Possible move from Ohio to SLC (Salt Lake City, Roy: how much, house, neighborhood)

[Ohiogal52]

Hello - There is a potential job opportunity that would require a move from the suburbs of Columbus, OH to SLC, and I would love to get opinions from others who have made similar moves. We love where we live, schools are top notch, we are Presbyterians, somewhat liberal, and for Ohio it's a decently diverse area. We have two kids, ages 5 and 8. We probably share the same concerns I've seen on threads already, but hoping to get first hand knowledge. We would be moving 2000 miles away from our family, so for that and reason stated above, this isn't an easy decision. We do not want to tack on additional challenges/roadblocks that would make this a more difficult transition for our kids especially. For those who have moved from the Midwest, have your experiences been good, bad, and why? Thanks!

[ksman]

I'm from the Kansas City area and most of my family is still near there. We moved to SLC almost 2 1/2 years ago and have kids about the same age as yours. I absolutely love it here and have no interest in moving back to KS anytime soon (actually had an opportunity recently and quickly said no). For me, the two best things are the weather and proximity to outdoor activities. If it's a job you really want and have even the slightest interest in hiking, skiing, camping, etc. then I think you should really consider it. Visit if you can.

Yes the culture takes a little getting used to but probably no more than if you were moving to the south or west coast or nyc or wherever. Just read the threads about where to or not to live and you'll be fine. There are several Presby churches in the valley and plenty of other Protestant churches to choose from. Finding one that fits really shouldn't be a problem.

If you have any specific questions just ask or send me a direct message.

[Geo-Aggie]

I'll of course preface this by saying that it's different for everyone, but I just made the opposite move, from Utah to Michigan, and I wouldn't go back to Utah - not without like a 50% raise or something.

I'm liberal leaning, and the liberal leaning pockets of Utah are basically isolated to very nice and expensive areas of Summit County and a few square miles of Salt Lake City which range from very expensive to affordable-to-white-collar-workers. Schools tend to be good in Park City (ratings in the 7-8 range) and anywhere from terrible to moderately good in east Salt Lake City. Though the high schools tend to be on the terrible side of things (East High for example scores a 2) while elementary schools will be a bit better in the area, at least from a ratings standpoint. If you go west into other moderately liberal suburbs, pretty much all the schools are poor to moderately poor. If you can afford private schools though, SLC has some amazing options.

Diversity is about zero, unless you go west, and in the 24 years that I lived in Utah I don't believe I ever had a person mention that they were Presbyterian, but I do remember there being a church down the street from where I lived in a moderately-liberal community called Sugar House. It was really pretty and seemed to have plenty of involvement.

But one thing I will say that Utah has over the Midwest is beauty and aesthetics. I'm still shocked at how aesthetically boring Southeast Michigan is. The architecture is bland, there are overhead powerlines everywhere, the streets are in various states of disrepair and, with the exception to a few quaint towns like Birmingham, Royal Oak and Ferndale, strip malls rule. Utah doesn't suffer from that as badly. They've paid far more attention to infrastructure upgrades and making the communities pretty. Though strip malls do still tend to rule outside of a few beautiful master planned developments way out in Herriman or South Jordan.

Oh, and mountains. I had no idea how much I'd miss seeing them. Rolling hills and fresh water lakes are spectacular, but they just don't have the same passive natural beauty as the jagged features towering above.

So it depends on what you're looking for. If it is indeed a liberal community with good schools and diversity, you're probably not going to find it in Utah(even Park City and East Salt Lake which tend to be liberal with decent schools are not at all diverse), but if you want an isolated liberal enclave with natural beauty and somewhere that's "new" feeling - Utah has that.

[Ohiogal52]

Thanks for the replies. Although my husband and I both grew up in Ohio, we do have family from Wyoming and have spent time out west. We love the mountains and traveling out west, whether it be Wyoming, AZ, CA, etc. I do think we would love the geography. It's more the culture, religion, and school concerns that are keeping us up at night. Is it a place our kids can get a great education and feel at home in time, or will we be sacrificing a high quality education and putting them in an environment where they will be outcasts. We are not in a position to afford Park City, and it doesn't sound like the schools are all that great there anyway. All of the schools in our current area rank 9 and 10 on a 1-10 scale, so it's tough to beat.

