Why I Live in Ogden

“Why am I in Ogden?” That was the question that was asked, and I have one page to tell you why.

Once back in Utah, I just kept seeing press release after press release about Ogden. What really caught my eye is when Salomon moved their headquarters here. That for me was the tipping point.

My background/degree is in art and design, but I also have affection for historic homes and buildings. The more time I spent in Ogden, the more I learned about its rich history associated with the meeting of the transcontinental railroad. It was a time of wealth and opulence that decades later fell on hard times. This created an overwhelming opportunity for me to get involved with bringing these historic properties back to life. Most of the homes have finishes you couldn’t afford to put in a home today… the homes just needed a little love.

We moved our small family right into the heart of downtown. We started buying and restoring homes by the dozens and even branched out into some commercial projects as well. Before I knew it I was doing design work for ski brands, acting as a real estate broker of my own brokerage, buying and restoring properties, renting properties, building out and running a bar, and still skiing as often as I’d like… And there are only more projects coming.

Life is tricky in that when you pick one road you also miss out on a wide variety of others. You only get so much time to explore the world around you. Eventually we’ll all run out of time before we get to see and do all of the things that capture our imagination. For me, Ogden has made it possible to live so many different lives all at once. All of my projects are within 10 blocks of each other and Snowbasin is a mere 25 minutes away. I can ski all morning, even handle calls and emails on the gondolas, and be back downtown taking care of business in no time.

There’s a quality of life here in Ogden that I just can’t see beating… especially when you factor in the cost of living. Our lives have changed dramatically for the positive since we made the move to Ogden. It’s been fun to help with the revitalization efforts of the city and we’ve made some really incredible friends as well. I’m excited to see where the new few years will take us. I’m always looking for my next property/project.

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Jared Allen