Stansbury Park vs Park City vs Suncrest (Sandy, Millcreek: homes, buying)

[LunaRose87]

Hello again! I posted yesterday but I think I rambled overly long, so here is a shorter post after yet more research haha. My husband is looking at a job opportunity in SLC so we are looking at a few areas above the inversion with a reasonable (30 min or less) commute: Stansbury Park, Park City, and Suncrest.

Can anyone share a bit about the feel of these communities? Also, are there serious wildfire risks in any of these areas? (We currently live in California and I've been able to see wildfire flames from our backyard more than once, so... a little paranoid) We are looking for somewhere that would be friendly and open to homeschooling, non-LDS Christians that are sort of libertarian-crunchy. I feel like Park City sounds like a good match, but worry it would be too fancy for us. I just want somewhere super safe and family friendly, with outdoor access, that will put up with another annoying California implant.

Many thanks And happy new year!!

[Beernik]

I don’t think any of them are 30 minutes or less commute to SLC. Non-rush hour travel times are Park City = 40 minutes, Stansbury Park = 30 minutes, & Suncrest Ridge in Draper =30 minutes. I don’t know what the Park City rush hour commute is like but Draper can easily double.

Stansbury isn’t above the inversion but you might have enough air movement to keep it from being bad most of the time. To be above the inversion most of the time you want to be above 5500-feet in elevation.

Park City is your most high-end, probably least Mormon, and most liberal. Stansbury Park & Draper are probably your most conservative & LDS. Stansbury Park is going to be the most bedroom community.

Stansbury Park, your biggest weather concern is going to be straight line winds. They can get pretty bad from the Tooele Valley westward when storms come in. As for fires, they would likely be on the mountain range, just not enough to burn in the valley.

Fire risk is higher for Park City and Suncrest Ridge but I wouldn’t say excessive.

I will say, one of the awesome things about Salt Lake is that the outdoors are fairly accessible no matter where you live. An hours drive can get you to skiing, hiking, rockclimbing, and boating.

[LunaRose87]

Thank you so much Beernik, that's super helpful! I guess I should have specified I was looking at the closer edge of Park City - Summit Park and Jeremy Ranch, they might actually be separate cities �� how bad does rush hour get? My husband would be working kind of Millcreek area. I tried looking at rush hour in Google maps and it only said it would take like 4 minutes longer, which I'm guessing isn't accurate!

Would it be crazy to live in, say, Cottonwood Heights and just leave town with the kids during inversions? Or are inversion days so scattered and constant that we would have to be constantly driving out and back again?

[SWFL_Native]

At my last job I had several coworkers that lived up in Summit Park and Jeremy Ranch. They were 30-40 min from the office (West of airport). They had great access to skiing and mountain bike trails, out of the inversion, and were part of the park city school system. The only downside is that you need to earn a sufficient salary to maintain a lifestyle up there.

I would highly recommend this area over stansbury Park/toole area. That is unless you’re into raised pickup trucks and horse properties.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by LunaRose87

Thank you so much Beernik, that's super helpful! I guess I should have specified I was looking at the closer edge of Park City - Summit Park and Jeremy Ranch, they might actually be separate cities �� how bad does rush hour get? My husband would be working kind of Millcreek area. I tried looking at rush hour in Google maps and it only said it would take like 4 minutes longer, which I'm guessing isn't accurate!

Would it be crazy to live in, say, Cottonwood Heights and just leave town with the kids during inversions? Or are inversion days so scattered and constant that we would have to be constantly driving out and back again?

Leaving town entirely during every inversion strikes me as very extreme unless there are very serious pulmunatory issues. They are unpleasant and many do suffer to some extent. Many others don't. In any case, they're sporadic and largely seasonal (winter). Might be worth a visit during an inversion to see what you think.



If you're the type to actually get out every time the air starts getting hazy you should probably rethink SLC or, alternatively, live on the east side in PC , Jeremy Ranch etc. Bring your checkbook. The commute to Millcreek would be pretty good, straight shot down I-80.

[LunaRose87]

Thank you SWFL_Native and kletter1mann! Sounds like we definitely should check out Summit Park and Jeremy Ranch. I love the idea of having some trees around anyhow. Do either of you have any thoughts on the Suncrest area of Draper, compared to SP/JR?

[LunaRose87]

Oh and... this is probably a stupid question, but I haven't seen it asked yet... Are they able to forecast inversions a day or so in advance or do you get any warning, or do you just wake up and it's there?

[Tspoon]

I think you're focusing way too much on the inversion...knowing those areas I would first focus on commute (some of those can be hellish), then cost of living, then access to outdoor activities, then conservative/liberal, then maybe ?inversion?. I personally really like Suncrest. Newer families, good access to both AF canyon and LCC. Corner Cyn MTB out the back door. Downside is similar to the others in that not a lot of local amenities super close (i.e. grocery store down the street etc). We moved from Charlotte (looked at all the ones you mentioned) and ended up buying in Sandy (Pepperwood). We ended up nixing PC and Suncrest because PC is pretty expensive for what you get, and your commute can be hellish. Lastly, you somewhat get locked in to skiing at PC. Pepperwood was nice because you are adjacent to Wasatch Blvd, and can be at multiple resorts in 10 minutes (i.e. not locked into one), good commute, good schools, and COL was not stupid high.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by LunaRose87

Oh and... this is probably a stupid question, but I haven't seen it asked yet... Are they able to forecast inversions a day or so in advance or do you get any warning, or do you just wake up and it's there?

No, you don't just wake up and it's there. It works like this: There will be a good-sized snow storm. The next day, the ground is covered with snow that is clean and sparkling under a sunny, clear blue sky. If you're lucky, that kind of weather hangs around for at least one or maybe two more days. Then, while it may continue to be sunny, it's hazy out, and even though you're aware that the sun is shining, it's hard to see the mountains from anywhere out in the valley, and if you're on the benches (i.e. Cottonwood Heights, for example), the air is just not really clean looking. Finally, it gets so bad that you see nothing but an ugly gray blanket covering the sky, the mountains, the valleys, etc. You don't see any sun at all, and it's cold! It's extremely depressing to look at and -- for some people, but not for others -- can pose health risks. After anywhere from two to five days of pea soup air, another storm comes in and the whole process starts over again. This 7-10 day cycle repeats itself from about mid-December to mid-February. Then it starts getting a lot better.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Sincerest is liable to slide down the mountain some day. Search this forum and the archives of the local newspaper.