My wife and I lived in Utah for about 5 years and we felt that people with a lot of family in the state were pretty closed off because they already had a good social network. We found that the only people that we really "clicked" with were people that were also from out of state and had less family around. It just seems like people really didn't have a "need" to have a network of friends because they already had lots of family close by and friends that they'd known for ages.

It was almost comical how unfriendly people were. We went out of town and my family needed a place to stay. The Bishopric introduced themselves, and my family told them they were staying at our house and no one in the Bishopric had a clue who we were. Keep in mind that we'd been active in the ward for years. It's like no one bothers to get to know you. The only people that ever invited us over (without us initiating it first), were transplants from other states.

I realize experiences will vary widely from area to area, and from ward to ward, but we've found our wards in other states to be infinitely more welcoming and friendly.

Also, it's worth mentioning that it's less of a concern with kids (we didn't have any when we lived there) because kids are just generally more friendly, and you end up making friends with your kids' friends anyways.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time in Utah....but it did seem rather unfriendly.