The land I'm from spans from desert and red rock canyons at the bottom of the state up to one of the most beautiful mountain ranges and snow caps up top.



Salt Lake City has been on the rise for the past ten years and has been inventing itself into a hopping restaurant and downtown scene, and has consistently been on the Top Friendliest Gay Cities list for years, and were one of the states to mandate gay marriage before it became a federal mandate, which I never thought would happen. We need to do better with diversity regarding race inclusion, but I think that we're getting there. We have a lot of fun festivals, parades and celebrations, and the second largest comic con in the nation. Salt Lake is so nerd and geek friendly that it's almost obtuse.

I don't know how proud I am of Utah as a whole. Utah has a lot of problems that it turns a blind eye to; the state is run almost entirely on a religious basis, though I've seen some more actual separation of church and state over the last few years and hope to see more. There are a lot of problems with drugs and teen pregnancies. The suicide epidemic isn't talked about, and it needs to be. We do a pretty okay about our homeless problem, and have made revolutionary strides in aiding homeless that have inspired other states to handle them in a more humane and inclusive capacity. Utah as a whole still struggles, but seeing the progression Salt Lake has made for itself over the last decade makes me really proud.

The land I currently live in is almost everything I think I could want from a city.



Portland is wonderful. It's taken me a long time to find a place to live in that makes me happy and where I feel at home. I've moved constantly throughout my life and have lived in five different states, and Portland feels as close to what I would want my home to be like. Downtown reminds me of San Francisco, and I don't miss it as much. I'm less than two hours from the ocean, four hours from Seattle, and six hours from the Redwood National Forest, Canada, and from my mom in Idaho.

The bar and restaurant scene here is incredible. It's smurfing incredible. The food trucks, the ice cream shops, the bakeries, the coffee shops. I never imagined living somewhere where food was so important and good food was so freely and readily accessible for a good price. The farmer's markets are wonderful. You don't have to throw down a ton of cash to enjoy a really good meal.

We have the largest bookstore in the world, and it is a beauty to behold. We're a bunch of bleeding heart liberals, and I love living in a place where I know many of the people who are around me identify with similar politics as myself. We have amazing hikes within a twenty-minute drive, literally just stepping foot outside the city. I love the climate; I love how much rain we get. I love the dog parks. I love how everyone here is friendly and polite. I love how there is fog in the morning when I wake up. We recently made marijuana legal here, and I feel like even though I'm tired of hearing about it from stoners, it was a good move to make. We have a ridiculous plethora of theaters that do second-runs on some of the most fantastic films, and I love the idea that at any time I want, I can probably hit a theater in town somewhere and probably see Raiders of the Lost ark. I love the obsession here with video game and arcade bars, and we have plans to build more. I love the unique festivals and events that our city pulls together - The Naked Bike Ride, Baconfest, Festival of the Roses, Pirate and Gypsy festival, Lavender Weekend, our film festivals, comedy festivals, a million beerfests throughout the summer, etc.

Portland is where I discovered I wanted to do comedy, and the comedy scene here couldn't have been a better place for me to begin. It has some of the most wonderful, funny, and creative people I've ever known, and everyone is quirky enough to seem like they all belong here.

We do have problems with drug use and crime and homelessness. The homelessness here is rampant; it's unlike anything I've ever seen. It may have something to do with the liberal politics in this town, but it's almost alarming. The city is trying to come to a resolution on what to do with these problems, and we're still probably a while away from solving them. Portland also has a history of being unfortunately racist, but I think people have been trying to change that for a while now.

I love where I live. I'm happy to live here. It has everything I need and want.