More Utah Questions

[becca_g]

Follow up to my previous post: http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=361943 ...

I will be interviewing in Sandy next month and staying an extra day to get a feel for the area since it will be my first trip to Utah. In addition to checking out the scenery, shopping, restaurants, etc., I plan to spend a good amount of time exploring areas where we might consider living.

Any suggestions for specific towns/neighborhoods I should drive through (not looking to actually house hunt)? Below are characteristics of our "ideal" location (in no particular order):

1) Small town or suburbs
2) Affordable housing
3) Private lot (the larger the better)
4) Great views
5) Easy access to trails and other outdoor activities
6) Short or no commute
7) 30 minutes or less to airport (position requires frequent travel)
8) Good schools
9) Low crime
10) Opportunities for DS to participate in group activities/sports (we're non-LDS)

Anything else I should check out while I'm there?

Thanks!

[mom2binsd]

I can try to address a few of the points. I do miss our home and neighborhood and friends.

One of my fav restaurants in the Sandy/Cottonwood area is Market Street Grill.

http://www.ginc.com/cottmsg/index.html

I also love Cafe Trio nearby.

Pretty much most of the SL valley will be a 30 min drive to the airport, unless you hit really bad traffic, my best friend lives in Draper and she travels frequently and she makes it there no problem in 30 min (it's right off the freeway).

As for schools, that really varies, almost by neighborhood.

My old neighborhood of Willow Creek (it's off Highland Drive/2000 East and at about 8600 South) had a wonderful public school, Brookwood. We still have friends that have kids there. I'd classify it as suburbia, we had views of the mountains out almost every window,a decent sized lot, variety in housing style and a mix of LDS/non LDS. Houses ranged from about 275K to 700K, mostly at the lower end though.

I just quickly looked up a house for sale to give you an idea, it's pretty big sq.foot wise, it's in my old neighborhood.
The first is a friends house up for sale, it was about 4 houses down from mine, lovely home!
http://www.utahhomes.com/Property/PropertyDetails.aspx?SearchID=1258451&PropertyID=95976&RowNum=14&StateID=51&RegionID=0&IsRegularPS=True

http://www.utahhomes.com/Property/PropertyDetails.aspx?SearchID=1258451&PropertyID=94582&RowNum=2&StateID=51&RegionID=0&IsRegularPS=True
I'd avoid West Valley City (high crime).

I would not live in Park City/Jeremy Ranch- killer drive in winter, too far, esp if job is in Sandy.

I think most of the valley is pretty safe.

Oh- once you figure out the east/west and north/south way they refer to everything it'll be easier.

My husband learned east/west by saying, the big/pretty mountains are East (Wasatch range) and the small/ugly ones are West (Orquirrh range).

As for activities, they are available everywhere.

Generally, if you are further south than Draper, closer to Provo the more LDS you'll find, same goes with some of the more northern communities.

There's an area called the Avenues near downtown, pretty older homes, lots of character, more urban/diverse, not sure about the schools, that's Granite District, I worked in Jordan and don't know much about the SLC schools.

All along the East side of town/the Bench you'll find older more established neighborhoods. I love the area Holladay, it's got a variety of homes and bigger lots. There are a few schools in there that are quite good.

The West side of town has newer developments, lots of new retail. The schools tend to vary as well.

Personally I'd avoid a house that is super close to an LDS church (ward house), they tend to be right in the middle of many neighborhoods and I wouldn't want to be right beside or a few houses down (lots of traffic, etc.)

The trails etc in both Cottonwood Canyons are great, I lived within a 20 min drive of so many great trails where I lived.

Draper has also exploded with growth. I know the schools can be crowded, but again it really depends on which one. There's an IKEA in Draper and lots of retail.

My friend's daughter attends Waterford, a private non-denominational school, very pricey,but there are other private schools, charter schools etc to choose from.

I know StantonHyde and geochick both live in Salt Lake and they can give you more info too.

[ha98ed14]

I don't have any specifics, but as something I would encourage you to look at also, as much as one can in a day or two, is culture. I grew up in New England and if you are a liberal Mass type, Utah is pretty much the opposite end of the earth socio-politically. From the time I have spent in Utah, I feel like it has a very different feel from the Northeast, and certainly than MA. (I think they do have Rs in Mass, but I never saw any when I was there. ;)) The general culture is very different because people's frame of reference for things is very different. Also, prepare yourself for the landscape. Desert scrub has nothing on New England Falls! I was literally in shock for the first year I lived out west (CA).

[mom2binsd]

I agree with the culture difference, I am a liberal Canadian, but I also found many similar minded folk. I also have many conservative friends and did not found too much that really makes me want to run and hide!

