Big Scary move to Utah... (Salt Lake City, Sandy: fit in, daycare, homes)

[Jen38]

We are thinking about a transfer to the Sandy area and would love to get some feedback. We are looking for a family friendly area. Lots of stay at home moms where kids are outside playing sports.(The latter is a request from my two sons!) We are a Non LDS family, Catholic actually. I haven't seen a lot of Catholic churches out there? Are they hard to find?

I've looked at the Jeremy Ranch community but the map on line shows it very spread out, so I was wondering if it had a neighborly feel to it? Can you recommend other communities with what we are looking for? I've been reading a lot of posts that recommend the Park City area for more diversity.

We have two elementary age boys who are very active in sports. I hear soccer is huge in Utah, what about football or wrestling?

Also, What is life like in Utah?? We are from the East coast. How does it differ? Will we enjoy Utah? We have a lot of "keeping up with the Jones's here", and a alot of traffic but we also have family and great friends. It's definitely a scary move.

I know I've asked a lot of questions here but any feedback on would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

[SeanB2007]

I've lived all over the country and been all over the world. Utah isn't as scary as people think. There are several great communities, in many suburbs in the SaltLakeCounty area, think of a suburb like you would think of a burro in New York. The closer you live to downtown the more diverse the area becomes and the more accepting of differences people become. I can’t say much about ParkCity, I know it’s diverse and accepting of most people, however it’s very expensive and we’ve never been able to afford housing in ParkCity, besides Parley’s Canyon can be pure hell to navigate during a snow storm, and if you work close to downtown, ParkCity might not be the place to live.

I've lived here for over 20 years; we are a gay couple and live in Sandy, Utah a suburb approximately 20 miles south of downtown, we can drive or ride our bikes to the Trax station and zip into downtown, there are several great restaurants and you don’t need a club membership to get a drink, 95% of all SL County restaurants serve alcohol including mixed drinks and bottled wines. Check out the following link to some of our favorite restaurants, you’ll think you’re in NY, San Fran or Seattle http://www.gastronomyinc.com There are several Catholic churches, Lutheran, Baptist etc in Salt LakeCounty and other Counties, in Sandy, we live near all varieties of Churches, several ethnic restaurants, three sushi bars within walking distance if you can image. Sandy has shopping galore, Macy’s, Dullards, Nordstrom’s, etc.

Neighborhoods are very family friendly lots of kids, soccer is a big hit in Sandy, infact the new REAL Soccer Stadium is being built in Sandy.
Utah’s no different when it comes to Keeping Up with the Jones I believe with the Internet and TV “which by the way was invented in Utah” fashion, housing, auto trends are not any different here than any other major metropolitan area. Seems you can’t really avoid today’s reality of trends however you don’t have to buy into it. Traffic, we’ll the metropolitan area suffers from some of the same traffic problems in other areas of the country, however with public transportation, including the Trax system http://www.rideuta.com/ridingUTA/saf...raxSafety.aspx the Salt Lake City area is trying to combat issues before they become a bigger problem.

I hope this helps you and your family make a decision. You can also find out more information about Utah on http://www.citysearch.com and other web sites. Also, you are more than welcome to contact us we build homes in Salt Lake County and perhaps we have a home for you and your family.

Happy Holidays

[chazcrew]

Yes, soccer is huge, but you'll find kids doing all sorts of sports. Your boys shouldn't have a problem finding basketball, football, baseball, or other sports opportunities, either through community or school programs.

Life in Utah is hot in the summer and cold in the winter, conservative all the time, and filled with natural beauty. Hey, your boys might like some ski lessons. Sandy is within easy driving distance of some great resorts. There is keeping up with the joneses here, too, as well as traffic, but I don't know how either one compares with your current area.

Sandy is very family-friendly. There is a Catholic Diocese in Salt Lake City. Here's the link for more info: http://www.utahcatholicdiocese.org/

There's a really nice Catholic high school in Sandy called Juan Diego, but I don't know if it's affiliated with any elementary schools or not.

Park City is more diverse than Sandy, but it's also much, much more expensive, and probably not as family-friendly, at least for young kids. It does have good schools, though.

[kaytidid]

We moved from the East coast 13 years ago (from Jersey actually) and although it did take some time getting used to, it has been all good. We didn't have kids until after we moved here, but my girls have had many new students from other places in their classes over the years and everyone was very accepting of them.

Sandy is a very nice area with lots of family oriented subdivisions. You should fit in there with no problem. I think Utah, as a whole, is very sports oriented also. There is Jr. Jazz (which is basketball, obviously) and I think there are also football teams for kids too. I only have daughters, so my sports knowledge tends to run along the gymnastics lines. There are many Catholic churches here (I am also Catholic) and several Catholic schools. Juan Diego is one of them and that is on the Sandy/Draper border. That is a high school, but there is also St. John the Baptist which is an elementary attached to it.

