Salt Lake City Co-Working spaces and green bananas

If I say how Salt Lake City is the growing tech hub with influx of tech talent you probably will not be surprised. Jobs are plentiful and opportunities are flying around like flies around shit.

I've lived here for 1.5 years and I still strongly believe finding a remote job is a better approach to living in Salt Lake City. Here is my top 3 reasons why:

1. Chit chatting with recruiters that come to some events senior engineer would expect to get somewhere between 100-135K. That's not all that impressive.
2. There is no life without a car. If you live downtown your're among  concrete buildings surrounded with highways. Outside of the "downtown" sidewalks are scarce. That means if you'd like to take a short walk, you'll need to drive to it first. Expect lots of time spent in the car.
3. All that tech talent poring into Salt Lake City is great, but there is a vast difference between San Francisco and Salt Lake City. I'm not talking about tech credentials or talent but about entrepreneurial spirit. People move here because they're starting families or they like the great outdoors (it's really impressive), not because they'd like to start something that would change the world. Obviously there is a community of people like that but much smaller than in San Francisco, which is an anomaly in the world of tech anyways. So if you'd like to find few those who do, you need to get yourself out of the house and start looking. It's going to take a while.

So I got my self a remote job that pays a bit better and started looking for a co-working space. It's great working from home, but every now and then it's also nice to be surrounded by other people. And in hopes I encounter some of that entrepreneurial spirit.  

The one thing in with the work spaces that offer some food or snack is that they serve "green" bananas. I don't know what that's about. Is it cost savings? What's the idea behind green bananas? I need to know!  

WeWork

Location: 250 E 200 S WeWork- Floor 16

The good

• Convenient location
• Really good for drop-ins (the first time you get a card refillable over the WeWork app)
• Not crowded

The bad

• Nowhere to leave your bike (for free) or park your car for free
• No real tech events

Office Space for Rent in Salt Lake City | WeWork

Use WeWork to find office space in Salt Lake City. Browse furnished office space with private amenities and conference rooms perfect for large teams.

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Church & State

I've rented their dedicated space for nearly 6 months.

The good

• People are very nice and accommodating
• You can set up your computer wherever you like
• You can modify the space you work into your liking

The bad

• The space for dedicated desks is only half usable due to the back light shining through the window into the monitor. So make sure to position just right.
• Your stuff might get moved at some point in time without you knowing.
• It's hosting Weddings almost every Saturday

Location: 370 S 300 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Home - Church and State - Office Space, Event Space, and Co-Working

Church and State is a 501(c)(3) Non Profit Business Incubator based in Salt Lake City, Utah offering event space, co-working, and office space.

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The Kiln - Salt Lake City

I've rented a dedicated desk.

The good

• Very helpful staff
• Beautiful environment
• Nice chairs
• Good tables but only in community shared space
• Surprisingly good coffee
• Most financial and room booking is done through the mobile app and web app.
• Snacks included everyday (dedicated tables).

The bad

• Price (dedicated table, $425.00/month + $25.00/month parking)
• Dedicated is not really dedicated but shared with 4 other people.
• Wobbly tables (tables are shared with 4 people. You can feel every keystroke from the person sitting apposite/next and diagonally of you). This was a deal breaker for me.
• You must be careful when selecting  a seat due to the bright light at only specific spots. The shades don't really help if you choose the wrong spot.
• It's in a shopping center (the one in Salt Lake City), the place where dreams go to die
• No free coffee for open seating space, only dedicated desks and offices.
• I've also heard seats are a deterrent for many who'd like to just drop in now and then

It seems they're very much invested into renting offices rather than dedicated desks and drop-ins.

Coworking Office Spaces for Rent | Utah, Idaho, & Colorado | Kiln

Kiln is the best coworking office space with locations in Utah and Colorado. Startup your business and expand in a unique shared office community. Book a tour.

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The Shop

That's the only one that's worth mentioning that I haven't tried yet. Maybe soon.