Looking for advise on moving to SLC from NYC area (Park City: transplants, houses)

[Anuta77]

Hi,
My husband has been offered a job transfer to SLC which we are considering taking. However, neither one of us has ever been to SLC and while we will go onto an "explanatory" trip, I thought I'd do some research online first. We are in our mid/late 30's with 2 kids, 3 and 7 yo. We live in an urban area, right across the river from Manhattan. We enjoy everything the city life has to offer (good restaurants, theater, concerts, walks around the city, etc). Truth be told, we r not the hiking/camping types, although we love skiing!
We are Jewish (reform), very liberal and tolerant people. We respect everyone's beliefs but we also strongly believe in separation of church and state and to experience, and especially to expose our children to anything to the contrary would be highly upsetting to us. Our children currently attend a Montessori school in our area but we would not be opposed to sending them to a good public school. We love traveling!
What attracts us to SLC, aside of this move being potentially a good step up for hubby's career, is an opportunity to experience living in a different part of country, to travel around the western part of the US, to expose our kids and ourselves to a more outdoorsy lifestyle than we are currently living, and to have a better life/work balance for my husband
My question is, could living in/around SLC be a right fit for us? What are good areas to live in that offer good commute to downtown SLC, have good schools, etc, and would be a good fit for us socially?
Any advise and feedback would be vey much appreciated!

[kaytidid]

There is a REAL fine line between separation of church and state here, truth be told. I love Utah, having lived here for the last 18 years, but it DOES take a bit of getting used to. There are several synagogues here, so I would assume a fair Jewish population. I would recommend the Sugarhouse area for you to live. Possibly several others too, depending on your budget. Sugarhouse is located downtown and is in the middle of everything. Easy to walk to just about everything and a safe area too. There are also several Montessori schools for you to choose from, should you want to keep your children in one.

We are not LDS and my children have never had a problem making friends here. I have heard some people say that their children DID have issues. You just have to take things you read/hear with a grain of salt.

Best of luck!

[nyllie]

Fellow NY Jew here. I can't directly comment on SLC schools, neighborhoods, etc since I live in Park City, but I can speak to the fact that the lifestyle is really great here. Being that SLC is the major city in this area of the country, it is a frequent stop for many bands, shows, tours, etc. There is also less competition to buy tickets for those events, so I don't have to worry about things selling out in two seconds like in NYC, so I find the whole experience more accessible. The airport is a major hub for Delta, which opens up tons of new traveling options, and there are also many national parks within driving distance. You won't have the sheer quantity of awesome restaurants like you have in NYC, but you can find several gems with a little research. Overall, as long as you come here with an open mind and don't directly compare SLC to NYC, I think you'll be very happy with the amount of things you can do here without the hassle and stress.

As for being Jewish, there is a synagogue in SLC, and a JCC with a preschool/kindergarten. McGillis is a private Jewish school that goes up to 8th grade, and I don't think it's particularly religious like you'd think of a Jewish day school in NY, but more about Jewish values. I really don't know much about it though. I feel like I have a better sense of Jewish identity when I'm not in place like NY. When you have to actively seek it out and make the choice to uphold certain beliefs, I think it gives you a better sense of yourself than when you're around a Jewish majority and take it for granted.

[kletter1mann]

Fellow NYer here who has spent a lot of time in SLC. My advice: pretend you're moving abroad where they happen to speak the same language. A lot of everything else is as different as another country. Not necessarily bad, just different. The outdoors is obviously good. Everybody is far, far friendlier than NY and the pace of life much more balanced.

A couple of the trouble spots that strike me:

You'll laugh when you go into restaurants. First, at the prices (so cheap!). Then at the food. The overall standard is pretty low in my experience. Most restaurants are chains in strip malls and taste like it. Asian food is americanized to the point of ridiculous. Doubtless some locals will protest and say that such-and-such a place is great. Perhaps, but as a generalization you'll agree with me. Nobody ever moved to SLC for the culinary experience.

You'll also encounter some folks (or maybe many) with a mentality that I've never really encountered in the NY region or maybe in the northeast (and I go to VT & NH a lot):- super reactionary ideological, hate Obama, hate "liberals," hate the govt, "the-gov't-is-coming-for-our-guns" types. You can ignore them, but you will encounter them. If you're the type that's compelled to educate the ineducable you may find this troubling.

