Public Transportation in SLC (Salt Lake City, Taylorsville: apartments, for rent, transfer)

[Ala]

I have been thinking of moving to SLC for - oh - YEARS now. LOL. The thing is, and without going into detail, I don't have a car and will not be getting a car. I am single, childless, and will have to depend on public transportation. How is it in SLC? Is there a good bus system? Also, what would be average rent for a 1 or 2 bedroom apt? Pet friendly (have 3 cats)!!

TIA.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

www.rideuta.com will give you all the transportation info you need. In short, we have light rail which connects to a good bus system. So long as you live within Salt Lake City itself, you will have relatively short bus rides. The further out in the suburbs you live, the longer the ride.

I don't know about rents but there are pet-friendly apts in town. The Irving Schoolhouse Apts on 2100 South, in Sugar House, is "pet friendly" per their banner outside. It is across the street from a large center with, mong others, a Barnes& noble, Whole Foods, PetCo, discount movie theater, and a discount grocery. http://www.forrent.com/apartment-com...le/1015388.php

There are many apts in town. Depends on what you are looking for.

[irman]

Follow the links, get the schedules/maps of the TRAX and bus lines, then decide where you need to go MOST of the TIME.
From that info decide where you could live.

[Alene]

As long as you are living in Salt Lake City or the immediate surrounding area (Sugarhouse, South Salt Lake, Capitol Hill, Harvard Yale) you will be totally fine using public transportation. If you need to travel any further you are looking at a very long commute, particularly if you need to go from the west to the east or visa versa. The buses go nearly everywhere but they generally follow a street the whole way so if you are traveling along that street you are golden but if you need to go from the south east of the valley to the north west of the valley you are going to have a VERY long bus ride with multiple transfers ahead of you.

I live on a bus line in the Millcreek area which is south east of Salt Lake City. There is a bus stop right outside my door and I take it to the major college in the area once in a while. It takes an hour. If I want to take the bus to my job in Draper (far south end of the valley) it requires 3 bus changes and a trip on the rail system along with a 30 minute walk - an hour and 15 minutes each way.

Bottom line is if you are right in Salt Lake City we have an awesome public transport, but it would be really difficult if you lived outside of the city - the valley is VERY spread out.

As far as rent goes, it depends on where you live of course. In some of the cheaper areas (South Salt Lake, Midvale, Murray, Taylorsville) you can get a nice 2 bed for 800-1000. In Salt Lake City proper you are looking at more like 1200 and in the nicer areas up to 2000.

[EddieFknD]

The public transportation here is really good. I've used it since I've been here, and have never really felt the need to buy a car.. Apparently a lot of other people don't feel that way, because there is a TON of traffic here, and it actually gets a bit sickening.

For rents, you can find cheap ones if you're lucky, but mostly the 1 BR apts usually go for about $500 - $550 for a 1 BR. I've found studios for $400, and 1 BR for $450, they can get pretty expensive though. Many of them seem to be NOT pet friendly. I've had a pretty rough time finding one that will allow animals, and those that do usually require some ridiculous money as a pet deposit.

[sp2007]

Public transportation in SLC is very good. I wouldn't rate it as high as NYC or San Fran, but its definitely the best of comparable size metros in the US.

I live north of SLC and commute to work by bus every day. In a few years, the commuter train from the north metro will also go south down to Utah County.

[Chango]

Personally, I could not imagine living in Salt Lake without a car. I have a low opinion of UTA and like to travel to the far corners of the state (and beyond) in search of open spaces to explore, and UTA doesn't go there. Plus I like to travel without waiting forever and making multiple transfers.

You would miss the best the state has to offer without wheels, not to mention being trapped in a very spread out metro area with inferior public transportation.

[sp2007]

Inferior? Compared to what? I don't remember being able to explore the Redwood forests in California using the BART...

UTA is fine for commuting for work. But its not a teleportation system.

[Chango]

Originally Posted by sp2007

Inferior? Compared to what? I don't remember being able to explore the Redwood forests in California using the BART...

UTA is fine for commuting for work. But its not a teleportation system.

Inferior compared to your car. It is cheaper and faster to drive my paid off 10 year old Corolla to work. And inferior compared to that bastion of excellent public transportation known as Western Europe, where trains and buses run on time and actually go where you want to go.

[sp2007]

Well of course compared to Europe, Utah's system isn't the greatest. But compared to other places in the US its pretty good. Apples and oranges.

Also, you'll have a lot less near missed with crazy drivers in the Winter using the bus/train. So that's a plus.