The landscape up in the mountains is much nicer than the valley, but we did have pretty falls and lovely winters. I went to college in Vermont and nothing beats that but it's not too bad.

DH has relocated to AZ, now that's brown!

[becca_g]

Thanks, everyone, for the extremely helpful feedback so far!

DH and I are both originally from fairly conservative areas in the South. My sister had a really good Mormon friend growing up, but that has been my only personal exposure to the Mormon faith.

I do prefer lush greenery vs. a more arid landscape, but DH and I both love mountainous areas. We're also very outdoorsy, especially DH. I have family in Wyoming and Colorado, and DH would move either of those places in a heartbeat.

I have no issues with living alongside LDS neighbors although I would prefer a bit of diversity for DS's sake. My biggest concern is that because we are non-LDS DS might be excluded from many of the activities outside of school that his friends participate in.

[ha98ed14]

I have no issues with living alongside LDS neighbors although I would prefer a bit of diversity for DS's sake. My biggest concern is that because we are non-LDS DS might be excluded from many of the activities outside of school that his friends participate in.

I'd be worried about that too. I live in SoCal and we have a fairly high pop of Mormons here too, but not the majority by any means. Are you religious? Maybe something you want to look into would be finding a church or synagogue or [insert house of worship here] that has an active social calendar. I know that many "mega churches" have extensive activities to be involved with. We have this one in OC called Saddleback Church. I've never been there, but it is like it's own city. They even have play groups for kids. Anyway, just an idea.

[becca_g]

I'd be worried about that too. I live in SoCal and we have a fairly high pop of Mormons here too, but not the majority by any means. Are you religious? Maybe something you want to look into would be finding a church or synagogue or [insert house of worship here] that has an active social calendar. I know that many "mega churches" have extensive activities to be involved with. We have this one in OC called Saddleback Church. I've never been there, but it is like it's own city. They even have play groups for kids. Anyway, just an idea.

Thanks for the suggestion! Yes, we're Protestant and would plan to join a church.

[StantonHyde]

Is your potential job in Sandy? If so, you would want to live closer to there. As a politically liberal person, I prefer to live in Salt Lake City. I live in the Avenues area and I ran the trails from my house this morning. Other areas are: Harvard/Yale, St. Marys, etc. Basically, anything north of 3300 South and East of 900 East will be fairly liberal. There will be a good mix of folks and plenty of kids to play with etc.

You will be doing an opposite commute to Sandy but rush hour is still rushour. It takes me 20-30 mins to get to the aquarium at 10600 South (Sandy). Housing anywhere in Salt Lake County is not necessarily cheap. You can spend less and get more if you go out south and west--but then long commute, etc. Living in SLC--we have great restaurants, stuff to do for kids, trails, etc etc. But the houses are more.

As for landscape--there is NOTHING more beautiful than the Wastach Front with snow still on it. I fell in love with the desert years ago and cannot get enough of it. We xericscaped our front yard with water wise plants and it is beautiful. Not to mention--NO HUMIDITY--I love it. The west is big sky and great wide open spaces. When I go back east, I feel claustrophobic with all those trees. We ski in the winter, go to the desert in the spring and fall, and hit the mountains in the summer.

As for culture, one of the awesome things about the west is that you are not tied to social status the way it can be in the East Coast. (I lived in the PHilly area for 11 years) Anyone can join the country club--just pay the dues. When I was in Philly, there were clubs that didn't take people of a certain race or religion. We are members of the Jewish Community Center and the majority of members probably aren't Jewish--they have a great center and day camp so we all joined! Your opportunities are more wide open here--it truly is a place where people can reinvent themselves.

Shopping places to see: South Towne Mall area, Fashion Place Mall area, Gateway City Center (has children's museum and planetarium). Gardner Village, Sugarhouse, 9th and 9th district. Geochick probably knows more stuff down south--she lives in Sandy. They are renovating all of downtown--it should be awesome when it is done. The Temple grounds are pretty to see.

Other places: The University of Utah has a great arboreteum and a large trail network around it. Its gorgeous to see the canyons--pick one and drive up! City Creek Park, Liberty Park, lots and lots of Parks!!! The Zoo, This is the Place Park (living history center)

I would recommend checking out a guide book from the library or getting one when you are here. It is helpful to get the lay of the land. Feel free to PM if you want.

[daniele_ut]

I'm a Utah transplant. I moved to Utah 10 years ago when dh and I got married and he had a full scholarship to the University of Utah. We stayed once he finished because we both had great jobs. I converted to the LDS church when I was 23, so I spent most of my life as a Catholic in Northern NJ, but also lived in PA, IN and OH before I settled in Utah, so I have a little perspective on comparing Utah to other parts of the country.

