Asian from CA to SLC

[chazcrew]

Oh no, I just typed an entire novel, and the server ate it.

Well, I'll try to summarize (which you might appreciate anyway, lol). Lehi has some nice areas on the east side of the freeway, and they would be an easy commute (I'm assuming you'll be at im flash tech, but I could be wrong). I'd stay away from the west side unless you're working on that side, because there's no bypass road, so all the traffic funnels onto tiny two-lane roads and rush hour is AWFUL.

Highland is a step up from Lehi. It's a nice area with lots of new building, and you could probably find something you like there without much trouble. If has limited commercial space and few through roads, which is a pain for navigating but nice for maintaining a quiet, semi-rural feel.

Alpine is the most exclusive of the three cities, with homes ranging from tiny and old (in the original part of the town) to huge mansions in the foothills. It's very quiet and serene, and absolutely beautiful. It has winding roads and is surrounded by hills and mountains. Prices will be higher there, but probably not much of a shock compared to the Bay Area.

I live next door in Cedar Hills, which is a nice little bedroom community, also an easy commute to Lehi. I love this whole area, and I'd recommend it to anyone, but bear in mind, I am LDS, so my perspective is different. You will be asked which ward (congregation) you're in when you meet someone new, because they will assume you are LDS. It's a simple fact. Sometimes people will catch themselves, and say, "I don't know if you're LDS, but if you are..." and continue with their sentence. The good news is, they will still be friendly and accepting and non-pushy if you let them know you're not LDS. It's not an exclusive thing, it's just that the culture really is predominantly LDS and people make assumptions. It's also pretty lily-white here, so you might end up being the "token" Asian family. There is a growing Hispanic population, but not a large Asian one. I don't know how comfortable you are with that. If you need/want more diversity you probably would do well to look at the SLC area. It will be more of a commute for you, though. Personally, I'd say stick with northern utah county; we could use the diversity! =)

Good luck with the move. I hope you find the perfect house in the perfect town!

[qazwsx]

Thanks for the welcome, Chazcrew, If your summary is any indication, I would have loved to read your entire novel!! too bad the server got it first

Does anyone know anything about master planned communities? any new ones in that area? Since larceny seems to be a problem in general, is a gated-community any safer?

[chazcrew]

There's one master-planned community that would be extremely close to im flash (again, if that's where you'll be working) -- like, five minutes away. It's near the freeway and it's only been going for the last couple of years. There's not lots there yet, but it's growing quickly. I don't know if you'd be interested, but here's a link for it: http://www.traversemountain.com/main.php?page=lifestyle

There's also Suncrest, which I think others have mentioned. It would also be close, although it means driving up and down the mountain every day, and dealing with the wind at the top all day long. But the view is unbeatable, so...I guess you might want to at least check it out. http://www.suncrest.com/neighborhoods/

There are probably others in that area, too. It's growing like crazy. I think any real estate agent in the area would probably be able to point you to some others.

There are some gated communities around, but I don't think they're really that much safer. Maybe a little. In general, if you lock your cars, keep your garage closed, etc. you won't really have a problem. The crime rate is really very low here. Just use common sense like anywhere else.

If you look for gated communities, you'll probably find them in the higher-end housing in Alpine, Highland, Cedar Hills, and then down in Provo (but I really don't think you want to live in Provo. I love Provo, but I don't think it would be a good fit for you. Plus, it's about a 30-40 minute commute).