You will find Utah to be very friendly and a great place to live, I think. It IS different from back east. That is part of the charm, of course. Just keep an open mind, give yourself a little bit of time before deciding that you don't like it and be the kind of person that YOU would like to be friends with and it will be just fine.

Park City has a charm all its own but is incredibly expensive. I really don't know what the neighborhoods are like because I only get up there a couple of times a year to shop.

Best of luck with your transfer!

[humboldtrat]

Don't worry about the Mormons - they won't bother you. Way too many people on the Utah forum make such a big deal about the LDS church as if they were Sunnis moving into a Shiite neighborhood . And yes there are Catholic churches in Utah. Check out www.saltlakecathedral.org for the cathedral in the downtown area of Salt Lake City. (I'm neither Mormon or Catholic).

If you like outdoor activities, you'll love Utah. Plenty of hiking, camping, fishing and skiing in the Wasatch Mtns. to the east. Go for it.

[Jen38]

Thank you for your replies! I really appreciate them. I just found out today that we know a family(not well, but it's something!) in the Park City area. I called the wife to find out more and she absolutely loves it there! She too is originally from NJ. It was nice to hear good things about the area. I didn't keep her on the phone long because I have only met her once several years ago - but I was desperate so I found their number in 411 and called! She was super nice. Told me that life was more laid back out there and people are much more chatty. In the East coast we don't have time to chat, we have to jump in our cars to get to the next appt.!
We have lived in a lot of places so my kids are pretty adaptable. I do worry about what many have said about not fitting in due to being Non-LDS but it also seems like so many Non LDS families are moving into the state. Surely, it has to be changing?
I have looked at the Jeremy Ranch area and it is pretty pricey but we have some equity here that will reduce the shocking price. The East Coast is very expensive too. We are looking to visit soon. We will look at Park City area but which areas closer to Sandy would be more non-LDS, good schools, and great family neighborhoods?
Thanks again for your feedback!

[kaytidid]

Sandy has some great neighborhoods that tend to be a little less non LDS, but realize that in Utah there is no such thing as a non LDS neighborhood. They have great schools that way with the parochial ones also, if you wanted to go that route. You can also look at Alpine. It is a very nice up and coming town. I am not sure how LDS it is, and depending on where your work would be, the commute could be a bit of a pain. As a general rule in the Salt Lake area, the more east you go, the more expensive the housing gets.

My kids are non LDS, but were born here and they fit in just fine. The have LDS friends and not. I have found, with them at least, religion is a non issue. Either they are friends or they are not, religion notwithstanding.

I remember living in Jersey and you really didn't know your neighbors. It is way different here. We spend many summer nights outside shooting the breeze with neighbors until we realize how late it has gotten and have to get in. Generally, we tend to look out for one another here. My parent's neighborhood isn't quite as "chummy" as that, though. I think that is the exception rather than the rule.

Will you be working in Sandy? If so, the commute from Park City in the winter can get quite hairy and that is a bit of a trek.

My advice would to just find a neighborhood that you can envision your family living in. Most everything else tends to fall into place. For me, I knew before we even left Jersey where I wanted to be. I subscribed to the Tribune for months before we moved here and would read the Homes section religiously. I was so right....living in my town was everything I had hoped it would be...and more!

Have fun!

[john2timex]

Park City has a beautiful Catholic

[john2timex]

Sorry, fat fingers
As I was saying the church is on the HWY. leading into town from the Kimball Junction so it splits the difference between Jeremy and town. IMHO it is probably the most pretty church in the state exculing the cathedral. By reputation, I don't remember his name, the pastor is one of the best in the state as well but his liberal views offend even some catholics here. Is your Husband a member of the Knights of Columbus? If so the national website has a link to find out who the local GK is and that person may be able to help with local contacts.
The youth football program in the area is the UTE football league. This is not a pop warner league although I heard that a group may have tried to start a PW about three years ago (don't know how that went as we moved up to the north) Signups are usually end of July through the middle of August. First game is always Labor day weekend (hated that).

[Jen38]

Is there more to do with kids in Sandy/Salt Lake area than in the Park City area?

I'd love to hear from any stay at home moms in the Park City area. Our experience in moving around has been the more expensive the area the more you have dual incomes, less stay at home moms. I want to be careful of that otherwise it's a very lonely summer with most other kids in camps or daycare and mine trying to find people to play with.

Does anyone have pools? We've never been without a pool in our backyard. That's what we do all summer! It's great when my husband comes home from work or on the weekends for all of us to be in the pool.

Which brings me to my next question...Exactly how cold is it out there? Is there a state on the East Coast that you would compare it to? Please don't say Maine! We have lived in MN before, I don't think I want to go back to that weather. We had to plug in our cars at night!

Also, what does IMHO stand for? Is it the Catholic Church name?

Thanks again for your replies!