Secret #1 – I – 15 is the lifeblood of the state

Wherever you live, live close to I-15. You can live as far south as Payson and as far north as Brigham City and still have bus access to most of the Wasatch Front. Bus service doesn’t always run on the freeway so when shopping for an apartment stay close to main street or center street, which you will find in all Utah towns. Most bus lines will run on backroad highways rather than on the freeway to connect these towns together and the highways are what connect the center and main streets of the different communities.

Secret #2 – Bikes are Not Frowned Upon

In some status, there is a continuous fued between bikers and drivers, especially truck drivers. However, in Utah, bikes arent’ common enough to be annoying so if you ride a bike you will most likely get treated very well by Utah motorists. In many areas, they even have special bike routes setup and months designated for people to start riding their bikes to work and school. Don’t forget to wear a helmet and obey traffic laws though because although the motorists are friendly, the cops are not afraid to get after cyclists for being dumb and reckless.

Secret #3 – Get a Dirt Bike

I know I know, a dirt bike is another form of motorized transportation. But beacuse a lot of Utah is farm land and these kids grow up on ranches and back roads, many of them own and eventually sell dirt bikes that they have already made street legal. These can sell for a s little as $500 and get some crazy good gas mileage (try 60 mpg). Plus, there is special parking all over the place for motorcycles that poor car drivers just can’t take advantage of. Look on the local news websites for classified listings and you are sure to find a cheap one (KSL is a good one to start with).

If you look at the cost of living indicators for various cities, you will see that it is cheaper to live in Phoenix than it is in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles and Chicago. However, it is slightly more expensive than if you live in Salt Lake City. The cost of living in Phoenix has dropped since 2006, making housing more affordable. In addition, the city has the lowest combined state and local business tax in the country, making it less expensive to start and run a business. The property tax in the state is the seventh lowest in the country.

When you look at the cost of living in an area you have to look at the average prices of five main categories:

* Housing

* Food

* Utilities

* Transportation

* Insurance

When looking at the price of food, you also have to compare the cost of clothing and other retail items with those in other locations. Insurance includes both home and auto insurance. The estimates of how much it costs to live in Arizona are not very different from the estimates of other states. Some of the costs of living in Phoenix are slightly more than in the rest of the country, but the cost of living in Tuscon is the same, while those in Flagstaff and Yuma are lower than in other parts of the US. When calculating the costs of living expenses, you shouldn`t neglect to include leisure time costs as you do need to have some enjoyment.

The housing market is one area of importance to those wishing to live in Arizona. Houses are generally priced for the ordinary wage earner making it easier for you to own your own home. For students attending university in one of the cities in Arizona, the cost of living includes the price of your books and tuition. If you are not living on campus, you have to search for affordable rental housing. The closer you live to the university, the more you will pay for rent because this is the prime rental area for students. If you choose a location a bit farther away, then you have to measure the cost of transportation against the higher rent.

Many of the locals are employed by major businesses in the city such as Certiport, Dentrix, Goyin, HP Logoworks, Fidelity Investments, Tahitian Noni, True North Academy, and TwinLabs/IdeaSphere.  Some of the surrounding cities are Highland, Cedar Hills, Pleasant Grove, Lehi, Alpine, Vineyard, Lindon, and Saratoga Springs.  Provo and Salt Lake are conveniently located only 20 to 30 minutes away.  Therefore, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, Mountainland Applied Technology College and Provo College are all within driving range. 

Climate norms average a July high of 91 degrees and a January low of 20.  About 17 inches of rain and 42 inches of snow fall each year.  Locals enjoy using their leisure time playing a round of golf at Fox Hollow or spending time in the breath taking American Fork Canyon.  The city has their annual Steel Days celebration every year for one week in the summer.  An unbeatable location allows access within a half day to many of Utah’s monuments, recreational areas and national parks.  It also provides a lot of great real estate in American Fork.  

The number of homes sold actually increased by a small percentage last quarter but prices slightly decreased.  It is a great time to buy Utah homes.

Larnaca is the oldest living city of Cyprus. Legend has it that the first settlement at the spot was founded by Noah’s great-grandson Kittim. Unlike other ancient cities of Cyprus, which were abandoned by their inhabitants, Larnaca from the time of its founding 6,000 years ago, has existed and still exists on the same site.

