For Azim Kakaie, Utah felt like home from the very beginning.
The mountains in Salt Lake City look like the rugged terrain of his hometown in central Afghanistan. Kakaie assisted U.S. forces during America's 20-year war there, becoming eligible for an American visa through his service. He diligently researched the best place for his family to settle before picking Utah, sold on the state's economic opportunities, low crime, community values, and those familiar mountains. "It was my first option, my first choice to come to Utah," he says.
