Thinking about moving to Price (Salt Lake City, Provo: real estate, crime rates, home)

[hymie67]

I read the previous threads about Price, but thought there might be some more or new feedback out there.
We are LDS and were recently stranded in Price due to car trouble on our way up to Payson. It seems like such a quaint old town and we would like to get out of the rat race here in Albuquerque.
We did live in SLC for 5 years so we are familiar with the pros and cons of living in a Mormon community.
In one thread someone told about "mormon haters, drugs and teen pregnancy".
That was the only reply like that, but it does have me concerned. I can find some of all three elements in almost any town in Utah, but are these problems particularly bad in Price?

[SergeantL]

I can't directly answer your question, but I can tell you that my wife and I are planning to move to Price after I retire in July 07. We have already purchased acreage and plan on building.

Here are the reasons my wife and I are moving to Price:

1.Cost of housing. We live in California and the cost of building a retirement home on acreage here is astronomical. We can have our dream by building in Price.

2.I had to giggle regarding your comment about Mormon haters, drug use, and teen pregnancy. I am in law enforcement in what is considered a comparatively quiet community north of San Francisco, and I can assure you that Price is a “Garden of Eden” compared to where I work.

3.My wife and I have checked Price very carefully. There are no obvious signs of gang activity, including dress, vehicle configurations, and graffiti. Speaking of graffiti, I saw only one piece of art, and it was a smiley face on a dumpster. Considering the fact that I see new graffiti calling for the murder of police officers everyday here in California, I am sure you can visualize the contrast. I have also checked the FBI’s crime index, as well as contacting the Price Police Department and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Department, and the area has a very low incident of crime.

4.During our visit to Price, we encountered a number of people who were extremely friendly and helpful. We were total strangers and some people treated us like family. Again, such behavior does not exist here in California.

5.If you check the statistics for Price and Carbon County, you will note the total population is declining. That’s good. It means pressure on real estate prices will be very low.

6.People in my LDS ward here in California, who are from Utah, think we are crazy for moving to Price. The most common comment is, “Why Price? There is nothing there, and there are much prettier places in Utah.” Great, I hope most people have the same attitude. It means Price will remain small and quaint; besides, I like the views in Price. I’m a desert fan.

7.It’s quiet. After spending a week in Price, we had to return to California. We had to readjust to the noise from sirens, the freeway, and aircraft.

8.Traffic in Price is a dream. I could drive across town virtually unimpeded. I can’t drive two blocks where I live without encountering ten stoplights.

9.Price is out of the way, but has a college, hospital, above average retail resources, and if you need an occasional fix of the big city, Salt Lake City is only two hours north.

10.The LDS church is well represented in Price, even if there are Mormon haters in the community. After living in California, which embraces whatever popular kooky trend of the day, I am looking forward to living in an area where the values of the Church might have influence in secular behavior.

11. One last thing. There is private organization that rates governments. Utah is one of only two states in the nation that receives an "A" rating. Sadly, California is barely a "C."

I know I have written a lot, and I assure you the 11 points do not represent all of my reasons, but they should give you food for thought.

[kreperry]

Price....I lived there for 2 years (97-99) my soph and jr years of high school!! It was a good experience, but I was sure glad to get out of there when we did! I'm LDS and the ward we were in was great, the people all down there were great! There's just not a whole lot to do there. And there's not a lot of options for shopping and other things unless you drive over an hour to Provo through a horrible canyon. Anyways, I can agree with a lot of drugs and teenage pregnancies because I saw a lot of it in my school. And it disturbed me a little when teachers were congratulating girls/ announcing students births in class! There was always a nasty wad of chew in the drinking fountains too! Just my opinion though, my husbands grandparents lived in Price and his dad and aunts and uncles were all raised there and I think they loved it! So I guess it's a lot of a personal preference. Hope any of this helped!

[mexicomike]

Well, hey! SergeantL gets around. Now I know why (s)he was so knowledgeable about my previous post on crime in the Ogden area. I am presently living on the west side of Guadalajara Mexico in what is an upper, middle class neighborhood. Despite this, the walls are covered with graffiti and the streets are full of trash. I had previously read a post that "Price was the best kept secret in Utah." I had wanted to be closer to Hill AFB (since I'm retired USAF,) but maybe I am limiting myself too much. Being in the "boon toolies" doesn't particularly bother me--at our age, my wife and I hit the sack early and we aren't really into going to the opera, museums, etc.. Ha Ha! Sarge, maybe the "secret" is out! Take care.

Mexicomike

[scirocco22]

Yes, I thought Price was in fact a quaint little town when I went through there once. I just love the diversity in its ethnic make-up too. For a town that size and being in such a rural, out-of-the-way location in Utah, I saw a nice mix of ethnicities.

...it gets my vote! But yeah, it appears that the secret may be out if enough folks start reading this forum.*cringes*

--'rocco





edit: I just looked at the city-data page for Price and was surprised at its crime statistics. Just a hair below the national average but you'd think for a town that size, it would be significantly lower.

[SergeantL]

Originally Posted by scirocco22

I just looked at the city-data page for Price and was surprised at its crime statistics. Just a hair below the national average but you'd think for a town that size, it would be significantly lower.

Don't put too much faith in city data pages; go straight to the source, which is the FBI's Uniform Crime Report (UCR). I can show you data on small towns here in California with less population than Price with much higher crime rates. Population is not really an important factor in crime rates but demographics and employment are.

The state of Utah is 18th in overall crime and just below the national level, but it has a low violent crime rate. Someone may steal your car when you’re not looking, but you probably won’t be a victim of a carjacking, which is an everyday occurrence here in California.

[SergeantL]

Originally Posted by mexicomike

Well, hey! SergeantL gets around. Now I know why (s)he was so knowledgeable about my previous post on crime in the Ogden area. I am presently living on the west side of Guadalajara Mexico in what is an upper, middle class neighborhood. Despite this, the walls are covered with graffiti and the streets are full of trash. I had previously read a post that "Price was the best kept secret in Utah." I had wanted to be closer to Hill AFB (since I'm retired USAF,) but maybe I am limiting myself too much. Being in the "boon toolies" doesn't particularly bother me--at our age, my wife and I hit the sack early and we aren't really into going to the opera, museums, etc.. Ha Ha! Sarge, maybe the "secret" is out! Take care.

I just heard from my kids. They are in Mexico visiting in-laws over the Christmas Holidays. They got through Miguel Hildago security without too much trouble but ran into three military roadblocks driving to Pajacuaran. I guess things are heating-up down there with all the turf wars. Too bad.

Sadly, trash is a real problem anywhere you go in Mexico. They just don't seem to care about where they throw their basura. I learned very quickly never to stand near a bus. I don't like wearing all the trash thrown from the windows.

[scirocco22]

Thanks for the crime clarification, Sergeant. Utah is 18th in the nation? I would've thought much lower.

Where can I find the 17 states in front of Utah?

TIA

--'rocco

[SergeantL]

Originally Posted by scirocco22

Thanks for the crime clarification, Sergeant. Utah is 18th in the nation? I would've thought much lower.

Where can I find the 17 states in front of Utah?

I suggest the following sites.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/