South Jordan/Daybreak - what to expect? (Salt Lake City, Riverton: fit in, renters)

[Eerriinn]

Hi all,

I'm moving to South Jordan in 2 weeks - we'll be living in Daybreak. What's the general consensus on this city/area/neighborhood? I know Daybreak is newer so I haven't been able to find out a lot about it online. What type of restaurants are nearby? Is it pretty family friendly? Is it considered "way out there" because it's on the south west end of the valley? What's traffic like? I'm a stay-at-home-mom with an 11 month old son - am I going to fit in there?

This move has come about very fast for us so I had little to no input on where we lived -- my husband moved up there a few weeks ago and found us a place to live really quickly. I'm freaking out now because I have no idea what to expect and I'm afraid I'm going to hate it - we're coming from Southern California and so I'm used to the more fast-paced, lots of shopping, lots to do type lifestyle.

Thanks for any info and your help!

[jhwest]

Daybreak is amazing! There are TONS of younger kids, especially babies so you'll definitely fit in.
Right across from the neighborhood (it's on a big huge street called the Bangerter Freeway) is a brand new shopping center. It's got a Harmon's Grocery (my fave local grocery store), Target, Office Depot, Red Robin, Appleby's, plus a new 20-theatre movies (It's the best movie theatre in the valley, I think). The shopping center is only halfway done, so there will be lots more shops. They just announced a new Costco that is less than a mile away, but it hasn't started being built yet. There's a home deopt and lowe's within a couple of miles, and a big mall about 10 minutes away with lots more restaurants.
They are just getting ready to build the big pool at daybreak, but there's already a toddler pool that I'm sure your baby will love. The lake is really nice too, and you can fish and boat (only paddle boats and electical) in it. The mountains are less than a mile away and there are tons of easy hikes and fun things to do (park city is less than an hour away and has fun shopping and great restaurants). It's not southern california, to be sure, but no place is. That can be a big positive too, though. It's got a really nice, old fashioned feel to it.
It's pretty easy to find a babysitter too. Lots of teenage girls.
Just be aware that a lot of the people are Mormon. They should be friendly, if you are too.
We really love daybreak and would have moved there if we weren't moving out of state instead.
Good luck!!!

[bob rulz]

They'll be friendly if you aren't Mormon, too. At least, most of them will be.

Right next to Daybreak there's a huge new shopping center going on, and if you don't find what you need there (and it's still under construction), Jordan Landing is just up Bangerter Highway; it's easily the biggest shopping center in Utah.

You should be okay there; it's not really considered "way out there" anymore (unless you talk to someone on the opposite side of the valley).

[jhwest]

I just wanted to chime in again. Daybreak has lots of clubs (Bunko, book, photography, poker, Etc.), plus formal playgroups, yoga classes in the fitness center, and lots of neighborhood get-togethers. There's a monthly newsletter that has info on all that. You can be as involved as you want to be. There's even a support group for moms of multiples! Crazy! There are definitley opportunities to make friends.
Also, there is something that I found weird about Utah when I moved here a few years ago. People take their kids EVERYWHERE! I'm flabbergasted at the places I see children: Very fancy restaurants, upscale shops, movies (no matter what they are rated, or what time they're at.) I was watching the Utah legislature on C-Span one day, and there were kids running around in the assembly room! All I could think was "that's Utah!" I personally can't stand this. I have six children (big families are pretty common here.) so when I go out with my husband or girlfriends I do NOT want to be around any children. Pretty much impossible. This is a very family-friendly state.

[Jill Muir]

I hope you have a better experience than my close friend. Her neighbors are renters, and it has been a nightmare. Police have been called multiple times, and yesterday there was a bounty hunter looking for one of the renters. When she and the other neighbors filed a complaint with the homeowner's association, the president took their complaints and showed them to the renters so the renters knew who had complained. She and her neighbors have been forced to hire an attorney and are fearful of retaliation. I was under the impression that one could not have renters, but it seems to only apply to some people. I was considering moving to Daybreak, but after my friend's experience, I wouldn't consider it.

[Inferior_Light]

Daybreak is nice, but it won't be in a couple of years. The West side of city tends to start of nice, but after a few years it really goes down hill. West Valley is the worst and the type of living that use to be nice at about 7200s has turned into West Valley 2.0

[chazcrew]

InferiorLight, I don't think I agree with that. While it's true that the west side of the valley is in general not as nice as the east side, I think the new developments are nice, and will stay that way, because there's nowhere else for them to go. The east side is completely built out, and there's still a lot of development going on. So they're clear out west, leaving a not-so-desirable chunk of neighborhoods right in the middle.

[ggirl]

We moved to Daybreak in March from the East Coast and absolutely love it. It reminds us of older East Coast cities and towns.

[mckalk]

I think if you are not LDS it may be a bit of a culture shock to move to Daybreak, so be prepared for that. It's not good or bad, but different. I lived in South Jordan for 10 years and found it kind of boring, but got involved in other activities throughout the city and I liked the Salt Lake Valley in general. It's not really "way out" there anymore since Bangerter Highway was completed and The District shopping complex was built. The "south suburbs" are a world away culturally from Salt Lake City itself. I loved areas like the Avenues and Sugarhouse, but we could get so much more for our housing money by living in South Jordan, so we ended up there. I'd rather spend an afternoon at Gateway then The District any day, but there is the convenience factor.

To be honest, I found the South Jordan/Riverton aesthically the ugliest area of the valley. Not many mature trees to speak of and you always have the Kennecott mines looming in the background, but keep in mind you can see the mountains from anywhere in the valley.
Overall, I think South Jordan has pluses and minuses just like anywhere, but you'll have affordable living, friendly family oriented neighbors and low crime. I think that's what a lot of people are looking for in a place to live.

[coolcats]

Originally Posted by mckalk

I think if you are not LDS it may be a bit of a culture shock to move to Daybreak, so be prepared for that.

Everything I have heard about Daybreak has been just the opposite – lots of new move-ins from all over the country.