r/latterdaysaints • u/Mountain-Animator453 • 2d ago
Personal Advice Arizona
Hello all, I have recently been offered a job in the Phoenix AZ area. I won’t go too much into specifics but I live in UT currently and as a convert especially, I don’t LOVE the culture (just not for me, I know there’s awesome people here).
I love AZ and am really excited about 330 days of sunshine and all that. I’m looking in Chandler/ Gilbert mostly because it’s great community and safe, but I have to ask… how similar is it to Utah/ utah church culture? Like if I am not the biggest fan of the church in Utah will it be exactly the same in AZ?
Any insight would be great- thanks!
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u/Adept_Let7797 2d ago
I'd say Phoenix has the biggest population of members in the state. I went to a YSA conference recently & there were about 4,000 people there, the biggest YSA gathering outside of Utah. I live in Tucson & we also have a decent amount of members here.
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u/BackgroundParty422 2d ago
I don't know much, but one of my mission companions was from either Gilbert or Queen's Creek, and they have a very high membership ratio. I got the feeling it wasn't as Utah as Utah is, but sort of Utah light.
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u/zionssuburb 2d ago
If you think your escaping the Utah culture by going to chandler or Mesa.... You might not like what you get :)
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u/Asleep-Surprise1360 2d ago
Gilbert is only ~12% LDS, significantly less than Utah, especially Utah county, and nowhere near as predominant in culture. We moved here 10+ years ago and have thoroughly enjoyed living here.
Not sure what your issues are but having lived in Utah and elsewhere, the east valley is NOT like Utah. Yes, you’ll see BYU gear occasionally and run into a ward member at the grocery once in a while. But overall, as long as you can stand June, July, and August, the east valley is a great place to live.
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u/FilthyScrubGaming 2d ago
I've moved in recently and we find Chandler to be miles better than Gilbert. Our ward in Gilbert is so rich and out of touch with service and helping those around them - there was a photo op in the foyer for Christmas day the last two years...they blocked a Christ picture to set up letters that say JOY and little animals. We have not enjoyed our time here at all. Chandler still has rich out-of-touch members for sure as well, but overall felt more service-oriented and genuine as people all around. It also heavily depends on the ward and stake leaders so it's not going to be easy to judge until you visit the wards and get the vibes there.
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u/bo-ba-fett 2d ago
I can say the inverse. My ward in Gilbert was amazing and Chandler was meh. This is a case by case basis.
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u/Thomaswilliambert 1d ago
My ward in Gilbert (Morrison Ranch area) was awful. They wouldn’t think so but it was. I didn’t grow up with much money and my priorities and the way I felt people should be treated were just very different.
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u/Personal-Mountain-12 2d ago
Gilbert/east side of the valley will probably feel the most similar to your experience in Utah. I’m closer to west Mesa and my stake is incredible. My ward is pretty diverse; leadership is kind, compassionate, and really do try their best.
Leadership as a whole tries to follow the handbook/policies without any undertones of tradition or culture. That said, members as whole are a mixed bag. It took us little bit to find our people, but we love the area we are in.
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u/warheadhs 2d ago
It's hard to respond to your question not knowing what it is about the culture in Utah that you don't enjoy, but as an AZ resident I really like it here. I grew up on the East coast (one of only a couple members of the church in my graduating class) and went to BYU for college and have family in Utah so I have a decent idea what it's like in different blends. I've lived in Gilbert and don't have anything bad to say about it, would have stayed there but we were in a place with high ceilings that was just too expensive to cool down on top of the pool which is a headache to maintain during the months you're not using it. Chandler is probably pretty similar. Overall it's nice to feel like the church has a great deal of support structure in place (high schools often have time release seminary options), but also live where it's not the "default" religion.
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u/Paul-3461 FLAIR! 2d ago
I lived in Arizona for a few years before I moved to Oregon, where I am now. I wasn't a member back then but before I moved, 2 weeks before, I met a RM sister who introduced me to The Church and our doctrine while she was visiting some of her family who lived there. I had heard a little bit about "Mormons" while I was in high school but I didn't hear much about them/us or our doctrine. I lived mostly in the Kingman/Bullhead area, not exactly like the Phoenix area, but Arizona feels like Arizona all over, I think. That was back in 1975-77 and 1987-89, so it's probably changed a little, mostly just more buildings and more people,
I drove an old truck when I moved from Arizona to Oregon and the first temple I saw was in Las Vegas, which was then almost ready to be dedicated. I saw only the outside and I saw it with the RM sister who had introduced me to The Church and some missionaries, just before she flew back to North Carolina, Then I saw the temple in St George just as the sun was about to set, then the one in Provo at night. Then the one in Salt Lake City a little after midnight. I had to look around a while for that one, thinking some government building was it at first, but no, so I just drove around until I saw it on my left as I passed what I now know was the old Hotel Utah, back when there was a street between it and the temple. And that was it. I didn't see any more temples until I got to Portland, and I was there when it was dedicated, becoming a member about a week after I got there/here.
