lots of questions (Sandy, Ogden, South Jordan: to rent, buying a home, job transfer)

[jellybean999]

My husband will possibly have a job transfer to the Lehi area of Utah....we are natives from Arizona so are used to the LDS culture although not LDS ourselves.

We are looking at the different areas to rent for 6 months to a year with the intent to purchase after our home in AZ sells.... I read somewhere that if you live East of the 15 that is better? and if so what city Draper, Holladay ??? Any truth to that statementabout the I-15 ? I saw a house in the daybreak area that looked nice? what do you know about that and us not being LDS...?? we have had mixed issues down here....for the most part positive but my older step-children did suffer some rejection in 6-12 grades for not being LDS...

Schools are a BIG issue for us as well we a have a 2nd grader, Kindergartener and a preschooler..... I would love information on a good montessori, any charter schools that are HIGHLY academic?? or possibly private or christian schools?

And lastly -- since I was boen and raised in Az....I know NOTHING about the weather up there and living in the snow etc....what are your best suggesttions? and do i have to shovel snow all winter everyday jus tto get the kids to school??? what do the kids wear to school in the winter? etc.???


Thank you so much -- I know it is long -- but I am VERY nervous

[eggalegga]

Yet another day where my links aren't working.

Is your husband going to work at IM Flash?

East of I-15 if you're north of say about 7200 South would be better than the west side. But South of 7200 South and West of I-15 there are a lot of newer homes and younger families.

You won't have to shovel everyday during the winter. You can buy a snow blower/thrower and that really helps. Avoid buying a home where the driveway faces north. The snow takes a long time to melt in the winter if you face north. A coat, scarf and gloves should be added to your kids wardrobe during winter months. Would your kids walk to school or would they be driven?

If you live in Utah county (Lehi) the school district is Alpine. If you live north (Salt Lake County) there are several school districts. Most likely you'd be in Jordan school district or the new one that's being created for the west side. Read more here: http://www.jordandistrict.org/division/index.html

Catholic elementary school:

The school is located on 57 acres of land in Draper, Utah at 300 East and 11800 South. St. John the Baptist Elementary School shares the campus with Juan Diego Catholic High School, St. John the Baptist Middle School and St. John the Baptist Parish.

http://www.sjbelementary.org/

http://www.sjb-middle.org/

http://www.jdchs.org/


I don't have kids so someone else might be able to provide more info.

[chazcrew]

Alpine and Jordan school districts are both good. There are also a LOT of charter schools, and some private schools as well. Charter schools are hard to get into because they're done on a lottery system, so there's no guarantee that your kids will get in. Once one child is in, however, their siblings are given priority in future lotteries.

Daybreak is a bit of a drive, but there are several people on here to live there and drive to IMFT (if that's where you'll be working; I'm just making an assumption). If you want to avoid the commute, look in Lehi, American Fork, Pleasant Grove, Cedar Hills, Highland, or Alpine. In Salt Lake County, stay on the south end, in Draper, Sandy, Herriman, Riverton, or even South Jordan. If you choose to look in Lehi, then it's true that it's better to be east of I-15, because there's no good east-west corridor in Lehi at the moment, so the commute is bad to IMFT. But it's easy from the east side of I-15. And in SLC the east side is generally nicer than the west, but there are lots of exceptions.

In general, Utah County is more LDS than Salt Lake County. Daybreak has a good LDS/non-LDS mix, but again, it's a longer commute because it's quite far west.

You don't have to shovel every day. Most of the time our snow melts off on its own pretty well, but this year it's been a very bad winter and we've done much more shoveling than usual. Be careful driving in the snow, give yourself plenty of room between cars and SLOW DOWN!

Your kids will need gloves, boots, a hat, and a warm coat, plus snow pants if they want to play in the snow.

Hope that's helpful!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I moved here from Mississippi and was quite worried about driving. Don't know about other areas, but the city itself (SLC) does a fantastic job of plowing! I did buy a snow-blower but the first time it snowed, my neighbors had to come over and tell me to use it. I was going to wait until it stopped snowing but they said that I had to start before the snow got higher. SO I blew snow twice that day. I think a 4WD/AWD vehicle is essential to safe driving, but that's just me. I also had to get snow boots (not fashion ones) for myself!

You can check any school in the country on greatschools.net.

Good luck!

[jellybean999]

thanks so much for the answers....any more advice is greatly appreciated... no the job isn't the flash place it is north of Lehi actually -- so we were thinking to live north of there ..... but is the area nicer in the south???

