Which city should we choose? (Salt Lake City, Sandy: crime, house prices, neighborhoods)

[metimes3]

We may be moving to the Salt Lake area in the near future.
My husband's job would be right downtown. We have 2 kids (5 and 3).

The 2 main things we want in the city we choose are safety and decent schools. Also we would love to not have a commute longer than 30 minutes during rush hour. Of course lower house prices would be nice too. We probably can't afford much more than 300k, would love to be around 250k or less though.

We are from Idaho and are familiar with the culture and climate of the area so none of that will be an issue.

So we have been looking at North Salt Lake and Woods Cross mostly because they are super close to downtown and are more affordable. It appears that a lot of the schools in those areas are decent?

I would love opinions on those 2 areas specifically, good and bad.
Also recommendations for other areas that meet our criteria would be great.

Thanks!

[Zionide]

Both North Salt Lake and Woods Cross are nice, though Woods Cross can be a little rural for my tastes.

Murray also has excellent schools and is quite close to downtown (~25-30 min). There are some areas of west Sugar House that will be affordable enough, too. And if you're at all interested in being in Salt Lake City itself (would make your husband's commute REALLY short), Central City has many single family homes under $300k. But it's definitely "the city" and not a suburb, so it's not for everyone.

[metimes3]

I think we would prefer to stay out of the city .
So woods cross is rural? I think that would be good for us.
Thanks!

[Chango]

I don't think Woods Cross is very rural. It's all suburbs and industrial wasteland with a few remnant farms from the last century, or marshes on the West end.

Both North Salt Lake and Woods Cross are home to all the state's oil refineries too. Be careful where you move, unless you like that burning industrial toxins smell.

[dcisive]

Geez, the LAST place I would choose in your case would be on the North side of Salt Lake. You want safe you're going in the wrong direction. If it were me I'd be looking more at the Sugarhouse area. That would be a minimal commute and would provide some nice areas that are considerably safer as well. I can't speak about the schools but I have to believe they would be pretty good there as well.

[metimes3]

So North Salt Lake is not safe?
According to city data's site the crime statistics are well below the national average. Also it's 100 points lower then where I currently live, and where I live is pretty safe. Am I missing something? Why is it not safe? Also, the refineries, do they affect anything other than the smell?

I've also heard that South Jordan has good schools... how long would a commute be from there? It seems affordable too.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

You really need to come visit and look around. What repels someone may not repel you. You can check schools on www.GreatSchools.net to compare schools within UT.

[MrAnderson]

North Salt Lake has some nice new developments and houses, but like mentioned, it's located next to huge industrial refineries which reek of sulfar for miles. Bountiful is right next to Woods Cross and wasn't mentioned for some reason..city of 45,000 people, about 10 minutes from Salt Lake, yet feels totally separate (mostly because there's a little mountain / hill blocking the view of Salt Lake's skyline). Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, Sandy, Murray, West Jordan, South Jordan, centerville, farmington, - all decent suburbs. Some closer than others. One thing about Salt Lake though is it has neighborhoods that don't feel anything like a 'city' - The Avenues and Sugarhouse are good examples. They're mainly just houses and feel like anywhere, America.

[metimes3]

I didn't mention Bountiful because it seemed out of our price range. Most of the house (that I would consider buying) are well over 300k. West Bountiful seems a little less expensive for some reason though?
Any opinions on South Jordan? Commute time?

[Chango]

Originally Posted by metimes3

I didn't mention Bountiful because it seemed out of our price range. Most of the house (that I would consider buying) are well over 300k. West Bountiful seems a little less expensive for some reason though?
Any opinions on South Jordan? Commute time?

I used to live in Riverton (just to the South of South Jordan); the commute was horrible. it usually took 45 min to an hour to get home from downtown (mornings were not too bad though) Now I live in South Davis county and get home in 20 min.

South Jordan has a lot more to offer when it comes to shopping and entertainment though.

Prices in Bountiful vary. If you look in the older neighborhoods (most of which are quite nice) you will find good houses for cheaper than those up on the hill. I would imagine you would find most of South Jordan is even MORE expensive though.