Best place to live in Salt Lake City for young professionals

Salt Lake’s diverse spirit and eclectic collection of hip neighborhoods has powered a cultural boom in the mountain and desert urban center. As a constellation of trendy, emerging neighborhoods, Salt Lake is cool in ways other than just snow and slopes. If you haven’t seen the new frontier of hip, these up-and-coming neighborhoods are taking it to the next level in the high-altitude haven that is Salt Lake.

Downtown

Salt Lake is truly found downtown, where a clean and bustling scene bursting with shops, restaurants, and nightlife hotspots serves as the center of your Salt Lake experience. Downtown Salt Lake is full of unexpected surprises, with a steady stream of art gallery hops and festivals, a ripe and juicy Downtown Farmers Market and chic adventures awaiting you with the Salt Lake Brewery Pass, a handy mobile pass that let's you try some of Salt Lake's best breweries and brewpubs.

Getting around Salt Lake’s downtown is a breeze, with state-of-the-art public transit available or the ultramodern GREENbike SLC bike-sharing program.

Central City

Central City is where a college town vibe combines with family-friendly flair and an eclectic set of attractions for everyone. Outdoor attractions are highlighted by the playground, picnicking, and pools of the spacious Liberty Park, and the outdoor art museum elegance of the Gilgal Sculpture Garden. Central City serves as the forefront of Salt Lake’s ethnic food renaissance with a range of international cuisine options, and a headquarters for mountain, hiking, and biking enthusiasts with lots of shops to help gear you up for extreme sports.

Sugar House

One of Salt Lake’s oldest neighborhoods has been sweetened up with a 21st-century wave of vanguard shops, restaurants, and condos, but the Sugar House District still retains Salt Lake’s artisan flair.

Sugar House remains the epicenter of the “shop locally” movement, with a diverse, eclectic lineup of art galleries, bookstores, and boutiques in its now-booming business district. The centerpiece of the neighborhood is the breathtaking and scenic Sugar House Park, 110 acres of gorgeous rolling hills packed with bike trails, a lake and stream, and trees, all surrounded by spectacular views of the majestic Wasatch Mountains.

The Avenues / Capitol Hill

Few US cities are laid out as easily and intuitively as Salt Lake, but there’s nowhere easier to get around than the perfectly grid-like and inviting neighborhood called The Avenues, and the incredible views and hip vibe of Capitol Hill. Perhaps the quirkiest and artsiest neighborhood of Salt Lake, The Avenues/Capitol Hill combines beautiful historic residential neighborhoods with hip contemporary features like yoga and pilates studios, spas, and bed-and-breakfasts.

The highest levels of hipness are attained at Capitol Hill, the neighborhood that offers an unforgettable high-elevation view of the entire Salt Lake metropolitan area from Ensign Peak.

But there are plenty of other treats for your eyes (and camera!) from Capitol Hill, with an architecturally diverse array of gothic and victorian homes, world-class hiking and biking on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, and even restaurants that let you dine on the roof while enjoying the incomparable views.

University/Foothill 

There’s a true college town energy in the University/Foothill neighborhood, home of the esteemed University of Utah campus and 30,000 of the coolest college kids you’ll ever meet.

The clubs, bars, and restaurants mix a college and professional vibe; vintage and indie shops preserve a counterculture beat; and art museums, arboretums, and theaters make University/Foothill one of Salt Lake’s can’t-miss cultural hubs.

Granary/Ballpark

The buzz is growing around the emerging craft brewery district of Granary/Ballpark, with a generous lineup of gourmet gastropubs and warehouses being carefully restored into high-end microbreweries.

A magnificently walkable neighborhood, Granary/Ballpark offers quirky pop-up shops operating from shipping containers, ultramodern live-work lofts and—you guessed it—a ballpark that’s home to the AAA ball team, the Salt Lake Bees.

Airport/Fairgrounds

Even if you’re not lucky enough to visit during the Utah State Fair, this neighborhood that’s home to the Utah State Fairpark is still a midway of hip attractions all year long. Hotels and first-class convention centers naturally surround the Salt Lake City Airport, as do hotspots for travelers and conventioneers to let loose and enjoy their stay.

Millcreek/Holladay

Take note, outdoor adventure types, because Millcreek and Holladay are the gateways to skiing, hiking, and mountain climbing in the mighty Wasatch Mountains that surround Salt Lake. There’s even indoor rock climbing in Millcreek, plus other rainy-day indoor activities like bowling, retro arcades, and hipster and biker bars.

Hip Salt Lake is hopping to a different beat that deserves to be discovered, and each of these distinct microhoods is leading Salt Lake’s cultural transformation. With extreme outdoor sports, boutique and glamorous shopping, and a collection of cafes, restaurants, and nightclubs that makes this western town the new frontier of cool, these neighborhoods show the best of Salt Lake.