[chazcrew]

If it's north of Lehi, then you could easily look in Sandy or Draper, which I think are in Jordan school district. Both are nice towns. The closer you get to SLC, the less LDS it gets, but it's also not as family-friendly. In the suburbs, there are more kids and a safer atmosphere. Also, if you live near your work, you might not have to go over the point of the mountain, which can be bad in winter, so if you're worried about driving in bad weather, that would help you avoid some of it.

Do you know which town the job is actually in, if it's not Lehi? That would help with suggestions.

[Fate Belongstome]

Welcome!

Within the last year I moved to Lehi with my family and three school age kids. Utah County has been a little surprising...we just weren't prepared for the sheer number of mormons! I personally don't think the kids intend to be mean or hurtful...they are genuinely surprised to meet someone who isn't mormon! They are so used to knowing everyone from their activities and church services, they are very curious to know why someone would not attend those. They are taught from a young age that the mormon church is the only true church...and as children with such incredible faith...they really can't fathom someone chosing the wrong religion! My kids are very friendly and outgoing and had no problems making friends...then suddenly something happened. The kids saw me drinking a cup of coffee and went berserk! That is when the figured out my children and I are not mormon. They were so shocked but it was the perfect opportunity to point out that we are still the same nice, friendly people and that nothing at all changed with the knowledge that we are not mormon.

The families here have been nothing but genuinely nice to me, although I have been given several book of mormons and invited to attend their services. They believe very strongly in their religion and want the world to join in their beliefs...something I respect but decline. Even after saying no, they are still very nice and respectful neighbors.

If I can help you in any way about Lehi, feel free to ask! I'd love to have another awesome neighbor!

[DPJ4088]

I'll suggest moving to Cottonwood Heights. It's one of the top 100 cities and I loved it up there. It's a bit expensive with the property taxes, as well as the home prices, but it's really quiet and nice. The homes are a bit old, as most were built in the 50's and 60's, but you can find some new developments here and there. It's a nice mix. It's not all mass yuppie suburbia like in Daybreak or South Jordan.

Also, it's right out in between the entrances to 2 canyons, so there's lots of camping, hiking, skiing, etc., and it's right next to the I-215 belt. From my old house, I could literally get to the freeway in 3 minutes. And since everyone commutes to Salt Lake in the morning, if you live here, your husband will be commuting the opposite direction, so traffic will be a bit lighter. The city has a nice recreation center, but it's no Gold's Gym, but likewise it doesn't have the same price tag. And citizens get a discount.

As far as winter snow, it's a little more than in the valley because Cottonwood Heights is spread on a mountain bench and into the valley (I lived on the bench), but not so much you'll actually notice unless you take out a measuring tape. As for driving, you get used to it. Most of the time ALL the roads are dry, but when there's a bad snowstorm, get home and stay home. They put so much salt on the roads, that if it does snow like normal, it melts as soon as it hits, so the roads are just a little wet. I might suggest getting a 4 wheel drive vehicle just to get used to winter driving here for at least one season. I've faired well with a 2 wheel drive car, but then again I've lived here for 13 years.

And another thing with driving in winter, don't drive SLOW, drive REASONABLE! Big difference! Just go with the flow, and if you can't handle it, take another street with less traffic. They blame a lot of winter accidents on "fast" drivers (which there are a few), but a lot of them are a slow drivers going 20 and everyone else is going 40. Then the people going 40 have to swerve out of the way on ice and snow, and that's when the mess starts. Or someone driving "carefully" going 20 pulls out in front of someone doing 40, and cars don't slow down all that well on compacted snow. Just have your brain turned on while you drive and you'll be fine.

[jellybean999]

does anyone know any good charter schools in the area as well??? and has had some experiences with them...

thanks again for all the information -- I am creating a great list...and am hoping to know our finally plans mid July

[aluvbug]

I moved here from AZ about a year ago. We live in Ogden. I haven't been able to find any decent schools (public) and not one charter school. I now have my children in a private catholic elementary school. I know that there is a private lutheran school close by. The schools here really suck compared to AZ. If you thought you had a bad experience with the mormons in AZ I wouldn't move here because I have never seen anything like this my whole life. I am looking to get out of here asap! I have no idea of where but just not here. I have 5 elementary school aged children. Most of the christian / catholic people I know homeschool their children. Hope this helps you out some.