Moving to Park City (Salt Lake City, Provo: ski resorts, sales, how much)

[Sunshinne]

My family and I will be most likely relocating from the Phx, AZ area to Park City. I have two elementary school aged kids, and I am not LDS. Any info, suggestions, basically anything I can learn from this forum will be a huge help. Thanks!

Sunshinne

[mojodog]

Hi... My Husband and I may also be moving to Park City in the near future. Please feel free to share any information you may get outside of this forum and I'll do the same if you're comfortable w/that. We're 40-something, no kids, not religious, have lived a lot of places, have 3 big dogs and love the outdoors.

[Speagle]

You will have to forgive the Parkites for not responding earlier, you see most everyone here has been awaiting for the arrival of the greatest snow on earth. It really has not arrived yet, but is due in this week. I looked into a number of websites that rated school systems, and they are all so different. Suffice it for me to say that Park City schools are doing a great job. Last year though Park City's secondary schools did not pass the adequetly yearly performance (ayp) for the year. This was due to failure in one of the forty categories in each school. More minority students that are non-English speaking moved into the Park City school district than the school could accommodate; however, this year the school system has doubled its attention to this problem. Park City school district has four Public elementary schools. All the schools are well-supplied and have newer textbook and access to the latest technology. For the elementary schools I looked at ourschools.org and found that the best rated elementary school in the district was the Jeremy Ranch school which services the children in Jeremy Ranch, Pinebrook, and Summit park sub-divisions (these three developments are between Park City and Salt Lake City on either side of I-80. Each between 15-20 minutes to Park City). The schools do use the Powerschool system that allows parents to view a students current performance on-line at any time. Of course, that only works as long as teachers input grades and list upcoming assignments in a timely fashion. This is one benchmark that Park City administrators use to assess a teachers performance. The schools breakdown this way. Grades 1-5 are at the local elementary schools. Grades 6-7 are at Ecker Hill Middle school. Grades 8-9 are at Treasure Mountain International school (Call it a junior high with a special curriculum to teach advanced students). Grades 10-12 at Park City high school that is within a five minute walk to the high school for exceptional freshman to take higher level high school courses. More about each school can be found through the Park City schools website.
Park City has about 229 days of sunny weather. that means lots of time outdoors. In the winter that means skiing, sledding, snow-boarding, Cross-country skiing, etc. Every winter sport you can think of. Summer brings many Parkites to the many biking trails in the area. There is a large lake close-by for boating, rivers and lakes to fish in near-by, lots of horsetrails, and Park City citizens just passed a bill to make sure that Park City has "walkability" which means more trails and room for walking. Parkites love the outdoors and making sure that being outdoors and using it for recreation is as safe as possible. The mascot of Park City is a moose, and rightfully so since most every Parkite has seen a moose, and some have them in their backyards along with the many deer that grace areas in and just outside Park City. Park City has a nature preserve, and Parkites and doing everything they can to maintain open space. Park City has committed itself to being a "green city". Most Parkites know the value doing everything they can to recycle and keep the environment as pristine as possible.
The cultural experience in Park City is wonderful for a town of nearly 8000. A lively theater group, arts festival in old town, concert series outdoors throughout the summer, the Sundance film festival, jazz festival, special entertainments (dance, comedy, music) brought to a first-class community performing arts center. As well as some small town touches such as Christmas tree lighting, a 4th of July parade and festival, re-enactments of Park City's early days as a mining town, and many others.
There are many faiths in Park City as well as an exceptance of many ways of living. Park City has many fine restaurants and bars. I forgot to mention that Park City has a wine-tasting festival in the historic section of town every year.
Now for the down side.
Park City's standard of living is nearly 300% of the national average. Houses in Park City are usually around 1,000,000, but I have seen many homes that are selling for less. Less expensive homes (though not any less well-built or less pretty) can be bought in the surrounding areas outside of the town of Park City (The mayor and the city council are working hard to make affordable housing a priority for Park City. Park City is a ski resort and during ski season the population of the town can grow many times its normal population, this means added congestion on the roads. This happens as well during the major festivals such as Sundance.
You know though I can deal with the downsides because people bring in money, and tourist dollars are relatively clean, they help make projects possible to keep Park City moving forward for all its citizens. There are three world class ski resorts here and I love being on the slopes and hearing different languages spoken, on the slopes or just in the supermarket. Those people remind me that Park City is part of a larger world.
Many people will write and give you more information I'm sure, but I'm a Parkite now, haven't been one forever, but I'm most gratified to call myself one now. And the snow comes Monday night, can't wait. good luck to you.
Speagle

