Family friendly cities in Utah (Salt Lake City, Sandy: lawyers, custom home, neighborhoods)

[therewego]

We are considering a move to Utah for my husband’s employment. We have 2 toddler children and would like to research neighborhoods in cities that are family oriented with parents’ age group 35-40 years of age, and with good schools, nice shopping areas, but is not too far from Salt Lake City since I believe that is where most of the museums and big shopping areas are. I don’t think it matters but in case you feel it does, we are non-LDS. I hope I can also reach some stay at home moms with good advice. Oh, and when I return to work I would most likely return to work in the IT field. This sounds like a great state to raise a family. Any advice is extremely appreciated. [/SIZE]

Thanks and happy new year![/SIZE]

[BuhByeCalifornia]

You didn't mention what your budget is but if it is $500K+ I would highly recommend the Summerwood neighborhood of Bountiful. It's a beautiful area with large homes. A LOT of the parents there are in the 35 - 40 demographic yet still have young children (kids under 10). I have several friends in that area who are in that age range but their oldest child is still under 5. Because the homes are more pricey, the neighborhood consists of professionals like doctors, lawyers, accountants, business owners, etc.

The Summerwood area of Bountiful includes a neighborhood of Ivory Homes as well as multimillion dollar mansions. It also borders the Eaglewood Golf Course where there are more custom homes.

Lots of the women up there are stay-at-home moms. We're building a house up there so we've really gotten to know a lot of the neighbors. For such an affluent community, I have never met such a down-to-earth and welcoming group of people anywhere. We've only lived here for a few months and already we've gone out several times with other couples...all in that same age range of 35 - 40.

However, if a minimum of 500K is out of your budget range there are some neighborhoods that go up the hill into the area (Eagleridge Blvd) that have smaller homes. (The typical "homes get bigger and more expensive" as you go up the hill").

The area is only 15 minutes away from downtown Salt Lake.

Hope this helps!

[therewego]

Buh Bye, thanks for the info.

We had been looking at Saratoga Springs. Are there any feelings out there about that city with regards to age group, things to do for the family, shopping, etc? My kids are into outdoor sports, ballet, swimming and I know they will be open to try skiing.

Thanks everyone!

[BuhByeCalifornia]

I have friends in Saratoga Springs and in neighboring Eagle Mountain. They're both very popular communities with affordable housing. They're about 15 minutes west of the I-15 during NON-RUSH hour times. When it is rush hour, the time can be much longer since there is only one road getting into and out of the communities.

To SLC, it's a good 40+ minutes one way.

But my friends do like it there. Major shopping is in Lehi and American Fork.

[chazcrew]

Saratoga is extremely family friendly, full of young parents and young kids. It is growing rapidly, and getting a few stores so it doesn't feel so out of the way. However, there is no good way to get anywhere from there, so you would have to be willing to make a rather long drive for many of your shopping trips, community recreation, etc. Because of its location, home prices seem to be a little lower, so it might be a more affordable way to buy a house. I have family out there who like it quite a lot, and have made many very good friends, but they did have a hard time at first adjusting to being so far away from everything.

Would your husband be working in salt lake? The commute can be a real bear from Saratoga, because of the road situation. It's getting better, and there are more connector roads in the works, but at the moment it's still pretty bad, and it will probably stay that way for awhile.

Just about any city in utah county or the south end of salt lake county is going to be family friendly. If you have a location for your husband's job, we might be able to suggest nearby cities that would be an easier commute. But if cost of housing is a factor, then Saratoga might fit the bill.

[nicoolio777]

I live in Draper and it's very family friendly. I've been here two years and my neighborhood is incredible. When it's warm there are always kids outside playing and all of the neighbors know each other. Draper park is like a scene out of a movie - in the summer the kids play in the small stream and in the winter they sled down one of the hills. You will often find older kids sitting around a fire pit - roasting marshmallows instead of smoking pot. It's a great place for social interaction among adults too.

[alexei27]

You can save a little cash if you look further north into Davis county (Kaysville and Layton) Beautiful homes and everything you need. Commute to SLC is just as ugly...but the front Runner will be coming soon apparently...

I lived in Layton for 3 yrs...fell free to hit me up with any questions.

[therewego]

Thanks for all the advice. I will keep all these places in mind. There is a particular builder we like, D.R. Horton. If you see any signs, etc, come up for new subdivisions please keep us in mind. Of course, we are open to others once we are there but just in case. Thanks!

[jhwest]

Daybreak in South Jordan is great. Tons of kids (especially younger ones) and plenty of shopping nearby. There is a Target, restaurants, movies right across the street and a new Costco going in half a mile away. Downtown SLC is maybe 25-30 minutes in traffic. There are several builders there but I'm not sure if D.R. Horton is one. There is a community website that has more info.
BTW, North of Salt Lake is seriously lacking in entertainment, restaurants and shopping. There is not much between downtown Salt Lake and Layton.

[Abstrakt]

In my opinion if you aren't LDS Bountiful isn't a good choice. Same goes with a lot of the "family friendly" cities outside of the salt Lake valley. My recommendation would be a city like Sandy, Draper or Cottonwood depending on your price range.