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I am being transfered/relocated to SLC with my current employer.
Looking at suburbs as i need a 3 car garage and RV/trailer parking, and a decent sized fenced yard as I have 2 large active dogs. Pricepoint roughly $350-400k. Currently we have 2 trucks, 1 car, 2 ATV's and a 20' utility/car trailer, but plan to get a travel trailer/5th wheel camper again. Just my wife, 2 dogs and myself. I currently have 1/2 acre, 60' RV pad with full hookups, 3 car garage, pool, outdoor kitchen, etc etc and have a 32 mile/40 min commute.
My wife works from home, so fast and reliable internet and power is a must, and I will need to commute to basically downtown SLC M-F.
Looking for thoughts/opinions as to towns nearby such as Granstsville, Tooele, American Fork, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Hooper, etc. Also looking in the nearby mountain valley, but no luck at my pricepoint without going down to Heber City or further.
Grantsville or Tooele are both reasonably easy commutes into SLC. Heber is also nice. But my only question would be whether or not you are accustomed to the type of winter weather you'll be facing and driving on snow and ice?
I am being transfered/relocated to SLC with my current employer.
Looking at suburbs as i need a 3 car garage and RV/trailer parking, and a decent sized fenced yard as I have 2 large active dogs. Pricepoint roughly $350-400k. Currently we have 2 trucks, 1 car, 2 ATV's and a 20' utility/car trailer, but plan to get a travel trailer/5th wheel camper again. Just my wife, 2 dogs and myself. I currently have 1/2 acre, 60' RV pad with full hookups, 3 car garage, pool, outdoor kitchen, etc etc and have a 32 mile/40 min commute.
My wife works from home, so fast and reliable internet and power is a must, and I will need to commute to basically downtown SLC M-F.
Looking for thoughts/opinions as to towns nearby such as Granstsville, Tooele, American Fork, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Hooper, etc. Also looking in the nearby mountain valley, but no luck at my pricepoint without going down to Heber City or further.
Consider Davis County. Look at the communities of Bountiful, Centerville, and West Kaysville,
I am from Tooele County and could answer any questions about this area if you would like. Look into Stansbury Park, as we have several developments that fall into that price range with what you are looking for. Another couple options would be Lake Point and Erda. All three of those make for a very easy commute right into downtown, with the communte time running about 30-ish minutes depending on if there is an accident on I-80.
Grantsville or Tooele are both reasonably easy commutes into SLC. Heber is also nice. But my only question would be whether or not you are accustomed to the type of winter weather you'll be facing and driving on snow and ice?
While i currently live sans snow, I am from the interior PNW and livind in Canada for a few years as well, so I am familiar with snow and black ice. What i dont know is regional tidbits of whats plowed/maintained, how much snow you normally get and such.
I am from Tooele County and could answer any questions about this area if you would like. Look into Stansbury Park, as we have several developments that fall into that price range with what you are looking for. Another couple options would be Lake Point and Erda. All three of those make for a very easy commute right into downtown, with the communte time running about 30-ish minutes depending on if there is an accident on I-80.
I was told Granstsville would put me over an hour to downtown with stanard traffic, not sure if that is true or not.
Tooele... there are some nice areas, but when i was there in August,the older part of town looked like a sketchy area. Not sure if that is just perception or reality.
My one concern with the Tooele County area is if will ever be considered "part of metro". I have no issue with small towns that are isolated, grew up in one, but i worry about what that does for home values down the road vs spending the same on a home in SLC. Where I currently live, there is a town thats segregated and before the bubble burst it was a boom town with very high prices, since then "metro" has come back to reasonable market values , but that town has become a blighted community, and withe the segregation by the mine, i see some striking similarities when it comes to Tooele in particular.
Also not sure if the truck stop will end up making Stansbury Park an area of concern with transient crimes.
Not knocking those areas, just stating my perception so that if i have an incorrect opinion, someone can correct me, or if my perception is correct, someone can give me confirmation of my concerns.
I was told Granstsville would put me over an hour to downtown with stanard traffic, not sure if that is true or not.
Tooele... there are some nice areas, but when i was there in August,the older part of town looked like a sketchy area. Not sure if that is just perception or reality.
