South Georgia to North Utah (Ogden, Layton: real estate, violent crime, big house)

[CheesyPeach]

My husband may transfer to Box Elder County (Bear River City to be exact) for his comany. We have 2 girls ages 11 and 13 who will stand out the second they open their mouths and say "Hey y'all." Can someone guide me on possible neighborhoods? I do not want to close off any options. We are open to many areas.

These are my concerns:

COMMUTE- because of where we live currently... we are patient when it comes to driving. It is 20-30 miles to go anywhere. All we have in our little 7000 pop town is the basics. We have to commute to work, shop, go to a movie, etc. However, 30 miles equals 30 minutes to us b/c the drives are mostly highway. Prefer a commute that is 30 minutes or less, and preferably not very treacherous in the winter.

Schools-Would prefer a school with at least a slice of non-LDS students in them...mainly for dating purposes. I am optimistic that some of the LDS kids will befriend my girls...seems they are really nice and moral from reading on this board.

Employment for me- I am a RN-so we also need to be within 30-45 minutes of any place a nurse can get jobs...the more options the better. I have worked ICU, PACU, Public Health, and currently work as a hospice case manager which I love. Would love to do hospice in utah too.

Real estate-looks like taxes are about 1000$ cheaper in Utah for any home b/w 150-300K. But what about utility bills? Our electric/water/gas/garbage in the summers run over $500 rountinely for our 3200 sq ft brick house. We have no basements and no insulation in our homes down here. Do you use Cable or Dish for TV? which is better?

Weather-obviously a big adjustment. I am from WI-very cold and snowy/icy in the winter. but I have not lived there for 15 years. It is oppressively hot and humid here in the summers; and the idea of somewhere cold is appealing. However, I do not want to be anywhere the snowfall is crippling on a regular basis.

Church-any good Baptist (not hard line) churches? I am actually Catholic but attend Baptist services (NO catholic churches close by here). Husband and daughters are Baptist. We lean to the right on most issues, but respect the views of others. I keep my opinions to myself, because they change so much as I have more life experiences.

Crime is not really an issue. We live in such a poor area of the state that crime is pretty rampant down here. Yet we are still alive and well. you cannot live life to the fullest if you live in complete fear. It has taken me a few years to realize that. Crime will happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone.

As a comparison, I looked the crime stats of Ogden, and they were no where close to the stats of Albany, GA...which is a similar sized city 25 miles away from us. We routinely shop and eat there, because we have no other options. I like the idea of SLC being rather close by as well. Atlanta is 180 miles from us now...so we have to spend the night if we want to do anything "metropolitan"

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and I am looking forward to reading all replies.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Can't speak to Bear River, never been there, but I moved to SLC after living in New Orleans most of my life. I LOVE the weather here! High humidity is usually about 40% and I don't have air-conditioning.

Older houses have an evaporative cooler (swamp cooler) which just mists the air it blows in - extremely effective in the summer when the temp is 90 but the humidity is 10%. I actually have to turn it off sometimes b/c I get too cold. My summer electric bill is around $60 and my gas bill is $72/mo, averaged over 12 mo. I have an gas dryer, water heaters (2), BBQ grill, and heat.

The winter will be more severe up there and you might not want to drive out, over the mountains - will let others answer that part.

[CheesyPeach]

Thanks Southernbelle...I am thinking North Ogden or Pleasant view...looks like 30 miles to either...which is doable if the roads are not congested. Down here I can be alone on the hwy for several miles...with exception to the deer.

[sp2007]

Have you looked at Bringham City yet? It seems to be closer than both options you mentioned and its a nice little town.

I am sure Ogden has more amenities, But BC has many too and its closer. Just a thought.

[DelaneyRudd]

You will have a much easier time finding a Catholic Church in rural Utah than Baptist. There are plenty of people who aren't LDS in both Brigham City and North Ogden. North Ogden would make it easier for the kids to date.

[markg91359]

These are my concerns:

COMMUTE- because of where we live currently... we are patient when it comes to driving. It is 20-30 miles to go anywhere. All we have in our little 7000 pop town is the basics. We have to commute to work, shop, go to a movie, etc. However, 30 miles equals 30 minutes to us b/c the drives are mostly highway. Prefer a commute that is 30 minutes or less, and preferably not very treacherous in the winter.

Schools-Would prefer a school with at least a slice of non-LDS students in them...mainly for dating purposes. I am optimistic that some of the LDS kids will befriend my girls...seems they are really nice and moral from reading on this board.

Employment for me- I am a RN-so we also need to be within 30-45 minutes of any place a nurse can get jobs...the more options the better. I have worked ICU, PACU, Public Health, and currently work as a hospice case manager which I love. Would love to do hospice in utah too.

Real estate-looks like taxes are about 1000$ cheaper in Utah for any home b/w 150-300K. But what about utility bills? Our electric/water/gas/garbage in the summers run over $500 rountinely for our 3200 sq ft brick house. We have no basements and no insulation in our homes down here. Do you use Cable or Dish for TV? which is better?

