People who travel outside Utah know that there are tons of amazing big cities out there that offer just about everything you can imagine. When they get back home, our largest city seems tiny by comparison. Well, the website Movehub just came out with a list of the most hip cities in the entire world…and Salt Lake City came in third!
First place on the list went to the city of Brighton and Hove in the United Kingdom. Second place wouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone who’s visited…Portland, Oregon. Salt Lake City came in third, right behind Portland. Are you shocked? Read on to find out why our capital city ranked so high.
When non-Utahns think of Salt Lake City, Utah, many think of Mormons wearing bonnets and pushing handcarts, and a big temple in the middle of downtown. While our roots certainly come from the pioneers, those of us who live here know that there’s a lot more to the city.
Ken Lund/flickr
Little by little, Salt Lake is turning into a vibrant city with plenty to see and do.
Micah Sheldon/flickr
Movehub considered five factors when choosing the most hip cities in the world: Number of record shops, coffee shops, vintage boutiques, vegan restaurants, and tattoo parlors per 100,000 people.
Micah Sheldon/flickr
Salt Lake has plenty of restaurants offering vegan fare, including Zest Kitchen, located at 275 S. 200 W.
management/Tripadvisor
This hip spot serves up plenty of fresh vegan and vegetarian options.
management/Tripadvisor
Independent coffee shops thrive in Salt Lake City, and Alchemy Coffee at 390 E. 1700 S. is just one of them.
Alchemy Coffee/Facebook
The coffee shops here are all friendly and welcoming, and many offer live music weekly.
Alchemy Coffee/Facebook
Vinyl has made a huge comeback in the last several years, and Salt Lake City has record hounds covered.
Eddie J/Google
Randy’s Records has been around since before millennial hipsters were born, and they still have a great selection. Other shops include Graywhale, Diabolical Records, Raunch Records, and Sound and Vision Vinyl.
Dan Rustan/Google
The number of vintage boutiques was another factor that Movehub considered when compiling its list of hip cities.
iconoCLAD/Googld
Salt Lake has plenty of vintage shops where you’ll find clothing, housewares, vintage decor and more. Pictured is iconoCLAD, at 414 E. 300 S..
iconoCLAD/Googld
Your grandma might be scandalized to hear this, but Salt Lake City has plenty of tattoo parlors.
SLC Ink Tattoo/Google
This ink is from SLC Ink Tattoos, but there are many other talented tattoo artists all over town who create amazing designs.
SLC ink/Google
Aside for the five factors that Movehub counted, we can’t help but think that our many Salt Lake area hiking trails didn’t help us rank high on fabulousness.
Ali Eminov/flickr
So, what do you think? Does Salt Lake City deserve its place on the list of most hip cities in the world?
Adam Barhan/flickr
Salt Lake City might be the most hip, but there are many gorgeous places in the Beehive State to explore. Here are 11 to check out this spring.
Ken Lund/flickr
Micah Sheldon/flickr
management/Tripadvisor
Alchemy Coffee/Facebook
Eddie J/Google
Dan Rustan/Google
iconoCLAD/Googld
SLC Ink Tattoo/Google
SLC ink/Google
Ali Eminov/flickr
Adam Barhan/flickr
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
