Arriving soon -- so many questions (Salt Lake City, Ogden: apartments, house, public school)

[ALtoUTAH]

I hope I have my counties correct! Cache County vs. Weber County high schools

We are trying to compare Logan and surrounding areas to Ogden and surrounding areas. Will be arriving soon!

Interested in information on high schools as both areas seem to have good high schools. Read (on this forum) that Logan may be "rough" and would like to know of any particular situations.

Weather is a concern as I've read (on this forum) that Logan is extremely cold. Is the Ogden area any warmer?

I also read that it is better to have a south facing home so the snow melts quicker. Any thoughts on which way is best for a home's entrance to face?

Non-LDS family (although I have a cousin...) and would like to know if that is a concern in any of the high schools, for example, if outsiders making friends is difficult because of religion.

Thanks for any information. This is a major move for our family, although my husband has practically promised that we will love it.

[eggalegga]

Originally Posted by ALtoUTAH

I also read that it is better to have a south facing home so the snow melts quicker. Any thoughts on which way is best for a home's entrance to face?

I would say south is best. Mine faces north and I hate winter time. If your front door faces north, your winter time guests have more of a chance of slipping on snow/ice if you don't shovel your sidewalk after a storm.

Don't know much about Logan or Ogden. Hopefully someone else can help you.

[callmesprite]

Logan is not rough at all. Whoever said that has never spent time up there. Ogden is definately the rougher of the two towns. Ogden was/is a railroad town and it's right off of I-15, so it's much more prone to transients, though it does have some nice areas. Logan is in Cache Valley (the hidden valley, if that gives you any indication that it's more secluded). It is growing, but it still falls into the sleepy town category and the college town category. There are lots of mormons here, but they're really very nice so I wouldn't let that deter you. If you're looking for more diversity I would suggest Ogden, though. It's much bigger and has more people. Salt Lake City is just down the road as well. Logan is smaller, prettier, quieter, but unfortunately doesn't have as many job opportunities as Ogden. Ogden is of course the opposite. Also it usually is a bit colder in Logan with more snow-they're at a higher elevation. So good luck-I hope your move goes as smoothly as possible.

[tantan220]

Logan is a small boring college town, and Ogden is a ghetto and boring town. If you're moving to Utah live in the Salt Lake City area. Your kids will thank you for it!

[powerlumina77]

We moved here to take a job at the Base (Hill AFB), and one thing my boss said before we came is that if we have kids, public school may be "rough". In that, predeominately mormon areas will be rough for kids at school. Not a knock on the Mormon belief, my boss is Mormon, but maybe that's what you've heard. Being the minority in a less diverse area can be a struggle for kids at school. Logan has a great, small town feel, but will be more Mormon and less diverse.

I feel like an Ogden optimist. There are so many great things about this town. Yes, many of the problems that come with a small city are here. But there are so many positives. We like that Ogden is diverse and more cosmopolitan than many areas of Utah. Yes, there has been gang violence, but I think there have been 7 murders this year? We left Philly, which has over 1 a day!!

If you're definitely coming, there is a company called Oakwood Corporate Suites that rents out larger apartments for less than 6 months, so you can get comfortable with your choice here on the ground. We stayed in Layton for two months and were able to explore all the town options- Clearfield, Layton, Syracuse, Ogden, North Ogden, etc. We make an effort to be respectful as newcomers, but we do laugh when people call Ogden the ghetto. Well, we laugh, but we also feel sad. The few struggling areas of Ogden are a FAR cry from the desperation we've seen in parts of town back east.

[kaytidid]

Originally Posted by powerlumina77

We moved here to take a job at the Base (Hill AFB), and one thing my boss said before we came is that if we have kids, public school may be "rough". In that, predeominately mormon areas will be rough for kids at school. Not a knock on the Mormon belief, my boss is Mormon, but maybe that's what you've heard. Being the minority in a less diverse area can be a struggle for kids at school. Logan has a great, small town feel, but will be more Mormon and less diverse.

I feel like an Ogden optimist. There are so many great things about this town. Yes, many of the problems that come with a small city are here. But there are so many positives. We like that Ogden is diverse and more cosmopolitan than many areas of Utah. Yes, there has been gang violence, but I think there have been 7 murders this year? We left Philly, which has over 1 a day!!

