Going to Visit Sun River,UT (St. George, Cedar City: employment, high schools, college) - Utah -Washington County - Page 4 - City-Data Forum

PK138 · 09-20-2010, 11:20 PM

Wow, it's been a busy trip for me so far; still have 3 days before I leave, but I feel like I have an understanding of the St George area.

My first 2 days were spent i Cedar City for Skyfest. Seems to be plenty of things to do there and the town was pretty clean. The west side of town seems newer and more affluent than the east side; the college is located kind-of in the middle, which seems to be the older part of town. Everything seems to be too spread out for my liking; We want a town that has a mored defined "downtown". It was also very windy.

St George...ahh, where to start! My goodness, what a beautiful area. They are not very big on directional signs here; I guess they figure you should know where you're going before you set behind the wheel! Fortunately, the area is pretty easy to figure out.

I'm not crazy about Washington, Leeds or Hurricane. They are not bad spots, but just not what I'm looking for.

I drove to Mesquite. Wow, it's really in the middle of nowhere. The city was nice enough, but I'm not sure I like it. Let's just say that one day, the casinos pulled up stakes and moved out. The town would cease to exist. I doubt that would ever happen, but that gives the casinos a lot of control over the town. Fundamentally, it should be more diverse in order to represent all aspects of the town. Not for me, but still on the list for my husband to see.

St George. I didn't spend much time in each community, just quick "drive thru". I really liked the Bloomington area, down by Brigham Drive (West side of the highway). I didn't like the Webb community tho, I believe it is referred to as Bloomington Hills. My favorite area in St George is Green Springs area.

Santa Clara is interesting. The downtown is charming; large old trees line the street and has several cute sandwich shops and fruit stand. Lots of potential there. Once you leave the downtown section, the town turns into more of the same maze of homes. Nothing really stood out for me. Plenty of shopping in the strip malls.

Ivins. What a strange, intriguing place! This is my favorite place in the world! When my shock and awe of the beauty wears off, perhaps I can be a bit more objective, but not yet. I did notice the strange streets--wide-narrow-wide...sidewalk-no sidewalk-sidewalk...a bit of a patchwork of old and roads/sidewalks. I didn't see a walkable downtown, but I was distracted by the scenery and could have missed it. I drove out to Kayenta. Actually got lost. Felt like a hedgehog, having to stop and look around for landmarks so I could find my way back out! Not a bad place to get lost, mind you. I loved all the little critters running around--hare, quail (I think) chipmonks, etc. Once, I got out of the car to look around; after a few moments, I noticed I was feeling off-kilter...took me a bit to realize what it was--SILENCE. Pure silence and the vast wonderland. I felt like I had stepped into a picture, and it un-nerved me! That was the moment that I realized, "I have to move here. This is the place."...now if I can only convince my husband!

I have one more day in St George before I'm off to LaVerkin/Rockville/Springdale. I still need to figure out where the new highway is supposed to go as well as the new airport. I've also heard about odors coming from the landfill(?) but I couldn't find that, either...does anyone know where these 3 things are?

jfitt · 09-21-2010, 01:11 AM

PK138 you state, "I drove to Mesquite. Wow, it's really in the middle of nowhere. The city was nice enough, but I'm not sure I like it. Let's just say that one day, the casinos pulled up stakes and moved out. The town would cease to exist. I doubt that would ever happen, but that gives the casinos a lot of control over the town. Fundamentally, it should be more diverse in order to represent all aspects of the town. Not for me, but still on the list for my husband to see."

Thanks for your input about my hometown, Just an FYI. Most of the casino employees do not live in Mesquite so the casinos really do not have a lot of influence over this town. The church, headquartered in St George, has more influence than any casino. You need to remember that Mesquite is a retirement community. After reading your report, it sounds like Kayenta, which is beautiful with some snow, but has the same two things you complained about in Mesquite, middle of nowhere AND diverse to represent all aspects of town, may be the place for you. Good luck to you on your search.

PK138 · 09-21-2010, 08:39 AM

Good Morning jfitt,
Mesquite is a nice town, but the drive to St George was about 40-45 minutes. Very acceptable, but, wow...fast-moving highway. It's driving thru a large canyon, complete with the curves. I felt like I was in the Indy-500. I definitely want my husband to see it, as he has interesting perspectives on things.
I stopped and talked to a realtor, and she was very helpful; she shed some very positive light o Mesquite, especially the great shows and things that the casinos bring to town.
I'll be honest with you tho, I also met some very rude people too. One was a clerk at a gas station. The other was a driver of a vehicle; she "brake-checked" me, flipped me off and called me a "F*cking C*nt". Apparently I wasn't driving the way she thought I should...the road went from 3 lanes to 2 so I merged over in front of her. She drove around me, pulled in front of me and slammed on her brakes. This craziness continued for about 2 miles with her cussing me out and acting silly. That was when I decided, "I'm out of here!" So, jfitt, I had a bad experience there and can't really offer an objective review, but I'm not crossing it off the list. Perhaps next visit will be more pleasant. Next time, I'll bring the "Muscle" ha ha...JK

The thing I liked about Ivins is the beauty and the critters...Kayenta was spread out and the homes are "low profile" which makes them less obtrusive; I didn't feel like I was in a neighborhood. The shockingly red mountains captivated me.

