The opinions stated in this article are solely those of the author. 

It has been 53 years since I moved to Davis County, a transition scoffed at by many of my fellow college graduates in Salt Lake City. Why would I move out of an urban community, the hub of sports and entertainment? As one

 friend said, “Davis County? It has no soul!”

What was not too long ago a place for farmers and Air Force jets has since exploded in population, and, while it still lacks all the social life amenities of Utah’s capital, it is not a smattering of nothing-to-do suburbs sandwiched between the mountains and the Great Salt Lake. 

Davis County has a host of notable commercial and public features. Here are four of my personal favorites:

BOUNTIFUL’S MAIN STREET – The city has retained a community feel by restoring a major corridor with unique architecture and small business ventures. From a bookstore to a cash-only sandwich shop to a neighborhood bakery to a well-stocked pharmacy to a specialized shoe store for athletes, Main Street is a safe, walkable remembrance of what cities used to offer before the chain stores took over. Meander down the street, take a peek in the retail windows, relax and munch on a muffin and whistle while you walk like Andy Griffith. (No, you are in Bountiful, not Mayberry.)

FARMINGTON’S WILD FIN RESTAURANT – Davis County finally has a great restaurant, comparable to some of the finest hot spots in Las Vegas, Seattle, or Denver. Prices are slightly higher (some $5-6 more than the competition), but the portions are larger, and the presentations are spot on. Order grilled parmesan-crusted trout with a unique mustard sauce…or two healthy pieces of rockfish topped with a crab and shrimp sauce…or a pork chop trio dusted with citrus and apple salsa…or slices of peppercorn-crusted steak…or sample a fresh piece of salmon (simple-style) along with a coconut cream pie as large as a discus. You won’t find a better restaurant north of downtown Salt Lake, and Station Park makes parking more convenient.

CENTERVILLE’S CENTERPOINT LEGACY THEATER – Sure, it’s not Broadway, but neither are the ticket prices to see top-notch local talent with generally superior stagecraft/scenery. While the most recent offering (“A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder”) is one of my least favorite plays, the production values were still reliably strong. The theater has presented more hits than misses and the sound is better than the often muddled and pricy shows at SLC’s Eccles Theater.  Yes, CenterPoint is community theater – but it’s top-notch community theater and a great value. 

LAYTON’S DAVIS ARTS COUNCIL’S SUMMER NIGHTS WITH THE STARS – The concert series began years ago with local cloggers, but now offers residents nationally-known artists. Who would think the Doobie Brothers, Chicago, Gordon Lightfoot, Melissa Etheridge, Huey Lewis and the News, Olivia Newton-John, Bruce Hornsby, and Idina Menzel would perform in a small 1,800 seat amphitheater only two miles from a Gentile Street onion field? Tickets go fast, but the 2024 season (not yet announced) is sure to include some of music’s best-known stars with ticket prices a fraction of what you would pay in larger cities. Not to mention the closer views and easier parking.

Davis County is not the same place I moved to in 1971. To my old friends who questioned my move, I can now say, “Davis County…You know, it’s a pretty cool place!”  

Bryan Gray, a longtime Davis County resident, is a former school teacher and has been a columnist for more than 26 years in newspapers along the Wasatch Front.