Due to the dry heat and relatively warm winters, cockroaches are a common infestation in Washington and the surrounding Washington County areas. The area has four native species of cockroach: <\/p>\n\n\n\n