Likely moving to UT in a month... (Sandy, Bountiful: top neighborhood, to rent)

[TampanianTransferer]

Hello all, I've been perusing the site since we found out about our potential move last week and have found a wealth of info from the lively community here.
Quick background on me and mine; Late 30's married man with a pair of wee ones (2 and 5 months) lived in Tampa most of my life with brief 1 year stints in PHX and ATL. While I'm not religiously inclined I bear no ill will or phobia to whatever someone chooses to do with their time. I work from home and also take care of said kids while the wife is interviewing for a national firm which happens to have a location in Draper (W 12300 S and I-15 area). Looking to rent for a year or so till we decide where in the city we would like to buy.
After lurking for a week I figured the best way to find out any unanswered questions would be to sign up and ask away, so let me preface any response with a thanks for your time....

I'm not a huge fan of suburbs, but now that I'm a married father my personal inclinations take a back seat and I'm adapting.
I seem to keep going back to the Suncrest area. Living on a small mountain (or is it a hill?) seems incredible to me and the added bonus of no or even minor inversion (compared to the rest of the valley?) is great. I noticed Traverse Ridge Rd is long (and scenic I assume) and the wife is more of a nervous driver than I am, google maps places it at a 20 min drive from the top neighborhood to her work so it doesn't seem outrageously out of the way. Should she be nervous? Coming from Florida we haven't seen much snow (1976 1.5'', I was 2) but we have driven in it before, on vacation..

We have several houses on the list that she hopes to look at this upcoming Thursday and Friday morning before the flight back to TPA. Majority of them are in Sandy with a few in Cottowood Heights and Draper. If all goes well with the interview than she'll be picking our next abode in a short amount of time. I felt like I had a lot more questions but now that it's a quarter past midnight over here I've forgotten most of them.

Well let's consider this a nice start and I'll get back to y'all when I'm not memory impaired...

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Well, if you don't mind your house sliding down the hillside, Suncrest is fine. That area is notoriously unstable, built on a former landslide area, and there was some scandal about how the builder got permission to develop the area. I'd run away from that area. Google it for more info. Cottonwood Heights is a good area and doesn't have those problems.

[eggalegga]

I think Suncrest is typically pretty windy. Find something to rent up there for a while and see if the wind is an issue for you.

I've only been to Tampa once for business. It was really pretty--water all over the place. Visited a work colleague in St Pete and had dinner. It was weird (to me) that her backyard was basically a body of water with her boat sitting in the water. I'd never seen that before since I'm from Utah.

Supposed to have rain & snow Thurs. Too bad you'll miss our "warm" weather we've been having.

I hope all goes well during this process.

Let us know how your visit goes.

[TampanianTransferer]

We were are definitely planning on renting for at least a year or more as we have never even been to Utah let alone the valley. I googled several phrases regarding Traverse Ridge Rd and Suncrest in Draper and the only thing I found regarding erosion was something back in '05 and bankruptcy issues with the developers in '08. I'm almost willing (idiotically perhaps) to trade the potential disaster for living with that view and (I'm assuming here) quiet.
Ultimately I'm a bit reticent regarding the whole area, live on the hill which could slide down with you on it or live in a valley which could be covered by said slide. No matter where you live there are some potential hazards by way of mother nature. The average elevation in Tampa is 35ft above sea level and the closer to the water you live the more likely that your property will be (don't ask me how) below or at sea level.
And as for wind we regularly have days with gusts of 20-30mph, not to mention hurricane season which is fun itself. What's the wind like, speed and consistency, up there?
St.Pete is great; beaches, music, & art venues (The new Dali Museum is amazing), and a nice mix of history and culture. But as of late with the economy issues (12.5% unemployment in the Bay area) violent crime has risen significantly, especially in St.Pete, something we won't miss in Utah I'm sure...

[sp2007]

Hi Transferer, I am from Orlando area and moved to Utah about 3 years ago. We also have small children. I would love to give you advice, but personally, as someone who also had no experience in Utah before moving here, I centered where we would move to around where I worked. I work downtown and we choose Bountiful, which we love.