I do miss the East coast, and we are here visiting family right now, but we love the lifestyle we lead there. Our standard of living is so much better than it would be if we still lived in NJ. My house is 2x the size of my sister's house here and she pays 10x the taxes that I do and STILL can't send her kids to the public schools. There are some lovely neighborhoods near the University, but if you are looking for a large lot, as you mentioned, then you'd be looking in Sandy, Draper, Herriman area anyway. We live in Murray, which is a 10-15 minute commute to downtown, is 15 minutes to the airport, has amazing shopping less than a mile away, a great city park in walking distance with a wonderful rec center that has an indoor pool and outdoor pool. Our lot is .25 acre, but that's plenty for us. I grew up in a city apartment so this feels huge to me.

In terms of cultural diversity, I do find that Utah is lacking a bit, but overall we really do love it. We ski as a family, we enjoy hiking and camping. We spend a lot of time outdoors year round.

As I mentioned, we are members of the LDS church, but we have quite a few friends who are not. Our kids attend a daycare/elementary school at a local Lutheran church. The demographics of Utah are changing rapidly as more companies have expanded here and brought in a lot of transplants. There was a time when the state was 75% LDS, but it's less than 60% now and declining every year as the population grows from outside the state. I think it's a great thing that the state is becoming more diverse.

PM me if you have any questions. If we were in the state, I'd be happy to show you around a bit!

[StantonHyde]

Daniele is right about the Murray pool!! We go most Sundays in the summer because it is HUGE and has a great slide--and their indoor pool is awesome too.

I was thinking yesterday that if you are here on a Thursday or Friday, I could certainly drive around with you for a morning or afternoon. That is one cool thing about Utah--people are really, really nice. This is the only place where I have gotten into arguments in line saying that the OTHER person was first not me and they are arguing that I was first--try that in New York!!!!

[WolfpackMom]

I gew up mostly on the East Coast and DH's family is actually from Sandy. Its a nice area to live, very pretty. As PP have said, there are strong cultural differences between the East Coast and Utah. We live in the convservative south now and there are even strong differences in terms of behavior between here and there. I would make sure that you do a lot of research regarding diversity and common social practices there if those aspects of living are important to you. That being said, people are friendly and Park City isnt far away and is a fun place to visit!

[ehlana06]

DH told me to tell you to stay away from the Ogden area. It has ALOT of problems with drugs and gangs. He grew up there and said if we were to ever move back to Utah it would be far from there.

[becca_g]

Is your potential job in Sandy?

Yes, my job would be in Sandy in the general vicinity of South Towne Center I believe.

[becca_g]

PM me if you have any questions. If we were in the state, I'd be happy to show you around a bit!

Thanks!!! I will likely take you up on the offer to PM you.

[becca_g]

I was thinking yesterday that if you are here on a Thursday or Friday, I could certainly drive around with you for a morning or afternoon.

Thanks!!! I will PM you.

[becca_g]

Anyone familiar with Daybreak (http://www.daybreakutah.com/) in South Jordan? Sounds like it might be something to consider as well.

[geochick]

I live in Sandy. I'm a non-Mormon. Most of my neighbors are Mormon, but I''m mostly okay with that (I have a few issues with them, but that's for another thread or a PM).

If you want cheap property, and lots of it, look on the west side of I-15. It's incredibly new out there, and you couldn't pay me to live on that side (no trees, really young families, etc), but several people I know want more property, and more house for their money, so they move to places like Herriman. Property is expensive on the east side...anywhere.

Daybreak is a very planned community. I believe they are or soon will be on the Trax train line. Some people like the community, others are a little too close to their neighbors.

If it were me moving to Sandy, coming from the east, I'd move to Holladay (expensive, but lots of older homes, tons of trees, good schools) or Cottonwood Heights. I'd also consider Olympus Cove - lived there for a while, and I LOVED it. Commuting very far is overrated. My dh commutes from Sandy to the University. It's fine on a Sunday afternoon, but with any kind of traffic during the week, he spends a good deal of his day on the road. Live near where you work.

If you want a new construction home on the east side, I'd move to Draper. I'm an earth scientist, and I have to say that lots of houses in Draper are falling off the hill because people are in a rush to build in Draper, and space is running out. I wouldn't buy a house on that hill unless you had a geological engineer check it out first. I seriously don't get why Draper has allowed so many people to build in geologically risky areas. Nuf said.

I also LOVE the canyons, so being in Cottonwood Heights, you're only 15 minutes from the ski lift, and 10-15 minutes to South Towne.