[jhwest]

You have no idea how cold you can get and how much snow there can be until you live in Park City. Every time we go to Park City (we just live in Salt Lake) we come away thinking "why would anyone live there?"
My sister and her six kids live in Park City and have pleased with the schools there. They love Park City and would never dream of living anywhere else. That being said, my brother teaches an after school chess club to kids all over the wasatch front. Everywhere from Ogden to Provo. He told me that the Park City kids are the worst behaved, rudest kids he deals with.

[ellhr]

yeah... not to mention that its incredibly overrated and pricey.

Skip living there, move down the mountain, and take 6 visits there throughout the year, put the money you save in an IRA.

No offense to the PC people living there.

[mojodog]

I appreciate your directness.... any particular place 'down the mountain' you suggest? We really don't want to be in SLC proper and prefer the lifestyle that Park City has to offer, however, we're realistic on how much it costs to live there. I welcome any specific towns/neighborhoods you can offer. Thanks...

[ellhr]

Well not wanting to live in SLC makes it tough. The communities between there and SLC are pricey too because of proximity to the ski resorts. There are other communities that are in the mountains, small towns that are less pricey and less resort, but you have to navigate passes and that can be a pain in the winter. I also don't know much about these other areas. If you decided to be in Salt Lake, obviously the communities/neighborhoods right at the rim of the pass are best: Canyon Rim, East Millcreek, Holladay, Foothill Village, My Olympus - but I imagine these are pricey - but likely less so than PC. I would also look at Heber City, Midway, and those communities south of Park City. Also look at communities slightly east: Oakley, Kamas, Francis. Heber city and midway are nice small towns. I dont know much more about them. I have been to Heber City once. I have no idea how they compare in cost to PC, or about the driving conditions to PC in the winter. I have never been to Kamas, Oakley, or Peoa - but they are worth looking into if you really dislike SLC. Hope that helps!

[mojodog]

Thanks for your reply about the surrounding towns... I really appreciate it and have been checking them out. Do you happen to know anything more about the Heber City/Midway area? We are relocating because of a job in SLC, however, we prefer to live in Park City or her surrounding area. The cost of housing in Park City is the clincher. Heber City and Midway seem to offer a little more bang for buck; however, they do not seem as liberal as Park City. Am I wrong? We prefer a less religious, more liberal town. Also, what is the commute like from Heber City/Midway to SLC [airport area]? I appreciate any help.

[roselyn 357]

We are relocating to Utah as well. We are looking at living in Cedar Hills. We have two children ages 11 and 13. We are not LDS. As a mother I'm very concerned about what this will mean for our children. Please any information you could share would be greatly appreciated. Is there schools better for non-LDS than others. Can't make a move more complicated by being out casts not being LDS. Thanks

[sail'em]

Speaking only as biased lover of park city, I wouldn't live in slc. if that were the choice I'd leave utah. We live in the far back of summit park and after hearing years of bad stories, a four wheel drive and snow tires have always gotten us around great. nice people, lots of kids and they have great sales on jackets and socks if the cold gets you. It snows here alot but you already know that I assume.
Moved from FL and the snow and/or cold is a fun change. kids we know are not brats but most people we know are from JR/pinebrook or summit.