Summit Park Opinions (Junction: fit in, real estate, how much)

[skrit]

Hey fellow Utahans,

I currently live in West Capitol Hill after moving here from southeatern US. The city is closing in on me and I need to get as close to nature as my wallet can handle (~300K ish or cheaper). I like Emigration Canyon but there are no affordable houses or land to build one on (except for way up in Pinecrest). I'm not interested in all of the spec house areas west and south of the city either.

I am interested in the Summit Park and surrounding areas. My wife and I are early 30's and have met very few folks we can relate to in the city. We are not LDS, professional snowboarders, show-offy, or punky type people (if that makes since). We are just laid back progressive folks who like the outdoors and the environment. We love dogs too and our "son" is a Golden Retriever. We love 90.9 KRCL radio if that is any indication of the type of people we are.

Will we fit in that little pocket community?

I don't care about the steeps, the snow, the cold or the commute that so many people complain about - that is why we moved to UT and bought 4WD vehicles.

All we care about is having a fun group of neighbors that we can have cook-outs with while enjoying a frosty local brew or (insert alcoholic beverage of choice). Also if there are some 30ish women in that neighborhood that can help my wife learn to ski or board, that would be great - she doesn't listen to me on the slopes! I wouldn't mind meeting a few ski buddies myself.

[griffin]

You will love Summit Park. It sounds just right for you.

[MidMtnGurl]

Greetings skrit!

Check out this thread from last year:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/utah/...park-city.html

I've lived in Summit Park since June '05 with my boyfriend and our 2 dogs. We absolutely love it and love our neighborhood! In my reply to Stan in the thread mentioned above, I tried to be very objective about what Summit Park living is about. I'm sure it's not for everyone and hopefully, my comments can help you decide if it's for you. Feel free to hit me up with any questions you might have.

Cheers,
Pam

[Lmejh]

Is Summit Park that little village right off of I-80 when you reach the Salt Lake/Summit County line? I've always wondered what that was all about.

[MidMtnGurl]

Me, again skrit... I just read your post again and realize that I didn't respond to some of your questions and I doubt my post from last year will answer them either.

I am not LDS either and I know very few LDS folks living in Summit Park, but the few that I do know are friendly, nice neighbors. Basically, from my perspective it's a non-issue. Most everyone here has a dog... or 2 or 3. The trails at the top of the neighborhood are used regularly to hike dogs off-leash. So, your "son" will fit in perfectly! Too wild that you mention KRCL radio - my boyfriend and I just discovered it recently. Unfortunately, it doesn't come in too great here, but we are able to listen over the internet.

Most people who live here are very outdoorsy and active, but I've never felt that there are any elitists or cliques. Everyone that we know (and we know quite a few Summit Parkers by now) are very accepting of other lifestyles and abilities.

Yep, a lot of people who don't live here will tell you how horrible Summit Park is. You definitely have the right attitude in your comment "that is why we moved to UT and bought 4WD vehicles". It reminds me of my favorite saying "Attitude: the difference between ordeal and adventure". Summit Park is an adventure, but so worth it! In the winter when we get pounded with snow, everyone embraces it and lends a hand to a neighbor when needed. It is not uncommon for us to go away in the winter and return to find that someone has snowblowed our driveway for us. Sometimes, it takes us a while to figure out who did it so we can thank them!

Lastly (and most important) is the cook-out and sharing of adult beverages. That you will definitely find here and as a matter of fact, my boyfriend and I started up a regular "Summit Park Happy Hour" shortly after moving here. We even have an online calendar for the schedule. Almost every weekend during the summer, someone hosts a happy hour at their house - it's a rotating deal based on who would like to host. The happy hours are BYOB and a snack/appetizer to share. Enticing?

I'm more like 40-ish, but am a skier and snowboarder and would certainly be willing to help anyone else learn. Imagine my surprise that your wife doesn't want your advice on the slopes!! I hear that often with couples and I'm sure I'm guilty of it myself at times.

I'm actually re-learning to ski (AT setup) after 10 years as a snowboarder. My boyfriend is learning to telemark ski and has also been a snowboarder for 7-8 years. We decided that we'd like to be able to hike up/ski down on the trails here in Summit Park and skiing is the way to go. Yeah, you can snowshoe up with your board on your back, and we've done it, but decided the skin/ski option looks much more appealing. And, we just decided that now that we live here, we want to be able to ski and snowboard.

I hope I've given you a little insider information about Summit Park living to help you make a decision.

Keep me posted if you land yourselves here and I can certainly introduce you to some cool Summit Park folks!

Cheers,
Pam

[MidMtnGurl]

Originally Posted by Lmejh

Is Summit Park that little village right off of I-80 when you reach the Salt Lake/Summit County line? I've always wondered what that was all about.

