Name: Hollie Christiansen

From: Eagle Mountain

To: Vernon

There are many reasons why people want to move to a small town, but there are usually more reasons that stop people from moving to a small town. For Hollie Christiansen, the good reasons outweighed the bad.

Hollie, 26, and her husband Christian, 28, moved to Vernon from Eagle Mountain last March when they decided they needed their own space.

"We wanted our own land, and we wanted to raise our kids in the country," she said. The Christiansens have two children, Hans, 3, and Dane, 18 months.

"We also wanted to be able to raise our children around animals, which I think is very important, and that just isn't possible in the city," Hollie added.

Both Hollie and her husband have college degrees, but they prefer rural life to city life. Christian is a woodworker and owns his own company, which he runs from a shop in his backyard. Hollie is a stay-at-home mom, and loves spending time with her children.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she said.

Hollie feels that one of the best things about the town of Vernon is the people.

"The people are genuine," she said. "You don't find values elsewhere like you do in Vernon."

Hollie and Christian met when their little sisters set them up on a blind date shortly after Christian returned from serving an LDS mission in Sweden. Both of their families live in Utah County.

Despite the inconvenience of living so far from shopping areas and family, Hollie said everything else about the town makes up for it.

"We just love everything about Vernon," she said.

compiled by Jessica Durrant

If you're a newcomer or know of a newcomer who'd like to share the story of why they moved to Tooele County, please contact Sarah Miley at (435) 882-0050 or via e-mail at swest@tooeletranscript.com.