Michigan to Utah (Questions on smaller towns & Catholic Vs Public schools) (Salt Lake City: fit in, rentals)

[utahtransplant2b]

Hello,
We have been researching a move from northern Michigan to Utah for several months now. After a 2 week trip to Utah, in early June, we have decided it is a for sure in mid August. My husband is self employed so job hunting isn't a part of the equation We are looking to rent for several months so that we can "learn" the areas that will best suit us, but we would like some input please. We are from a very rural area so the SLC valley is definitely not an option. I have read the many reviews from many of you, and am thankful for information that I would never get in the chamber of commence sites! Many months ago, I had never heard about inversions, but thanks to this forum I have researched it extensively and am slowly understanding where the most likely areas are & when they potentially come. We are pretty sure that we want to be on the back side of the Wasatch's due to the smaller towns there. We have very few neighbors where we live now. All wave at the mailbox, but I don't know any of their names. We all just kind of stick to ourselves, but all would come immediately if needed by a neighbor. That's the kind of town we are looking for. We are a family of 6 (kids: twins 15, & 17 yr. old, plus one daughter will be heading to college in fall). All of my kids are very easygoing and adapt well to new friends, places, & new situations. We don't have a "fear" of the LDS families, even though we are Catholic. We have known some in past and our kids get along with their kids well. Religion never came up...just swimming, biking, dirt bike riding, and other summer stuff etc.
Wondering about more quiet areas outside of Park City. Looked at Heber, but we are considering Catholic High Schools in Valley, so driving is an issue. Any info on small towns and schools (Juan Diego Catholic, Judge Memorial, or Park City High) would be greatly appreciated. Info on the kids taking the UTA bus to school as well. That is very foreign to us. I did make us all get on the TRAXX train in SLC just so we all could understand it somewhat. Have nothing remotely like this here
We all work well as a family and are up to the challenge of adjustments. In fact our kids go to small Catholic school here, and principal laughed when I told her where we were considering moving..states our kids are adventurous-just like my husband & I.
Look forward to your comments and thanks in advance.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Judge Memorial is very good - I know a few LDS families who send their boys there for the rigorous education. Likewise, the Cathedral School of the Madeleine is good but for girls. However, living on the other side of the mountain is not very reasonable for attending school in the valley. The hours spent getting there and back take away from any extracurricular or family activities.

I would re-think your plan and compromise on something.

[utahtransplant2b]

Thanks for you reply. I have had a few people tell me that Judge Memorial was about 20-30 minutes from Park City and that there were buses. Is it further? My 17 yr old could drive them, but we do want something reasonable. We did the hour drive to the school where they are at for 5 years, but gas prices & sports killed us so we moved closer.
We looked at Juan Diego when we were there, but didn't have a chance to see Judge Memorial. After talking to several people we refocused on Park City High versus Wasatch High for the potential public schools and Juan & Judge depending on distance from quieter living area.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Sorry, can't help with times.

[eggalegga]

Driving from Park City to Judge everyday for school wouldn't be a good plan during the winter. Driving I-80 through Parley's Canyon can be treacherous. I doubt any mom would want their teen doing that.

I don't have kids so can't help you with deciding where your kids should attend vs where you will live.

[utahtransplant2b]

Thanks for the info. We have real bad roads here in Michigan, as we live in the snow belt area,so we are used to bad weather. I definitely don't let the kids drive here when it's bad, so I appreciate the info. Can anyone tell me about some of the canyon areas that are outside of Salt Lake City, but are not closed in the winter. I have looked at pictures of some of the land and it is very pretty, but I don't know if the roads are drivable in the winter. Does anyone have kids that go to Park City High? Any info on new kids assimilating would be appreciated. Thanks for all the answers so far.

[Lamborgotti]

In my experience the public schools are on par with the private schools around here. The commute is definitely not worth it just to go to Judge, IMO.

There aren't really very many 'canyon towns' around. Alta and Emigration Township are in canyons themselves (and accessible in winter), but are very close to the valley and pretty much depend on it. Also, I don't think you'd get much of a town feel, as many of the houses are used seasonally by people who don't actually live there. Of course, this will be the case to a much greater degree in Park City and its surroundings, as a great portion of the homes are used as vacation rentals, seasonal getaways, and retirement destinations. If you don't mind keeping to yourself and potentially being lonely, I'd move to Midway in a heartbeat.

[utahtransplant2b]

Are there actual neighborhoods up in the alta canyon? We didn't drive there when we visited and it is hard to get a feel for things online. We did drive through Midway and loved the Deer Creek reservoir area south of there. Again having hard time matching neighborhood areas that are quiet, not much in the line of neighbors to the schools without the $$$$ price tag for housing. I wish I could jump on a plane and just drive around again, but it isn't realistic at this point. I appreciate all the "eyes" for me that have responded. Thanks again to everyone.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by utahtransplant2b

Are there actual neighborhoods up in the alta canyon?

Not right in the canyon itself, but just at the base of the canyon. My brother-in-law just retired as a ski instructor at Alta. He lives just about five minutes from the mouth of the canyon.

[utahtransplant2b]

Hi, thought I should write an update on our move from Michigan to Utah as I remember worrying if my kids would fit in with the LDS kids since we are Catholic. We ended up moving to Heber City (10 minutes from Park City), where the high school is quite large. They have a newer school and we were surprised at how well the kids were kept in line. Not in a mean way, but it was obvious there were rules that were expected to be followed. My kids have lots of friends that are both LDS and Non LDS. We have learned which families don't allow their children to do things with our kids on Sundays and who they can hang out with on a Sunday night if schools out. My kids go with friends o young men night and play team sports (LDS sponsored at their ward). We haven't been hit with others trying to convert us. Sure my boys on occasion hear that "you should come to our church to be baptized" , but they just remind the kids that they are baptized- Catholic...and that's usually the end of that. I don't know too many adults yet, but at work most of my co workers are LDS and they might at first meeting, but we quickly found common conversation not focused on religion. My friends outside of work are LDS, but like those back in Michigan we haven't ever focused our conversations on religion...we laugh more at how "they" have an accent, not me!
I find the schools to be much more conservative then back in MI. I was shocked to see an "In God We Trust" posted in huge block letters above the office of the public school, and we have prayed before a cross country banquet, but that suits me just fine. The town is very family oriented, with lots of parks, rec center, skate park etc...
We found the Catholic church in Park City suits us best. The choir is amazing and the church is small tucked back in the mountains, which is perfect for us.
We have seen the inversions creeping up the canyons (Provo & Parleys) but we have have had no problems in the year that we have been here. We miss our green trees and lakes in MI, but up higher in the mountains are green and there are several reservoirs for swimming. Provo canyon is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. Parleys is like a Michigan expressway twisted through the mountains, race track style! Going from Park City to SLC is all downhill and was quite unnerving the first many times we drove it! One explanation is at the top you can let off of your brakes and go about 85 all the way down. We quickly found out good brakes and good tires (with chains in the winter) are a must in Utah mountains.
The outdoor activities are fabulous. It has been a learning experience to dirt bike (or drive) with mountain drop off. We had many trees to maneuver around on our trails in MI, but it seems a whole lot scarier to see long way drop offs on either side of a riding trail. My kids ski, dirt bike, bike, hike, climb and lots more here. It seems everybody is active here.
I hope this will help others who are considering the move....I know there were many here that tried to help us understand what Utah was like before we moved here. So we're paying it forward.