I measured the distance back to St. George 3 different times (morning, afternoon and evening) There was plenty of traffic, apparently going to Tuacahn, judging by the number of cars following that sign; the commute to St George Blvd averaged 21 minutes from Kayenta. Not bad. Still have to have my husband's perspective. He's more analytical than I am. I suppose that's why we make a great pair--I'm more creative, spontaneous and impulsive, and he tends to be more logical and reasonable.

lots to think about!

Quilting Suzy · 05-01-2011, 02:38 PM

I have been following the comments on this forum. It is now May 1, and we just returned home from a visit to Mesquite and to Sun River. There are pros and cons to each. We had money on a lot in Mesquite, but didn't (haven't still) sold our home in TX in time, so we lost that lot and the huge monetary incentives. We looked at a house in Sun River we loved and would work, but I want a lot with no neighbor behind me, which means golf course and they are super pricey. We have done the play and stay in Mesquite; sometime soon will do SunRiver. Just learned a few tidbits about blue clay in SR, which concerns us. My husband did a spread sheet on cost of living (incl taxes, car registration) and they actually come out about even for us. We currently live in Denton TX in Robson Ranch, a 55+ community, and prior to this, we lived in two 55+ in Arizona. So we know what to expect. And we have built 5 of our 10 homes from the ground up.
Can somebody shed some light on this blue clay and also the airport flight path? Comments on here are not current. Thanks so much. I'll keep checking this site.
If anyone is looking for a fab house in Robson Ranch, Denton, TX, let me know. Place is gorgeous and price is ridiculously low.

catfeathers · 09-23-2013, 10:08 AM

Good Day...Again, I realize this is an old post, but it was filled with very helpful information! I am bumping this one up to see if there is any new data or details on the Sun City Mesquite or the Sunriver location in St George. (or the airport, or the blue clay issues?) From reading the posts above..I noticed the comments about the beauty near and around St George, but I'm not getting that same vibe from the Mesquite posts...although pictures make it seem lovely? Thoughts on that?

tortoise · 09-25-2013, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catfeathers

Thoughts on that?

Only YOU can determine which locations are suitable for your criteria. The opinion of others is pretty much irrelevant.

irman · 09-26-2013, 08:48 AM

Nothing related to blue clay, but between September 30th and October 4th,
Sun River is sponsoring a Fall Festival with all kinds of events going on.

SunRiver St. George
SunRiver announces First Annual Fall Festival | SunRiver St. George

Just to visit would be fun no ?
I do not live there, will NEVER live there, but Southern Utah is a nice place place to go to,
if you want a get away from hustle bustle Salt Lake City !

jfitt · 09-29-2013, 12:38 PM

Sun City Mesquite is growing and is now including 7 new homes designs and new lots are being released soon. The golf course has just opened after reseeding and looks fabulous. there are many beautiful areas in Mesquite.

Retire Happy · 06-15-2017, 10:04 AM

I know the information on this thread is 4 plus years old but,We currently live in Washington county and would not recommend living here unless you enjoy being moss on a rock. We currently go to Las Vegas (2 hours away) twice a month. We hike 3 to 4 times per week. There is no shopping to speak of and the Mall in St. George is a joke. (size of a super Walmart). Apparently the people who live in Sun River object to everything that is proposed in that area. Its ok to build across town but not in my back yard. Washington county is growing with people and corporations but not retail.
So if you enjoy the same old same old , then this area is for you. We like the area more as a place to visit then a place to live. Oh did I mention the restaurants. The quality of the food is average or less at best. So if you see lots of cars outside a restaurant ,does not mean its good. If you find that place that is balanced let me know . (still looking) Also we lived in The Villages Florida for 10 years, this town is growing so fast with retires(120K and growing) and once again not retail.

kcoliver · 06-16-2017, 09:15 AM

What are you looking for in the way of retail? We have Kohl's etc. What is in Vegas that's so much better? Maybe Nordstroms? Personally never shopped there. (with exception of sales once yearly). I'll take lack of shopping over crowds, but if I must shop outside here, the trip down to Vegas is easy!