Where will you/spouse be working? I would also say Suncrest would be an experience for you if you or your spouse are not used to driving in snow. I would not recommend it. Good luck!

[ChrisC]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

Well, if you don't mind your house sliding down the hillside, Suncrest is fine.

And you don't even have to buy lift tickets!


Sorry, couldn't resist.

[kaytidid]

There are some very nice new homes in Herriman. I am not really familiar with that area, but I think the subdivision is Rosecrest? Hmm..let me see if I can find a link.

The Village at Rosecrest Quick Facts

The wind that Traverse Mountain gets can be a lot more than 30mph. That is simply breezy there. The gusts there can reach up to 60+mph. That, coupled with the fact of Suncrest being a higher elevation, can make for some pretty cooooold winters.

[TampanianTransferer]

It's a beautiful 75 here today to give everyone an idea of our "winters", of course when it hits below 40 it's with an attached 90% humidity that makes it seem much colder. Having lived in Phoenix for a year I was constantly bombarded with the "but it's a dry heat" idea and I can tell you wet heat is worse imho. Regardless we're in for a climate and culture shock I'm sure.

How much more cold can it get? Will my thin Florida blood even be able to tell the difference after it's below freezing? I assume I'll be spending little time outdoors for the first winter anyways until I can adjust (and purchase the proper attire). Personally I love wind, one of the best times of year down here is hurricane season when when we reach the same 60+ gusts, but then again it's never really cold during most of those storms.

Have any houses literally fallen down the hill? Fatalities? I couldn't find anything recent saying that things were worse or better. Obviously the housing market sucks everywhere, but we are only planning on renting for the first year or two. The wife has an interview Thursday and leaves in the afternoon the next day. We are hoping if it pans out that they'll fly us back to find a house, but if not we may be forced to decide on the fly. She's going to rent a car after the interview and try and tour the south/south-east parts of the city since she'll be working right of I-15 and 12300 S.

For lack of a better word (and because I did read it here on the forum), is Herriman a "Hickey" town? I'm a fan of Johnny Cash but that's about as close as I get to those of the ATV, dirtbike, F-250 on giant tires persuasion. It seems to be up and coming but I admit to having not done as much reading as I did about the south-east valley areas.

I know that no matter where I end up it won't be perfect (because nothing is) and ultimately once I live there I'll defend it fiercely as I simultaneously bad mouth the places I didn't select (I kid)...

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by TampanianTransferer

It's a beautiful 75 here today to give everyone an idea of our "winters", of course when it hits below 40 it's with an attached 90% humidity that makes it seem much colder. Having lived in Phoenix for a year I was constantly bombarded with the "but it's a dry heat" idea and I can tell you wet heat is worse imho. Regardless we're in for a climate and culture shock I'm sure.

How much more cold can it get? Will my thin Florida blood even be able to tell the difference after it's below freezing? I assume I'll be spending little time outdoors for the first winter anyways until I can adjust (and purchase the proper attire). Personally I love wind, one of the best times of year down here is hurricane season when when we reach the same 60+ gusts, but then again it's never really cold during most of those storms.

You might want to check out post #2 in the Utah FAQs thread for more info on the weather around here.

For lack of a better word (and because I did read it here on the forum), is Herriman a "Hickey" town? I'm a fan of Johnny Cash but that's about as close as I get to those of the ATV, dirtbike, F-250 on giant tires persuasion. It seems to be up and coming but I admit to having not done as much reading as I did about the south-east valley areas.

I'm thinking that, based on your comments, Herriman probably wouldn't be a good fit for you. I know it wouldn't for me either, but it's really just a matter of taste.

If you're determined -- as it sounds like you are -- to have a place with a view, there are probably some parts of Draper that would fit the bill, without being as risky as Suncrest. Have you considered Daybreak? The views there are from the opposite angle, because you'd be on the west side of the valley as opposed to the east side. It's a lovely area.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by TampanianTransferer

While I'm not religiously inclined I bear no ill will or phobia to whatever someone chooses to do with their time.

Bless you!