[dcisive]

I'm originally from Chicago but I traveled for a living for over 10 years from Ohio to the West Coast. I'll agree I think the food offerings in general in Utah are not even close to just about anywhere I've been of the 17 States I traveled. NY is among the best for food to be sure. I'd also rate Seattle, Denver, Portland, the SF Bay Area, Minneapolis, Chicago, St Louis and Cincinnati among great food meccas. Let's face it, with 4-8 mouths to feed per family discriminating tastes don't tend to be a priority

[Anuta77]

Thank you all very much for replying. My main concern would be about exposing my children to the uber "right wing", "government is evil" mentality that luckily, I think they are still too young to truly understand and care about. however, they could potentially be exposed to it in schools, friend's houses, etc... For example, I would be horrified to learn that my kids are taught creationism instead of the evolution theory. Has anyone had an experience like that there?
As far as where to live, I did hear Park City is a very nice place. I also heard, perhaps incorrectly, that's there are some areas, borh in and outside SLC, that are more popular with transplants from NYC and other big cities than some of the other areas... We'd be probably more comfortable living in one of such communities... Is Park City one of them?
Lastly, a question about schools... Are there some really great public schools, and if yes, in what areas, or are most schools mediocre at best? We currenlty live in an area with public schools average at best and are sending our kids to private. Not having to pay private school tuition would be a big plus for us but we would only go for it if the schools were truly excellent.
Thank you!

[dcisive]

If you could swing Park City that would be a HUGE step forward. You'd be out of the consistently toxic air the Wasatch Front enjoys Not to mention some sweet scenery and closer to the further out areas of nature and the highest mountain range (the Unita's) I hear their schools system is also superior as they have all state of the art facilities largely due to the more affluent folks that live that way. They also now have a excellent state of the art medical facility in town as well. No reason to not consider going there and taking a pass on Salt Lake proper.

[skibarbie]

Don't let Dcisive scare you off with his rant about toxic air. Park City has it's own issues with air, water and tailings piles.
95% of my neighbors in Park City were from California and I did not encounter anyone that was a transplant from NY. I moved to SLC in the summer of 08 but still ski up that way and have a handful of girlfriends that live up in PC. As far as I am aware, there has not been an influx of NY transplants.
We found the Granite School District in SLC a better fit for us than the PC school district. Less drug/alcohol issues and tons more parental involvement.
Are things perfect in Utah? Not even close but I have no idea where they would be better for me or my family.
Is the air crappy in SLC? yes at certain times it is.
Is my head in the sand or am I suffering from a cranial/rectal inversion when it comes to environmental issues, not even close.
I will admit to being pleasantly surprised at how many Obama/Biden campaign signs I saw here in my neighborhood. Is Utah conservative? Yes it is. Have I lived in places more conservative than Utah? YES INDEED I have.
I have not personally encountered anyone in Utah that thinks the Obama "Regime" will take the guns they own. Upon visiting friends and family in KS, CO and OK, I had many encounters every day with the "takin my guns" mentality.
Lastly, we dropped a ton of money at the Montessori school in PC, wish I had that back. Public schools in Utah are underfunded but they get lots done with small budgets-and the students learn how to get along and how to actually take a test too.
Read thru lots of the other "moving to Utah "'posts, apply some common sense and figure out what is right for you and your family before moving here or anywhere for that matter.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by Anuta77

Thank you all very much for replying. My main concern would be about exposing my children to the uber "right wing", "government is evil" mentality that luckily, I think they are still too young to truly understand and care about. however, they could potentially be exposed to it in schools, friend's houses, etc... For example, I would be horrified to learn that my kids are taught creationism instead of the evolution theory.

Heaven help you if the mere thought of your kids being EXPOSED to such notions terrifies you. They'll be exposed. And they'd be exposed to horrific values in NJ too. If you're well grounded they will be too. But you WILL encounter people that believe this stuff. But isn't exposure to other values - and being able to discuss (and maybe refute them) - the whole point?
More substantive than that, IMO, is the jewishness question. Consider what happens when the time comes for Mitzvahs, if that's important for you. A question I'd be asking is what the local level of familiarity with Bar/Bat Mitrzvahs is, if any. And if your kids have LDS friends, would they even be allowed to attend? As far as I know LDS aren't allowed to attend other religious services or ceremonies. I may be wrong, but it's worth checking out. (FWIW, I run a business in Westchester that hosts a large number of alternative, activity-related Mitzvah's. I can't imagine such a thing in SLC, but I really don't know)

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by skibarbie

I have not personally encountered anyone in Utah that thinks the Obama "Regime" will take the guns they own. Upon visiting friends and family in KS, CO and OK, I had many encounters every day with the "takin my guns" mentality.

Amazing. I just head out to ski for a few weeks every year and I encountered these guys. To be fair, it was at a shooting range and indoor paintball place. Still, the point is, these types are largely absent from the urban/suburban northeast.