If you're definitely coming, there is a company called Oakwood Corporate Suites that rents out larger apartments for less than 6 months, so you can get comfortable with your choice here on the ground. We stayed in Layton for two months and were able to explore all the town options- Clearfield, Layton, Syracuse, Ogden, North Ogden, etc. We make an effort to be respectful as newcomers, but we do laugh when people call Ogden the ghetto. Well, we laugh, but we also feel sad. The few struggling areas of Ogden are a FAR cry from the desperation we've seen in parts of town back east.

I also left back east (just outside of Philly...Jersey side) and we also chuckled when people would talk about the "gang" problem and the ghetto areas here. My brother in law had to go to Baltimore for 6 weeks for job training. He had never traveled back east before...let alone MD. Was he SHOCKED! My sister kept telling him "No..we REALLY don't want to travel down those streets" He didn't listen. Luckily, my sis knew what she was doing.

To the OP:
We have lived here for 13 years and are non LDS. Honestly, I have never ever had a problem feeling like we are being ostracized at all. I have two daughters (5th and 2nd grade) and they have friends of all religions. Of course, most of them are going to be LDS. Nature of the state. Doesn't matter to me, and it doesn't seem to matter to their parents either. After all, beliefs notwithstanding, isn't everyone just a person and should be treated as such? Who really should care if I believe BLAH BLAH BLAH...and you believe BLAH BLAH BLAH? Maybe I am fortunate not to have come across this...or maybe it is all in the way I approach things and teach my children to do so also?
Come here with an open mind and you will be just fine. Preconceived notions are not always a good thing.
Best of luck!

[tantan220]

Originally Posted by ALtoUTAH

I hope I have my counties correct! Cache County vs. Weber County high schools

We are trying to compare Logan and surrounding areas to Ogden and surrounding areas. Will be arriving soon!

Interested in information on high schools as both areas seem to have good high schools. Read (on this forum) that Logan may be "rough" and would like to know of any particular situations.

Weather is a concern as I've read (on this forum) that Logan is extremely cold. Is the Ogden area any warmer?

I also read that it is better to have a south facing home so the snow melts quicker. Any thoughts on which way is best for a home's entrance to face?

Non-LDS family (although I have a cousin...) and would like to know if that is a concern in any of the high schools, for example, if outsiders making friends is difficult because of religion.

Thanks for any information. This is a major move for our family, although my husband has practically promised that we will love it.

I wouldn't exactly describe Logan as "rough". It's a quiet little college town. The Ogden area is definitely more rough than Logan.

Ogden is definitely warmer than Logan. Logan is situated in a little valley with one steep windy road connecting it to the Wasatch Front area. If you're going to be working in Salt Lake or Ogden I would advise you not to move to the Logan area, because the commute is horrible in the winter. Often the road blocked off in the winter because the plows can't plow fast enough. And if it is open be prepared for numerous car accidents and sliding.

I've never heard anything about the better direction of your home to face. I don't think it really makes much of a difference.

Being non-LDS is not a concern in either community. Sure most of the kids will attend church sponsered activities, but non-LDS kids are always welcomed. The only area in Utah that I would be concerned about is the Utah County region where the population is 90% LDS.

You'll love Utah. It's definitely a great place to raise a family.

[rainedancer1]

I lived in Logan for two years and I had a service job while I was going to school so I got to meet a locals. Logan is a beautiful place. The mountains and the canyons, there is a lot of nature stuff to do and it is still only about an hour from Salt Lake City. Also if you travel north into Idaho you come to Bear Lake which is also beautiful. It is a great place to raise a family and now that I have children my husband and I have thought many times about moving back when the time is right. Ogden is definitely more or a rough place then Logan

[cansdefish]

I wouldnt suggest cenrtal ogden because my buddy was going down the street in his car and forgot to lock his doors. He stoped at a stop light and these dudes came up to his car pulled him out and beat the living crap out of him just for the heck of it. My house has gotten robed. my friends house has also gotten robed. They also shut down the mall in central ogden because people wouldnt shop there beacase they were to scared of getting muged or somthing. The sex affenders is off the chart too.

[Lamborgotti]

My sister and her husband have lived in both Logan and Ogden (currently Ogden because of jobs and it's closer to SL), and have both taught at high schools in each. From what I've heard, they're not much different in that regard, both pretty nice.

Logan is colder, smaller, and further away from everything. It's also a lot cheaper, prettier, and rapidly growing. I would rather live in Ogden simply because I like where I live now and that would be a lot closer than Logan.