Which city should we choose? (Sandy, West Jordan: 2011, home, neighborhood)

[metimes3]

I've looked on realtor.com and it seems as though South Jordan is quite a bit more affordable than Bountiful, and the lots are a lot bigger. Maybe I'm missing something there too .

So basically what I'm hearing is that Woods Cross and North Salt lake aren't necissarily bad, just maybe not as desirable because the the smell .

[rivettijensen]

South Jordan is a nice place to live but I wouldn't want to commute downtown from there. The problem with the west side of the Valley is that there is no fast way to get to the freeway or to Trax. From West or South Jordan, you're looking at about 30 minutes just to the freeway during rush hour. It's a pain. I'm not too keen on North Salt Lake for the refinery thing.

I think Murray might be a great option for your family. It's right in the center of the valley so you can hit the freeway or a Trax station with no problem. Also, it's just a great city. They have more businesses than any other city in Utah and a ton of those are car dealerships so the tax revenue is substantial. Because of that, the city is very independent. They have their own very affordable utilities, their own fabulous school district. And I think it's pretty affordable.

[Chango]

Originally Posted by metimes3

I've looked on realtor.com and it seems as though South Jordan is quite a bit more affordable than Bountiful, and the lots are a lot bigger. Maybe I'm missing something there too .

So basically what I'm hearing is that Woods Cross and North Salt lake aren't necissarily bad, just maybe not as desirable because the the smell .

I haven't looked at prices for a while myself, so maybe I'm missing something. There was A LOT of building in SW section of the valley during the boom years, and I imagine the inventory is pretty glutted. Bountiful on the other hand has been pretty much built out for years.

But yea, NSL and Woods X are mostly safe, good areas to live in minus their proximity to the industrial zones.

[metimes3]

Thanks! That tells me what I needed to know about Woods Cross and NSL. THey just seemed too good to be true.
So is Bountiful not really effected by the refineries then?
I will give Murray a look. I guess I didn't look there because I thought because it was so close to Taylorville which supposedly isn't the safest area (according to city-data).

Any other cities anyone would like to suggest?

[Chango]

Originally Posted by metimes3

Thanks! That tells me what I needed to know about Woods Cross and NSL. THey just seemed too good to be true.
So is Bountiful not really effected by the refineries then?
I will give Murray a look. I guess I didn't look there because I thought because it was so close to Taylorville which supposedly isn't the safest area (according to city-data).

Any other cities anyone would like to suggest?

Bountiful does get a little if the wind blows right (Woods Cross is directly to the west) but it really depends on where you are. The more North you go, the less it will be a problem.

The Salt Lake area is generally like this: The I-15 corridor is generally the poorest, least desirable and most affordable area. The worst areas are immediately west of I-15 in SLC, West Valley and Taylorsville and East to about 13th East from South of downtown all the way to Sandy more or less (getting progressively nicer the further away from the freeway they are, both East and West) . The far west side of the valley is all newer construction and nice-ish, the east Bench above 13th east the most expensive and desireable with mostly older, well established neighborhoods. The money lives on the benches overlooking the valley from SLC to Draper.

Davis county is a little different. South Davis is mostly well to do middle class right up the freeway with pockets of poorer areas around the refineries and commerical areas of Bountiful. The benches, especially in Bountiful, Farmington and Layton are home to more money, just like the East bench of the Salt Lake Valley. The poorer areas are in western Layon, Clinton and some parts of Syracuse (although there are lots of big, nice houses on huge lots there too).

There really isn't one nice place to live otherwise, most cities here look and feel alike otherwise.

[metimes3]

What about Sandy, would the commute from there be crazy too?
I originally had it all planned that we would go to herriman, but then I found out it was too far out too.

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by metimes3

What about Sandy, would the commute from there be crazy too?
I originally had it all planned that we would go to herriman, but then I found out it was too far out too.

Try Daybreak in South Jordan, we are getting a trax stop in about 2 years. I love it here.

[metimes3]

Eh, I've looked into Daybreak, don't really care for the tiny lots much, but the idea of it sounds great.
So if the Trax goes to S.Jordan will that make the commute time shorter?

[Zionide]

Originally Posted by Chango

The worst areas are immediately west of I-15 in SLC, West Valley and Taylorsville.

It's really not accurate to lump Taylorsville in with WVC and the west side of SLC. While there are nice neighborhoods in all three of those areas, nice is the exception in WVC and west side SLC. Where as in Taylorsville, the poor areas are the exception.

There are even a few neighborhoods in Taylorsville and Bennion (specifically along the South Jordan Canal Road) that are more expensive and exclusive than most areas on the east benches. Just for gawking purposes, this spring I looked at a property on the SJ Canal Road, in the heart of Taylorsville, that was a 9,000+ SF home on 5 acres, and asking price was over $2 million---and that "estate" was the median for the neighborhood. That whole more rural section of Taylorsville offers lots sized for horses and huge homes, like Bluffdale and Riverton, but much, much closer to the city; that really drives the prices up. It's similar to the oldest areas of Holladay in that regard.

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by metimes3

Eh, I've looked into Daybreak, don't really care for the tiny lots much, but the idea of it sounds great.
So if the Trax goes to S.Jordan will that make the commute time shorter?

I understand about the small lots but coming from a large lot to a small one, I'll take the small one if I am near a lot of open space. There are some big lots if you look around, we have friends that have about a half acre.

You may not need to commute if you take trax. I am not one to ask about commutes because I moved from So California and I laugh at what they call traffic here.