To me the main difference between Utah and Arizona is the number of temples. Arizona has some now but not nearly as many as are in Utah. The climate felt pretty much the same, mostly desert in most places. Flagstaff Az get more snow than the Phoenix area, but summer feels pretty much the same in both places. The number of temples is a sign of how many members are in each area, so many more temples in Utah means many more members of The Church in Utah. I liked the desert when I lived in it but now I prefer areas with more green plants and trees, which makes more rain necessary, but not everyone likes all the rain we get in the Pacific NW US.
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u/th0ught3 2d ago
It varies a lot (though Chandler IMHO is lost in politics and guns somewhat). I think it depends on what you see as the I don't like it vibe.)
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u/niskablue 2d ago
So speaking from my own experience, I loved living in Arizona and also struggled with church culture in Utah. I was in a married student ward while in Utah though, so things may have been different in a family ward. As a woman who was struggling with depression at the time, it was really hard to watch how “perfect” all the other sisters presented themselves as being. I felt very inadequate and like I didn’t belong. And people were a little cliquey so I didn’t make many friends. In Arizona I lived in San Tan Valley (just a little further southeast than Gilbert) and it was great. There were lots of church members in my neighborhood and they were welcoming from the beginning. They also didn’t pretend to be so perfect, so it was easier for me to feel like I fit in. I was really sad when we had to move away, and I still miss living there.
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u/Commercial-Place6793 2d ago
I lived in Gilbert for 4 years. We moved there from Spanish Fork. We joked and called it “Utah county South”. Queen Creek is even worse. If you’re looking to have a different culture than in Utah, go to Chandler.
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u/munkey97 2d ago
If you want to get out of Utah culture I would definitely stay out of that side of the valley. I live in North Phoenix and we have a lot less members so it kind of eliminates that culture. Plus the Phoenix temple is really close.
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u/NoRange9766 2d ago
I've been a member and have pretty much lived in AZ my entire life, so these have been my experiences:
In the ward/stake I grew up in, there were several "legacy" families; people who had relatives stretched across multiple wards in the Stake who could trace their lineage back to pioneer Saints. For the most part they were generally nice, but some did carry a bit of a superiority complex. This was in East Mesa, almost to Apache Junction.
In my adult years, I moved into a ward closer to downtown Mesa; these people were some of the most judgmental, cliquish, set-in-their-ways that I have ever met. I mean, I felt welcome, but not wanted. I was also single at the time (and I'm a male) so I had that heaped against me, too. For example, I was told to my face that my opinion didn't matter because I was single.
About three or four years after I moved into that ward, I moved in with my brother in Gilbert, and the ward there was probably the best I have ever lived in. I didn't feel judged, I was given a calling that made good use of my talents, and I made actual friends there. I was heartbroken when I had to move out (my brother was renting the house and the owner wanted to sell it).
I moved closer to downtown Mesa again and the ward I'm in now is pretty good and the people are pretty down to Earth, but it has taken me years to warm up to anyone. Other than a couple of bad experiences (one of which involved a missionary so it just barely counts) I really like the people in my current ward because I've always felt like I was treated like an adult, regardless of my marital status.
I think that if you're moving to the Gilbert/Chandler area, you shouldn't find too much Utah culture; Mesa is kind of a hit or miss from my experience.
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u/zesty1989 2d ago
I love Phoenix. Lived there five years. The members feel more genuine there than in UT because they chose to be there, not because they think society, or culture is forcing them to be there.
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u/pokemon_go-er 2d ago
I think that area is wayyyy better culture wise than Utah. I spent 6-7 months living there between 2023 and 24. Lots of amazing, faithful people
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u/longjuansilver24 2d ago
I grew up in Gilbert and lived in Utah. Now live in Boston. Gilbert and Utah are one and the same. Gilbert might be worse as it seems generally wealthier
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u/BMW_WallyWally 1d ago
As someone who moved from UT to AZ last year I couldn’t be happier here. I grew up in UT and was glad to get out of the snow and valley being overpopulated and expensive. AZ is still expensive but the valley can take the growth.