The city of Larnaka is well-known for its picturesque sea-front which includes rows of palm trees. Much of the activity is centred around the city promenade during the major festivals. The most important of these for the city of Larnaka is Kataklysmos or the Festival of the Flood, celebrated in early summer with a series of cultural events.

It has a population of 72,000 and is the island’s second commercial port and an important tourist resort. To the north of the town lies the island’s oil refinery. The famous stoic philosopher Zeno of Citium hailed from the city. It is said he began his stoic teaching after losing everything he had in a shipwreck.

A famous Athenian general, Kimon, died at sea defending the city of Citium in a major battle with the Persians of Xerxes. On his deathbed, he urged his officers to conceal his death from both allied and Persians. The quote “Και Νεκρος Ενικα” “Even in death he was victorious” refers to Kimon. A statue of “Kimon the Athenian” stands proudly on the sea front promenade of modern Larnaca.

In 1974 Turkey invaded the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Army displaced by force about 200,000 Greek-Cypriots, the inhabitants of its Northern part. Larnaca received and welcomed over 40.000 refugees, thus tripling its population overnight, now at 65,000.

Larnaca – Tourist Resort

Larnaca is one of the major seaside resorts in Cyprus. There are numerous beaches in and around Larnaca which which extend for approx 25 km (16 mi). The main Phinikoudes and McKenzie beaches both have been awarded Blue Flags for environmental cleanliness. With Cyprus Car Hire you can easily explore all the beaches and find your perfect spot you like.

The archaeological sites and its six museums are in the centre of the town. Summer sports and sea activities are readily available. The shops are well stocked and medical care is good. There is one main six-screen cinema called ‘K-Cineplex’ which opened in 2001 and is on the edge of the town. Most English language films are shown in English with Greek subtitles.

Within the wider Larnaca district there are 9,500 hotel beds, about 10% of the total all island tourist capacity. Along the Larnaca Bay there are luxurious beach hotels and also hotel apartments or holiday apartments within all price ranges. Prices are generally lower than the rest of the island.

Places of interest

The most important site of Larnaca are the ruins of Ancient Kitium. The earliest architectural remains date back to the 13th century B.C. The area was rebuilt by Achaean Greeks. The remains of the Cyclopean Walls, made of giant blocks and the complex of the five temples, are particularly interesting.

Larnaca Salt Lake fills with water during the winter and is visited by flocks of flamingoes who stay here from November till the end of March. It dries up in the summer. It used to yield a good quality of salt which was scraped from its dried up surface. The salt from this lake is now considered unfit for human consumption.

Ayia Phaneromeni is a rock cavern with two chambers. The structure suggests that it once was a pagan tomb, possibly dating back to Phoenician times. The place is credited with various magical properties: thus those who suffer from headaches or other diseases walk three times round it and leave a piece of clothing or a tuft of their hair on the grill in front of the south window. It is also much frequented by girls, whose lovers are overseas, who come here to pray for their safety.

The Church of Lazarus is another magnificent Orthodox Church in Larnaca which was built in the town over the tomb of St. Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. He died here and was buried in the church named after him. In 890 A.D. his tomb was found bearing the inscription “Lazarus the friend of Christ”. The marble sarcophagus can be seen inside the church under the Holy of Holies.

The Hala Sultan Tekke is about 5 km (3 mi) west of Larnaka, on the banks of the Salt Lake. It is equivalent to the Christian “monastery”. Within the precincts of this Tekke is the tomb of Umm Haram, said to be the foster mother of Mohammed. According to Moslem tradition Umm Haram died on this spot in 647 A.D. while accompanying the Arab invaders. She was buried here and later the Ottomans built the present mosque in her honour.
The Old Aqueduct known as “The Kamares”, stands outside the town on the way to Limassol. It was built in Roman style in 1745 to carry water from a source about 6 miles south of Larnaka into the town. The aqueduct is illuminated at night.

Another site of interest is the Fort of Larnaca which was erected by the Turks in 1625. This fort is now a museum and its inner courtyard is used as an open air garden – theatre during the summer months, by kind permission of the director of antiquities.

There you have it, there is certainly plenty to see and do in Larnaca.