My one concern with the Tooele County area is if will ever be considered "part of metro". I have no issue with small towns that are isolated, grew up in one, but i worry about what that does for home values down the road vs spending the same on a home in SLC. Where I currently live, there is a town thats segregated and before the bubble burst it was a boom town with very high prices, since then "metro" has come back to reasonable market values , but that town has become a blighted community, and withe the segregation by the mine, i see some striking similarities when it comes to Tooele in particular.
Also not sure if the truck stop will end up making Stansbury Park an area of concern with transient crimes.
Not knocking those areas, just stating my perception so that if i have an incorrect opinion, someone can correct me, or if my perception is correct, someone can give me confirmation of my concerns.
Depending on traffic and where you get on I-80, you could run about a 45 minute commute from Grantsville. Obviously, if you hit traffic snafus or bad weather, it will up that time.
Some of the older areas of Tooele are a bit run down. My daughter and son in law live in an older area though and haven't had much of a problem. Lately, the Overlake area of Tooele is dealing with a bit of criminal mischief and petty crimes.
I couldn't speculate on home values down the line. I do know that in the past, and currently, what you would pay for a home in Tooele County won't get you near the same home in Salt Lake County. Tooele County homes continue to appreciate in value. For example, my old home was purchased for $118K in 2002. It was a brand new construction. Just recently, a home in the same development of the same floor plan sold for right about $200k. Not too shabby of appreciation, in my opinion.
The truck stops have been there for years and Stansbury has never had an issue with transient crimes. Stansbury also has some of the highest home values in the county.
For Grantsville and Tooele, you typically won't see too much traffic, but distance-wise it is pretty far so you're looking at an average of 30-35 minutes if you're living in a relatively close area such as Stansbury Park. That area is growing moderately quickly so traffic may get worse over time.
If you live somewhere closer like West Valley, which is in the Salt Lake Valley, you'll likely be taking the 201 into Salt Lake and that can get very congested, though you may make it in under 30 minutes sometimes. There also seem to be tons of accidents on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. I don't know why.
EAST:
If you do happen to find a place in Park City, the best you'll do is 30 minutes in the nearest areas like Jeremy Ranch. One reason I'd advise against that commute is that you'll be going up and down a canyon road every day. If there is ever an accident, there is no way around it. Also, the windy road together with the up and down with elevation will take a toll on your car. The snow on this road is the worst anywhere near Salt Lake. Another thing, in my experience, people drive like maniacs on that stretch and there are trucks galore any time of day. You'd probably be fine but be prepared to mayyybe see your life flash before your eyes more than you're used to.
SOUTH:
American Fork is a pretty area and so are a lot of places in Utah County, but if you're coming from northern Utah County (Saratoga Springs, American Fork, Lehi) or from southern Salt Lake County (Herriman, Riverton, West Jordan, South Jordan, Draper, Sandy), that is where you will see the worst traffic. Also, all those suburbs down south are the fastest growing in Utah and some of the fastest growing in the country, so traffic will likely get worse with time. And there's not really a guarantee for how long it will take, but no matter what there will be congestion somewhere.
If you live in southern Salt Lake County, at best you'll do 30 minutes. If you live in the nearest areas of Utah County, the best you'll do is probably 40 minutes. From American Fork or Saratoga Springs you will probably need to get used to 1 hour plus commutes both ways, though it may not always take that long. Also, snow and wind in the winter can be a problem at the point of the mountain (at the border between Salt Lake and Utah counties)
NORTH:
I lived in Bountiful for a long time and it and nearby areas are without a doubt the best suburbs to live in for commuting into Salt Lake. If you live in Centerville, you'll make it in under 30 minutes almost every day, even during rush hour. Further south it will be even less (Bountiful, North Salt Lake, West Bountiful, Woods Cross). The other good thing about that area is that they are pretty much fully built out so there won't be a lot of growth to add to the immediate traffic getting on and off the freeway. Also, Bountiful is one of the best cities for keeping streets plowed. They keep on top of it.
Once you start living north of Farmington (Kaysville, Syracuse, Layton, Clearfield), the traffic gets significantly worse. Not quite as bad as traffic coming from the south of Salt Lake, but almost. Living in Syracuse, you may see 1 hour plus commutes, but not nearly as often as if you live in Utah County. Since many of those areas are growing quickly, it may get worse in the future.