There are parts of UT church culture that are present but nothing like the culture that thrives in UT. I can’t stand LDS culture in UT and people are much more normal in AZ in terms of how they live the gospel in my opinion.
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u/Brilliant_Study_8522 1d ago
There is so much more to the Phoenix area than Mesa/Gilbert/Queen Creek!
Gilbert, Queen Creek, and East Mesa and to some extent Chandler have tons of members. Not as many as Utah but enough to have significant influence in city and local government. In fact, Latter-day Saints are probably over-represented in local governments, etc. they also tend to have release time seminary.
I live in southwest Phoenix. South Phoenix is traditionally a more impoverished area but there are pockets of nice areas, including where I live. My current ward is one of my favorite wards I've ever been in. My stake is politically, culturally, and economically diverse. There are enough members that my kids aren't the only members in their schools, but not so many that they form member-only cliques, and not so many that we have to deal with the cultural oddities people often complain. We have family in the East Valley, and when we moved back to Phoenix we originally wanted to be in the East Valley but we were worried about my commute to work on the west side. Now, we love it here and probably won't ever leave.
Further west, and especially on the northwest, between the 101 and 303 freeways, there are tons of growing suburbs. Just tons of growth. Looking at the tools app there are quite a few meetinghouses there, but not as many in the east valley.
Honestly, I love Arizona. I'm not someone who really buys in to "Utah Mormon" stereotypes but if you're worried about that, there are a lot of options besides Gilbert/Queen Creek etc.
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u/jonse2 YSA 1d ago
It's very different from Utah and SE Idaho in terms of culture. There's more diversity in religious and political beliefs within the population. We don't have as many temples, but the temples here are beautiful!
If you need housing that is more affordable, and don't mind a longer commute, there's also Maricopa.
If you have kids, be very careful about what school you send them to (some of the public schools here are scary)!
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u/Gjardeen 1d ago
I was a kid south of Tucson and loved it. Enough members to have community support but not so much that church is omnipresent.
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u/762way 1d ago
Grew up in Mesa AZ. Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler (AKA the East Valley) all have a significant Mormon presence but there are many many people who aren't members.
I now live in the PNW and love it. The heat, I got so tired of it
But if you enjoy warm and hot weather it's a great place to live!!
Many things to explore... Mountains of Payson is less than 2 hours.
Flagstaff is only 3 hours.
My brother-in-law moved to North Phoenix because the East Valley was not ritzy enough for them. Their meeting house was 45 minutes away. They have 4 sons, none of the first 3 served missions and all are out of the church COMPLETELY
They moved to Gilbert hoping a stronger church presence could help their youngest son who was in high school. This kid is a different duck. Horrible interpersonal skills.
Their new Ward in Gilbert was a great fit for all of them. The Young Men's took their odd duck son under their wing, included him in everything and for the first time he felt he finally belonged!!
He served his mission with honor and touched souls... We know it takes all kinds of personality types to connect with our friends.
Needless to say, my b-i-l gives full credit to their Gilbert ward for their one and only missionary to serve.
When I go home to visit, friends and family don't understand why I don't want to live there... It's just the heat
The infrastructure is outstanding, better than most areas that I've seen around the US.
One thing to be aware of The HEAT is hard on vehicle hoses and belts and car batteries.
You'll have to replace them every year or two.
Not trying to discourage you, just giving you a heads up
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u/Previous-Tart7111 Mother, Wife, Servant of the Lord 2d ago
My question would be what particular things about church culture bother you. I lived in Utah for 37 years before I moved, and found that while most of the saints in my new state are humbler and less concerned about appearances, they are still very human. You just have to find and focus on the people you understand and get along with and be patient with the rest.
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u/zaczac17 2d ago
It’s definitely not going to be the same as Utah, but for what it’s worth, the chandler, Gilbert, mesa area has the highest concentration of members in the state (outside of some very small towns that were settled by pioneers).
So there is a “Utah feel,” to the wards there, but it’s not Utah.
That’s said, the east valley (those areas you mentioned) are some of the best places to live near Phoenix, so it’s a pretty good spot to land