Comming this weekend to look at houses (Provo, Ogden: fit in, new home)

[mykidzmomi]

I am flying in this weekend to look at some houses for my family of 7. 3 of my children are school age and the other will be starting school in 2 years. Some of the areas I have picked houses to look at Herriman, South Weber, Highland, Bountiful, Syrucuse and Cedar Hills. I have basically been trying to keep within a 45 minute radius of downtown SLC where my husband will be working. Comming from NJ, I have no idea about the different areas in Utah or what to really expect. I am not to concerned about which neighborhoods have more Mormons and which ones have less. I am a very friendly person and do my best to "fit in" where ever I am. I am more concerned with which areas may have better schools, be less conjested and less affected by this inversion I have been reading about. If there is anyone out there from these areas, or knows anything about any of these areas, could you please give me some information about them. I am both excited and nervous about this trip. I am sure the realtor I am working with will give me info when I get there but impatient as I am I want to know as much as I can now Thank you in advance for any information you can share.

[Chickrae]

South Weber I would not suggest looking at. It's very pretty but it is situated just west of a canyon and the wind blows ALL THE TIME. I used to live in Layton which is just east of Syracuse and it's close to everything, schools are fantastic, about 25 minutes north of Salt Lake. Syracuse is nice too. My son lives out there. You don't want to go to far out west in Syracuse as there are a lot of mosquitos (my son is dealing with that right now) and the freeway is far too. Syracuse is growing however so stores are available and eating establishments. Nearest mall is in Layton. I just prefere Layton as the moutains are breath taking there. Bountiful and Kaysville are very nice too. I don't know much about the other areas as I was in Layton for 16 years and Clearfield 11 years before that. You will love it in Utah. Yes there are mormons and lots of them but contrary to what you read on here, everyone is friendly. I live in the bible belt now and lots of baptists and again very friendly people.

[Chickrae]

Also. Layton has Hill Air Force Base there. The only drawback is in certain parts of Layton you hear the airplanes flying over. If you go very east in Layton by Hwy 89 you don't hear them as much (where I used to live), like you do for instance if you are in the center of Layton by the mall area where they fly over ALOt (I lived in a home at one point in that area also)
West Layton is the area where a lot of new homes are going in. I love the Swan Lakes subdivision that is out there by the golf course. Very well built homes.

[eggalegga]

I wouldn't choose Cedar Hills or Highland because of the drive over the point of the mountain in winter. The point of the mountain is where the south end of Salt Lake County meets the north end of Utah county on interestate 15. It isn't always a bad drive, I just wouldn't want to have to commute through that if at all possible. Cedar Hills and Highland are nice areas though.

Herriman is growing like crazy. I've only been there once. I haven't followed up on any news stories to see if the city planners are able to keep the infrastructure in check with all the new residents. Lots of young families in that area. It's too far west for my liking.

I think your list of cities to explore is a good lists. I hope your realtor can guide you to a more informed decision/house hunt. Best of luck to you and your family in Utah.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

The areas around Park City should be considred, depending on your price point. Park City does not get the inversion and ozone problems that the valley gets. I would never buy past the point of the mountain as there are wrecks there all the time in winter (icy road).

Another thing to consider is the FrontRunner, urban express train. It runs (now) from north somewhere, not sure exactly where, maybe Ogden?, to SLC. He can then transfer to TRAX or a bus and get to work without driving - a good deal in today's gas economy and also in winter. The news reported that earlier this week, when there was a major accident on I-15 north, many p[eople left their cars at work and took the FrontRunner hime.

[Chickrae]

Front runner starts in Ogden and runs to Salt Lake. Its pretty nice. I happened to be visiting on the weekend when they had the "free" no pay period for a few days.

[Nomianca]

From what I heard over the weekend Front Runner is also expanding to the south as well...down to Provo.

There are wrecks ALL the time on I-15 thru Utah, Salt Lake counties, etc. Good luck in your hunt.

[Finstudent]

We did not know about the inversion when we moved to Utah, but are glad we ended up in the Park City area. It's a valid health concern, especially if anyone in your family is pre-disposed to asthma or other breathing issues.

Our 6-bedroom house outside Park City is currently listed - I hope it makes your list to look at! We drive to SLC routinely and it took me 40 minutes to get to work in the U of U are about 95% of the time.

[Lmejh]

What about Tooele? Well, not Tooele itself, but the surrounding areas such as Stansbury Park. That's about a 30-minute commute, though I don't know about the schools. I'm guessing the best schools are in the Salt Lake Valley (as most of the population is there) but if the inversion is such a deal-breaker then northern Utah County and Davis County is a good bet. I wouldn't suggest Weber County solely because of commute time; the watered-down Legacy Parkway only reaches up to the middle of Davis County. But most importantly, if you have a family of seven you'll fit right in!

[kaytidid]

Originally Posted by Lmejh

What about Tooele? Well, not Tooele itself, but the surrounding areas such as Stansbury Park. That's about a 30-minute commute, though I don't know about the schools. I'm guessing the best schools are in the Salt Lake Valley (as most of the population is there) but if the inversion is such a deal-breaker then northern Utah County and Davis County is a good bet. I wouldn't suggest Weber County solely because of commute time; the watered-down Legacy Parkway only reaches up to the middle of Davis County. But most importantly, if you have a family of seven you'll fit right in!

Yep! Stansbury Park is awesome. Schools here aren't too bad. Overcrowded a bit, but that is Utah schools in general anyway.