[ksman]

In my experience so far, the culture/religion thing you remain aware of but become minor or non-issues once you get settled in. We did put our kids in private school this year and are very happy with the change. But we also have a lot of friends that are very happy with their public and/or charter schools. There are enough options that you can find something that works if budget allows. Is it possible that your kids will feel like outcasts? Sure, especially if you live in Utah or Davis County, but it's also very possible that it won't be an issue at all. You won't be the only non-LDS family in town. There are a lot, like us, that are choosing to stay because we really do like it here. But as Geo pointed out, YMMV.

[Ohiogal52]

Thanks. Maybe a dumb question, but what does YMMV stand for?

[Ohiogal52]

Also, can either of you (or anyone else) offer specifics on good private schools? I'm not sure we can afford it, but would certainly like to investigate options.

[kaytidid]

Originally Posted by Ohiogal52

Thanks. Maybe a dumb question, but what does YMMV stand for?

Your mileage may vary

Both my daughters were born and raised here and we are not LDS. My oldest didn't have any issue at all as she reached teen hood feeling like she didn't belong, ect. My youngest is now 15.5 and she struggles a lot. She also has social anxiety, so that could play a huge part in it. I can't say for certain that it is the culture that causes her issues. It could be any number of things. When she was younger, she played well with others

Life really is what you make of it. It isn't that LDS aren't welcoming or friendly. They most certainly are. Some kids might feel a little left out when the talk inevitably turns to any sort of church discussions such as camp or mutual or scouts or young mens/womens activities. Just know that they are always welcomed to join their friends! My oldest did various activities with her friends. Never any pressure to join the church or anything!

[Tspoon]

...also moving to SLC this summer (I was born/raised there and left after college in 2002)... but now returning with my wife and kids.

Any direction towards good pre-schools, mother's morning out, etc for my 3yo, or good kindergarten(s) for my 5yo.

We are not LDS and pretty liberal, and school is the most important thing on our list, but sadly none of our friends have kids, so we're doing a cold search...

Can anyone point me in the right direction for MMO's and Kindergartens?

Thanks!

[easternerDC]

I am non-LDS and have been living in Utah for 8 almost 9 years after moving from Washington, DC.

My kids are too young for school right now, but its right around the corner. Just some thoughts about moving and living in Utah from my perspective.

1) Being liberally minded, and moving from a larger more cosmpolitan area, it was a HUGE culture shock moving to Utah. I still have a hard time of the HUGE influence the LDS church has on politics. For example, there are quite a few bills going through the house right now and the LDS church has issued statments against the bills. A few of the state house members have been quoted as saying how that basically seals the deal for the bills to fail the vote.

2) The access to the mountains and outdoor lifestyle is amazing. We love the outdoor lifestyle and being able to access trails, skiing, biking activities so easily.

3) Cost of living is relatively low compared to where we were living before. Which is great for us, we never would have been able to afford to buy a house had we stayed in DC. Keep in mind though, salaries can be very low here depending on where you work.

4) Socially it can be hit or miss. Some people have been wonderful, some are nice just on the surface and it never goes beyond that, and some people are downright rude. One neighbor in particular, won't talk to anyone who is not LDS - I have been in conversations with other neighbors while she is there and she won't even look at me and talks over my head (although it feels like crap to be treated as non-existent, it says more about her than me, so whateves).

5) Schools - I have no experience with school age children yet. But my kids play with others in the neighborhood and it is a non-issue. I do hear from friends and coworkers though that issues do tend to crop up as the kids get older. Two of my co-workers who now have children in college or recent graduates said that some of their kids had a lot of pressure to join the church from their peers in middle school and high school. And once the decision was made they were not going to, a lot of those friendships faded away.

There is also a lot of the Sunday school that seems talks to the LDS children early about having your friends go to church. My one neighbors dd (age 5) told us that in her primary (church Sunday school) she was told they should ask their friends to go to church so their families can go to and join the church. I find it kind of creepy that children as young as 5 are being taught to use their friends to recruit families to join.