In April of 2020 my family and I moved from our home in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to the town of Logan, Utah in the Northeastern corner of the State. Although I'm sure that I have much more to learn about the culture and customs of in the Inter-Mountain West, I thought that I would mention some of the differences and similarities that I've learned so far between the IMW and the South in general.
The People
Like Alabama, the majority of Utahans are conservative, freedom loving Americans, and are big proponents of the 1st and 2nd Amendments. For the most part the people in Utah have been very friendly, much more so than my Southern stereotype had imagined. Many of them seem more than anxious to talk to someone with a Southern accent (although I wonder if they are secretly deducting IQ points as I talk). This conversation starter has allowed me to share the gospel with many people and for that I am thankful.
The people in the South, however, still seem to have a greater level of overall empathy towards their fellow man. Southern hospitality is a real thing, and although Alabama has its fair share of jerks and village idiots, people really do look out for one another. Southerners as a whole seem to be much more outgoing and gregarious than any other culture that I have been exposed to, so much so, that other cultures might find it offensive if they haven't been around it. This cultural contrast can also be offensive to Southerners who are exposed to other cultures who are not so outgoing and gregarious as they are
The thing that I love the most is that in spite of all of the cultural differences, the Christians within these cultures are the same with very few exceptions. I feel at home and loved with my Christian brothers and sisters in both Utah and Alabama. As a Baptist pastor, that's a big deal. Unity in Christ transcends all cultural and ethnic barriers.
Climate
I don't think that the climate could be more different between the two States. For the most part, Alabama is hot and humid, while Utah is cold and relatively dry. I didn't have to live in Utah to realize that it's hot in Alabama, but now that I have that point of contrast I have been reminded that IT IS HOT. Living in Utah has shown me that we never really had winter in Alabama. We just had some cold snaps between Summer and Spring. This point was driven home when we recently traveled South to visit our friends and family for the Holidays. My son and I went deer hunting and were swatting mosquitos the size of hummingbirds. Needless to say, I don't miss them.
In contrast, Northern Utah is COLD. I have lost count of the single digit lows and sub-freezing highs that we have already had thus far. This Winter I have also seen more snow in two days than I've seen in the past two decades in Alabama. People get excited and go crazy if the weatherman so much as mentions the word "snow" in the South. Upon a prediction of snow, Alabamians will also raid the grocery stores and buy up all of the milk and bread (a phenomenon that I still don't fully understand). In Utah, the snow actually reaches the point of becoming a lamentable problem. I never thought in a million years that my to-do list would include shoveling snow out of the driveway or buying snow chains for our van.
Overall, my family and I enjoy the weather in Utah much better. We can always put on some more clothes or throw another log on the fire. But those hot and humid days in the South will have a person begging God for mercy. The summers are actually nice here in Utah. Not to mention the fact that all of our sinus and allergy problems went away within a few weeks of moving here, a problem that immediately returned during our holiday visit to the South. Just make sure that if you make a visit, that you remember to pack your Chapstick and lotion.
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| My Son Wesley shoveling snow |
Alabama is a beautiful state. One will find the foothills of the Smoky Mountains to the North and the white sandy beaches of Gulf Shores to the South. However, the thing that I miss the most is all of the forests and trees. There is almost a nostalgia about them for someone who grows up hunting, camping and playing in the woods. I miss seeing all of the Oaks, Pines, Sweet Gums, Cypress, Maples, etc. This may be a strange analogy, but the trees are almost like a blanket. I literally can't sleep without a blanket. It doesn't matter how hot it is, I have to have one in order to cover up. The trees are like that cover because they surround you on all sides, literally everywhere you go. You don't really notice it until you are in the wide open West. I also imagine that it would be easy for someone who moves to Alabama from the West to feel a bit claustrophobic.
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| Taken from 30 feet in a tree, hunting near Moundville, AL on the recent holiday visit. |
Utah is also a beautiful state. To be honest, I think that where we live in the Cache Valley is one of the most beautiful places that I've ever seen. The valley is about 4,500 feet in elevation, with 6,000-10,000 foot peaks on all sides. It's breath taking, like something from a Thomas Kincaid painting. It's really hard to present it in a way that does it justice to those who have never been there.
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| Sunrise in Cache Valley (courtesy of Cache Valley is Beautiful FB Group) |
Religious Culture
We live in the heart of Mormon country. As a Baptist Pastor from the South, I had a stereotype in my mind about the huge Temples and large worship centers. However, in the Cache valley (among other places) the streets are numbered as a grid system. Once there are 400 people living within a certain area they build a Mormon church for those 400 people, and that church is considered their "ward". Our house is technically located in the 12th ward of the Mormon Church. In this way it's very similar to the number of local evangelical churches in the South. There are actually some places that I have been able to stand and see three Mormon churches from that one spot. The local Mormon churches vastly outnumber the handful of Christian churches in the valley.
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| A typical LDS Ward |
For the most part, sharing the Gospel has been a very pleasant experience here in Utah. The Mormons seem to realize that there is a noticeable difference between what they believe and what we believe. Many of them have enough curiosity to listen and have a dialogue. In the South everyone seems to think that they are saved for one reason or another and it's hard to talk them out of it. Please pray for us as we try to reach the Mormons with the Gospel of Christ.
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| Pray For Cache Valley |
