Oh, and the Cell Phone Reception is Great Too

At the end of Nephi and his family’s long and painful journey through the wilderness, the Lord finally led them to rest on the seashore. “We were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore,” Nephi writes, “and we called the place Bountiful, because of its much fruit.”

Bountiful, Utah – named after both Nephi’s settlement on the seashore, and where the Savior came to visit the Americas – does not have that much fruit. It has fairly average amounts of fruit, most of which you can find at the local grocery stores – Dick’s and Winegars. What it does host “much” of, are things even more wonderful than – but equally healthy as – fruit. These are the things I fell in love with when as I grew up; the things that make Bountiful, without a doubt, qualm, or concern, the absolute best hometown ever settled.

Though present-day Bountiful may not be as celebrated for its fruit as other places are, it is celebrated for a few other food items, beginning with my personal favorite – that lying within the borders of this city is a Café Rio, one of the most delicious (and wonderfully accessible) restaurants ever founded.

Just a few meters down Highway-89 from the Café Rio is a majestic, doughnut-shaped building. This is Woods Cross High School. My high school. A veritable heaven-on-earth for any teenager who has ever had the slightest of musical inclination. It was a wonderful place to go after junior high, far from the embarrassment and misery of that time. The students were friendly and cared about their education – and the faculty did too. Most everyone there had high standards and genuine zeal for the Gospel. For a modern-day high school, it was practically Zion.

We Bountifulians were lucky enough to have more than one heaven-on-earth in our average-sized city. The Bountiful temple was a mere ten minutes drive away from my house. At night, its sweet white glow was the crowning jewel of our city, capping the lush, rolling hills and plunging valleys. The temple made our beautiful shifting of the seasons even more exquisite. In spring it was surrounded by the blooming flowers; in summer, soaring leafy trees. Autumn scattered leaves of crimson and auburn around its grounds; and in winter, the temple was even more brilliant, reflecting bright, cold blue from the sky and the pallor of the snowy landscape. (This particular landscape was made even more enjoyable by the golf courses nearby. Big hills for putting make for excellent places to sled.)

Whether we were feasting on Café Rio, attending school, or going to the temple, by far the best thing about Bountiful is the people. My fellow Bountifulians are inspiring. Some of the most intelligent, clever, compassionate people I have ever met have chosen to make Bountiful, Utah their home.

Nephi rejoiced when he and his family settled in their Bountiful because they finally had a place to rest. I feel the same about my Bountiful. It’s a place of beauty and peace, a city of exemplary individuals and average amounts of very delicious fruit. It truly is the best hometown anyone could ask for.