Weather-obviously a big adjustment. I am from WI-very cold and snowy/icy in the winter. but I have not lived there for 15 years. It is oppressively hot and humid here in the summers; and the idea of somewhere cold is appealing. However, I do not want to be anywhere the snowfall is crippling on a regular basis.

Church-any good Baptist (not hard line) churches? I am actually Catholic but attend Baptist services (NO catholic churches close by here). Husband and daughters are Baptist. We lean to the right on most issues, but respect the views of others. I keep my opinions to myself, because they change so much as I have more life experiences.

Crime is not really an issue. We live in such a poor area of the state that crime is pretty rampant down here. Yet we are still alive and well. you cannot live life to the fullest if you live in complete fear. It has taken me a few years to realize that. Crime will happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone.

As a comparison, I looked the crime stats of Ogden, and they were no where close to the stats of Albany, GA...which is a similar sized city 25 miles away from us. We routinely shop and eat there, because we have no other options. I like the idea of SLC being rather close by as well. Atlanta is 180 miles from us now...so we have to spend the night if we want to do anything "metropolitan"

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and I am looking forward to reading all replies.

Its very refreshing to read your post. You have done your research well. You just can't imagine how many people come on this forum and tell some story about how their life has gone to pieces and the only solution they can think of is to move to Utah. (sadly this is no joke)

Anyway, a good post deserves a good reply. I'll attempt one.

1. Commute. Box Elder County is relatively unpopulated and big. The major commute will probably take place on I-15 which in that part of the state is seldom crowded and is in good condition. The distances may be considerable, but you can drive most of this road at 70 miles an hour. If you live in Ogden, its probably going to be about a 45 minute commute to Bear River City that's my guess.

2. Utah is heavily LDS and there is not getting away from that. I would guess if you live in North Ogden/Pleasant View that about 60% of the school students will be LDS. Some may come from families that are inactive though. I think your kids would find acceptance among the other students and have a minimum of problems.

3. This recession has resulted in fewer jobs for even nurses. Nevertheless, you're in one occupation that I think is pretty safe. I heard once that there were something on the order of 37 separate companies offering hospice services in Utah. I'm guessing there would be opportunities for a nurse with a background in delivering hospice care.

4. Utility bills in Utah are not bad. I pay more than most, but I live in a big house. I think we come out pretty well among the fifty states in this category. Property taxes are below average, but there is constant pressure on them because of so many young children who need to attend school. I use Dish Network. I'm *reasonably* satisfied with it.

5. The weather here is definitely better than in WI. My sister lives there, so I know this well. Summers can get hot, but its a dry heat (unlike Georgia). I prefer dry heat to hot humid heat. I would describe the climate as moderate/temperate and dry. Most people manage it well.

6. Church. In the Pleasant View/Ogden area you can find both Baptist and Catholic Churches. You may have to drive a few miles though.

7. Crime. Utah has low rates of violent crime. I saw a map indicating the homicide rate here was 1.3 per 100,000 people. The "translation" of this means that we have about the fifth lowest homicide rate out of fifty states.

Again, I praise you for doing your research. Too many people who come here asking questions don't even look up the most basic things first. I think your concept of living in North Ogden is a good one. There is lots of good affordable housing there. The area is a cross between suburban and rural and there are still farms in the area.

I think Utah would be a good fit for your family.

[CheesyPeach]

Thank you SO much for the replies so far, especially Markg...appreciate your complete post and nice comments. You have put me at ease about the possibility of such a drastic move. One thing is for sure, if we do not end up moving, we will certainly take a vacation to this beautiful state.

[MrAnderson]

Somewhere between Bear River and Ogden is a good idea. There's also the Logan area within about 30 minutes from Bear River City, which could be a possible source for employment.

[CheesyPeach]

I am thinking I want to stay in the weber school district. I noticed when I looked at homes just a little up the Hwy to Perry or Willard, my girls will have to go to Box elder High school. Does anyone have any thoughts on that school system?

[UtahRoots]

One other option would be Layton. There are very nice neighborhoods in Layton. It's about 45 min. north of Salt Lake and just a very short drive south of Ogden. It's not in Weber School District, though. It's in Davis School District and the girls would go to either Northridge High School or Layton High School. I'm a public school educator. I have never heard anything negative about Box Elder, Northridge, or Layton High School. Northridge would be most ethnically diverse of the three but they are all three pretty similar in demographics with over 85% of the students being Cauasian. In terms of religion, there would likely be more diversity in Layton than in Box Elder school district. Weber State University is very close to Layton and brings in students and faculty from all over the U.S. A brief look at the nursing jobs in the area shows five or six openings posted in the last three weeks. Intermountain Health Care is a large employer in the state, with many associated hospitals and hospices.