Hey all,
It looks like the family and I will be moving to the SLC area next spring. I was hoping to get some advice on areas to live. My wife will be working at the University of Utah for a few years although we plan on staying in the area for the long haul. We have been looking at Draper, Sandy, Cottonwood Heights, Sugar House and Park City.
We have two young kids that will be staring school soon, so school district is a big concern but we are not against private schools. We would like to live as close as we can the the ski resorts (any of them will work). We really like PC but I think the commute to the University through Parleys everyday in the winter might be difficult for my wife.
Not that is matters to us but we are not Mormon. Just wanted to throw that out their as that is the question everyone seems to ask. Suggestions?

 

Honestly all those areas are generally nice and safe. The only problem you might run into is the Utah culture, Mormonism is deeply rooted in the culture. Its not bad at first because people are really nice but eventually it just gets annoying with people constantly trying to push it on you. All the non-mormon people I've met in school that grew up in Utah agree it was really tough growing up not being mormon. Its easier to deal with it as an adult but your kids might have a tough time adapting to the culture. Besides that all the areas you mentioned are great and about the same distance from great ski resorts except for park city(which is closer),but I would really think twice about a daily commute through that canyon during the winter.

 

Thanks for the advice. We have heard that about the culture. That is one of the reasons I was looking for input. Do you know anything about the school districts? We have heard that Park City doesn't have the mormon influence as the rest of the area but the daily commute through the pass is a concern.

 

If you're going to be there for a while, you do need to find an area where your kids will have a "critical mass" of non-LDS friends and classmates. You and your wife can selectively avoid negative aspects of LDS, but your kids will not have that option in a haevy LDS neighborhood. It's fine under age 5, but after that it will rear it's ugly head. Not any kind of institutionalized exclusion, but it will naturally manifest as the kids get old enough to realize the difference between those who go to the church and those who don't. Some parents will subtly encourage their kids to steer clear of non-LDS. It will be rough on the kids if you don't find a diverse area...they will end up feeling like outsiders, which may lead to outsider behavior (goth, rebellion, crime, etc).

Park City is a different world, no worries there other than the pass. Holiday is somewhat diverse, with easy access to 80E and the various canyons so it attracts a lot of outdoor types (often transplants from other states). Sugarhouse is the eclectic gay/academic neighborhood, but rather pricey for what you get IMO. The avenues has the same flavor but I suspect the schools in that area are too LDS. Stay the hell away from West Jordan, Draper, Sandy, Bountiful, etc.

 

Thanks for the advice. That helps alot. We do plan on settling down there for the long haul. We would much prefer PC but, like I said before, Im concerned about my wife driving the pass everyday for a couple years. We are leaning toward living in the valley for 2 to 3 yrs until my wife is no longer working at the U and then move up to PC. So I guess we need to find a place we can tolerate for a few years.

 

Just get a nice four wheel drive vehicle and a good set of snow tires and you'll be fine.

 

I lived in Sandy and worked in PC winter 2010-2011. Would have loved to live in PC as well, but my wife was working in Sandy and we shared a car. Parleys was also a concern of mine, but commuting through a whole winter I only had to put chains on once. I definitely recommend a 4x4 or at least AWD with some good snow tires just so you wouldn't have to use chains.

Park City is nothing like SLC. Not a lot of mormons, great schools from what I've heard from friends with children, an insane amount of outdoor activities year round, and lots of great people. You can't really get any closer to the ski resorts either. Another option to be close to the ski resorts would be to live close to either of the Cottonwood Canyons. Have you tried looking in the Jeremy Ranch area?

We're from California, currently in Puerto Rico, and looking forward to making our way back to Utah for the reasons listed above.

 

One more advantage of Park City: it's a lot cooler than SLC in Summer. Some of the ski lifts operate for hikers and mountain bikers. I suggest a short vacation there (off-season prices are low), to check it out.

 

We have looked in Jeremey Ranch and liked the area. We also liked Pinebrook. I guess it really comes down to the commute for my wife. I would have no problem doing it myself as I have lived in cold climates. My wife on the other hand has never lived were it snows a lot. She does have AWD and I would put snow tires on but it would be a learning experience.

 

We have been taking our anual ski trip there for the last few yeard so we are a little familiar. I was also based in SLC for a few months on the MD-90. We do love the area and cant wait to move out there. I just pray Delta doesn't go and do something stupid and close the base because it does not fit into there business plan anymore.