CONCLUSION:
Looks like you actually have plenty of options for a commute less lengthy than your current commute, but if you live very far north or south, it could be longer.
DISCLAIMER:
All these estimates are for rush hour, and they go out the window in the snow. If there is enough snow you can reasonably expect your usual commute to be 1.5 to 2 times longer. You probably won't see a ton of snow days though. The last few years there have probably been 10 days or less each year when the snow caused slowdowns.
For Grantsville and Tooele, you typically won't see too much traffic, but distance-wise it is pretty far so you're looking at an average of 30-35 minutes if you're living in a relatively close area such as Stansbury Park. That area is growing moderately quickly so traffic may get worse over time.
If you live somewhere closer like West Valley, which is in the Salt Lake Valley, you'll likely be taking the 201 into Salt Lake and that can get very congested, though you may make it in under 30 minutes sometimes. There also seem to be tons of accidents on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. I don't know why.
EAST:
If you do happen to find a place in Park City, the best you'll do is 30 minutes in the nearest areas like Jeremy Ranch. One reason I'd advise against that commute is that you'll be going up and down a canyon road every day. If there is ever an accident, there is no way around it. Also, the windy road together with the up and down with elevation will take a toll on your car. The snow on this road is the worst anywhere near Salt Lake. Another thing, in my experience, people drive like maniacs on that stretch and there are trucks galore any time of day. You'd probably be fine but be prepared to mayyybe see your life flash before your eyes more than you're used to.
SOUTH:
American Fork is a pretty area and so are a lot of places in Utah County, but if you're coming from northern Utah County (Saratoga Springs, American Fork, Lehi) or from southern Salt Lake County (Herriman, Riverton, West Jordan, South Jordan, Draper, Sandy), that is where you will see the worst traffic. Also, all those suburbs down south are the fastest growing in Utah and some of the fastest growing in the country, so traffic will likely get worse with time. And there's not really a guarantee for how long it will take, but no matter what there will be congestion somewhere.
If you live in southern Salt Lake County, at best you'll do 30 minutes. If you live in the nearest areas of Utah County, the best you'll do is probably 40 minutes. From American Fork or Saratoga Springs you will probably need to get used to 1 hour plus commutes both ways, though it may not always take that long. Also, snow and wind in the winter can be a problem at the point of the mountain (at the border between Salt Lake and Utah counties)
NORTH:
I lived in Bountiful for a long time and it and nearby areas are without a doubt the best suburbs to live in for commuting into Salt Lake. If you live in Centerville, you'll make it in under 30 minutes almost every day, even during rush hour. Further south it will be even less (Bountiful, North Salt Lake, West Bountiful, Woods Cross). The other good thing about that area is that they are pretty much fully built out so there won't be a lot of growth to add to the immediate traffic getting on and off the freeway. Also, Bountiful is one of the best cities for keeping streets plowed. They keep on top of it.
Once you start living north of Farmington (Kaysville, Syracuse, Layton, Clearfield), the traffic gets significantly worse. Not quite as bad as traffic coming from the south of Salt Lake, but almost. Living in Syracuse, you may see 1 hour plus commutes, but not nearly as often as if you live in Utah County. Since many of those areas are growing quickly, it may get worse in the future.
CONCLUSION:
Looks like you actually have plenty of options for a commute less lengthy than your current commute, but if you live very far north or south, it could be longer.
DISCLAIMER:
All these estimates are for rush hour, and they go out the window in the snow. If there is enough snow you can reasonably expect your usual commute to be 1.5 to 2 times longer. You probably won't see a ton of snow days though. The last few years there have probably been 10 days or less each year when the snow caused slowdowns.
Flew up to SLC Friday night, looked at homes on Saturday then flew back, went to Syracuse, Herriman, West Jordan and Grantsville.
I am amazed at "4000 sqft" homes that are only 1800 sqft finished, and prices don't matter if the basement is raw, finished or even.... t-grid office ceiling.... the basement condition has little to no impact on the value.
None of the homes stood out as a "that's the one", but ranged from "this needs a gut and remodel" to "it could work... I think".
Right now, a home in Grantsville seems to be "the best" that I looked at, but worry if the town will grow much over the next few years.
So... anyone able to "sell me" on Grantsville, or is the town more of a " stay away from" where the cons out weight the good?
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