West Valley City - Best (safe) areas for a small family (West Jordan: crime, house)

[Chelsea_FC]

Hello All - We are a young couple with a baby exploring West Valley area to buy a small family home. My new work location is around 4255 Lake Park Blvd. I want to stay close to my work location so I can spend more time with family . I saw the area around 5600W - with Target, Winco Foods nice. We saw a school close to my office(although baby is too young for that) which I heard is a good one - Neil Armstrong academy. Having said that not really sure if the area is safe.

Just want to know what are the best areas to live in W.Valley and those to avoid.

[kaytidid]

You will get a lot of info like "Stay away from West Valley!" Really though, there are parts of West Valley that are very nice. Our West Valley resident is Geo-Aggie. Hopefully he will swing by to chime in on some of the better areas. The area of 5600 West is growing by leaps and bounds, mostly in commercial development.

Calling Geo..come in Geo!

[MovingtoUtah99]

We are looking to buy home but have been told by numerous people to avoid West Valley City although pricing there seems really low....and I haven't even looked in the West Valley City area...will wait to see what Goe-Aggie says on this !

[UTES]

My brother lives in that area of West Valley City in an established suburb. I think it's pretty nice, with new stores and neighborhoods. There are also some nice parks and community centers there.

In general, it's fair to describe West Valley City as "spotty." It really is a diverse, schizophrenic mix. There're horse properties mixed in with McMansions and then some bad neighborhoods with cars on blocks in the street and graffiti on the buildings. Depending on what neighborhood you're in, it can have a very different feel to it.

Bill

[Geo-Aggie]

Of course the first time my opinion on WVC is actually wanted I'm out of town for the weekend on vacation. Well, now I'm back so.. hopefully you check this late, Man-U-Hater.

West Valley really is diverse. "McMansions next door to horse properties" is .. an accurate way to describe it .. and there are definitely bad neighborhoods.

The bad neighborhoods are going to be mostly on the east side near Redwood and in the central part, around 3500S and 3500W. The area around the mall (3500S and 215) tends to draw a bit of crime too, but that's because it draws a lot of people. Overall though crime is fairly typical of a large suburb.

For good neighborhoods, further west is generally better. The homes are newer, the people make more money so they take better care of them and the schools don't have to teach remedial English. My wife and I (we're 28) live near Target and Winco and can attest to it being a great neighborhood. She also works near Lake Park and her commute is about 10 minutes. I also really like the areas south of here, near Lowe's.

I find that this crime map corresponds pretty much exactly with the nice areas and the crappy areas of WVC. (Blue is good, white is bad.) Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

The main draws to WVC have got to be how far your dollar will take you and access to downtown SLC. What you can buy in WVC for 200k would cost 350k in Draper and the 201 is pretty much a freeway for West Valley City/Magna only, so traffic always flows well. Also don't rule out Magna, some of the newer areas of Magna are really nice and wouldn't add much to your commute. West Jordan should also be an option, but you will pay a little more there and add a few minutes to your commute. However you won't have to defend where you live every time one of your snobbier friends discovers you bought a house in West Valley...

[Geo-Aggie]

Sorry for double post-

My best advice though, over trusting an internet stranger (me), would be to find a real-estate agent who covers WVC specifically and knows it well. They guy I had advised me against a couple of homes because he said he had tried selling homes in the neighborhood but couldn't. He would "suggest" (because of political correctness) showing my wife and I homes only in specific neighborhoods in which he had experienced an easier time selling homes.

If you want to message me I'd be happy to hook you up with his info, but there are plenty of qualified professionals and I'm sure you can find one yourself too, if you prefer.

[fteter]

Seems like WVC has a much worse reputation than is justified. The further west of Redwood, the better. And know that the city government is working hard to improve the city overall...and it seems to be working. The upside is that you can buy a nice home in a nice neighborhood on the cheap because of the city's reputation. Work with an agent that knows the area, be wise in picking your neighborhood, and you'll probably get a great deal.

[Chelsea_FC]

@UTES @Geo-Aggie @fteter - Sorry for the late response. Thanks for the wonderful posts. It gave us lot of insight about the area.

We finally decided to buy in S.Jordan as most of our friends are there and also for good public schools.

Thank you all for your inputs.