Schools - I don't have much positive to say about the public schools in the area (Granite is a better district than Canyons or Jordan), but there are some good teachers and schools anywhere. You can look up public school test results, and read school reviews online. I can recommend some good private schools if you're interested.

The airport is easy to get to from anywhere in the valley.

I'm a Utah native who has lived in many states over the years. I love Utah SO much! I couldn't wait to find a way to make sure I raised my family here. We moved back in 2004, and I'll never live in any other state! PM me if you have any questions - I have lots of opinions about everything - lol. I'm also a member of a local Mommy group, we call ourselves The Heathens, because we feel a little bit outside of the local "in" crowd (for various reasons...mostly religious). We'd love to have you come to a play date or a dinner if/when you move here. Most of the moms are transplants to Utah. My kids have made some great friends through that group.

[StantonHyde]

Geochick--so if becca's job is near the SouthTowne Center, how far north would you live? 7200? or 6200?

Ditto on the earthquake issues in Draper!! I know someone who lives in Bluffdale and loves it because she is close to the Jordan River Trail.--but no old trees unless you buy an old farm/horse property and figure out how to keep the trees as the house is built!

What about parks in Sandy? There is the aquarium--what about Dimple Dell? (Sad to say, I rarely venture south of 33rd unless its to Fashion Place or the aquarium or Thanksgiving Point!)

I don't know the schools in that district, becca--much better to ask geochick about public and private options. I have heard good things about Juan Diego Highschool--not sure if they have an elementary and middle school on that campus?? (Catholic Schools in Utah tend to be very diverse. Both of my kids will be going to different Catholic Schools next year for different reasons--reading challenges and muscial aptitude. We are Protestant--I honestly think that Catholic students may barely hold the majority in the schools where they will attend.)

[geochick]

Geochick--so if becca's job is near the SouthTowne Center, how far north would you live? 7200? or 6200?

I think if she's willing to commute 20 minutes, she could live very east (but close to I-215), or very north (but close to I-15). I'd say 5800 S is reasonable. 3300 East is reasonable. I'm ignoring west because I don't know much about west.


What about parks in Sandy? There is the aquarium--what about Dimple Dell? (Sad to say, I rarely venture south of 33rd unless its to Fashion Place or the aquarium or Thanksgiving Point!)

We like to hike Dimple Dell, and we use two rec centers (Alta Canyon and Dimple Dell Rec Center). Sandy doesn't have any really cool playgrounds. We drive to other cities for those (Draper, West Jordan, Murray, SLC, etc.).

There are some good restaurants in this end of the valley (Tiburon, Market Street, Szechuan Garden, Tsunami), but we've found that an evening trek into SLC isn't hard at all since evening traffic is coming out of SLC, not into.


I don't know the schools in that district, becca--much better to ask geochick about public and private options. I have heard good things about Juan Diego Highschool--not sure if they have an elementary and middle school on that campus?? (Catholic Schools in Utah tend to be very diverse. Both of my kids will be going to different Catholic Schools next year for different reasons--reading challenges and muscial aptitude. We are Protestant--I honestly think that Catholic students may barely hold the majority in the schools where they will attend.)

There are a few really good private schools in the area: Waterford, Challenger, Juan Diego (but I'd take my kids to Judge (also catholic) for academics). There are decent preschools around too. As far as public elementary schools in Sandy, I'd consider Granite (you can request to have your kid accepted into any public school in the district if there's space...you have to drive them). There's also an academic program called SALTA for advanced learners in the district. Kids test into that, and go into a gifted classroom. If I hadn't gone with a private school, I'd have looked more into SALTA.

Today we took the kids hiking in Big Cottonwood Canyon. From our door to the trail was 25 minutes, and I don't live all that far east. Love this place! I'll put up with "stuff" and feeling alienated in suburbia Utah for the amazing outdoor opportunities. We can be at the Park City I-80 Exit in 30 minutes. We can be at the airport checking bags in in 30 minutes. I could go on and on.

Good luck!

[becca_g]

I'm a Utah native who has lived in many states over the years. I love Utah SO much! I couldn't wait to find a way to make sure I raised my family here. We moved back in 2004, and I'll never live in any other state! PM me if you have any questions - I have lots of opinions about everything - lol. I'm also a member of a local Mommy group, we call ourselves The Heathens, because we feel a little bit outside of the local "in" crowd (for various reasons...mostly religious). We'd love to have you come to a play date or a dinner if/when you move here. Most of the moms are transplants to Utah. My kids have made some great friends through that group.

Thanks so much for all the info. and for the Mommy group invite ... hopefully I'll have the opportunity to take you up on that some day!