Yep, it's right at the top of Parleys Summit on the south side of I-80.

[skrit]

Originally Posted by MidMtnGurl

Me, again skrit... I just read your post again and realize that I didn't respond to some of your questions and I doubt my post from last year will answer them either.

We have driven up there several times and love it. I didn't realize how much shopping was available around Kimball Junction / Snyderville. Summit Park is way more convienent to enough shops and stores to keep us happy than I thought it was and you don't even "have" to get back on 80 to get to them.

Originally Posted by MidMtnGurl

I'm more like 40-ish, but am a skier and snowboarder and would certainly be willing to help anyone else learn.

Oops I didn't mean to be exclusive when I asked if there were women that are 30ish that could help my wife learn the slopes. We fave fun with all ages!

Originally Posted by MidMtnGurl

It reminds me of my favorite saying "Attitude: the difference between ordeal and adventure". Summit Park is an adventure, but so worth it!

Awesome saying...I'm going have to borrow that one!

Originally Posted by MidMtnGurl

my boyfriend and I started up a regular "Summit Park Happy Hour" shortly after moving here. Enticing?

Sweet! That's what I'm talking about! If we get the house, we are definitely all over that! You learn a lot about your neighbors when they have had one too many .

We have our fingers crossed that we get the house we want up there. Thanks for the post, nice to meet some potential neighbors before we even move! We really need to live around some like-minded folks.

[dogsandboys]

we just moved to summit park last week and it is wonderful so far.
please let me know if you end up in the neighborhood, my husband and i would love to meet you and your wife.
we have three dogs, and one is a golden.
good luck with everything!

[osugirl2]

Originally Posted by MidMtnGurl

Me, again skrit... I just read your post again and realize that I didn't respond to some of your questions and I doubt my post from last year will answer them either.

I am not LDS either and I know very few LDS folks living in Summit Park, but the few that I do know are friendly, nice neighbors. Basically, from my perspective it's a non-issue. Most everyone here has a dog... or 2 or 3. The trails at the top of the neighborhood are used regularly to hike dogs off-leash. So, your "son" will fit in perfectly! Too wild that you mention KRCL radio - my boyfriend and I just discovered it recently. Unfortunately, it doesn't come in too great here, but we are able to listen over the internet.

Most people who live here are very outdoorsy and active, but I've never felt that there are any elitists or cliques. Everyone that we know (and we know quite a few Summit Parkers by now) are very accepting of other lifestyles and abilities.

Yep, a lot of people who don't live here will tell you how horrible Summit Park is. You definitely have the right attitude in your comment "that is why we moved to UT and bought 4WD vehicles". It reminds me of my favorite saying "Attitude: the difference between ordeal and adventure". Summit Park is an adventure, but so worth it! In the winter when we get pounded with snow, everyone embraces it and lends a hand to a neighbor when needed. It is not uncommon for us to go away in the winter and return to find that someone has snowblowed our driveway for us. Sometimes, it takes us a while to figure out who did it so we can thank them!

Lastly (and most important) is the cook-out and sharing of adult beverages. That you will definitely find here and as a matter of fact, my boyfriend and I started up a regular "Summit Park Happy Hour" shortly after moving here. We even have an online calendar for the schedule. Almost every weekend during the summer, someone hosts a happy hour at their house - it's a rotating deal based on who would like to host. The happy hours are BYOB and a snack/appetizer to share. Enticing?

I'm more like 40-ish, but am a skier and snowboarder and would certainly be willing to help anyone else learn. Imagine my surprise that your wife doesn't want your advice on the slopes!! I hear that often with couples and I'm sure I'm guilty of it myself at times.

I'm actually re-learning to ski (AT setup) after 10 years as a snowboarder. My boyfriend is learning to telemark ski and has also been a snowboarder for 7-8 years. We decided that we'd like to be able to hike up/ski down on the trails here in Summit Park and skiing is the way to go. Yeah, you can snowshoe up with your board on your back, and we've done it, but decided the skin/ski option looks much more appealing. And, we just decided that now that we live here, we want to be able to ski and snowboard.

I hope I've given you a little insider information about Summit Park living to help you make a decision.

Keep me posted if you land yourselves here and I can certainly introduce you to some cool Summit Park folks!

Cheers,
Pam

This sounds like exactly where we need to be, although I'm pretty sure we won't be able to afford it off the bat. Any idea where I can look for Real Estate in the area?

[osugirl2]

Originally Posted by osugirl2

This sounds like exactly where we need to be, although I'm pretty sure we won't be able to afford it off the bat. Any idea where I can look for Real Estate in the area?

Yeah I definitely can't afford it *sigh* maybe in about 5 years........lol