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It looks like we may be moving to the Salt Lake City area. We stayed in the northern end this summer and loved it. We loved all the activities, the people and scenery (it's so different from VA). We even rented a boat on Lake Jordanelle for a day. My husband's heart has been there since we left. He's going there for two weeks in November to interview and find a job. My question is simple...I'm a native of Northern VA (not near DC, actually 2 hours west in the town of Winchester)...what can I expect? What are the nice areas to live in? Low cost housing (no arsenic poisoning possibilities)? Where can I get info about the schools, traditions, normal every day life? I'll be very far from my family and that's been the hardest part for the change...but the area and idea is growing on me as well! Thanks for any info you can give...
If you buy a house, or even rent one with a finished basement, a radon test is important. You can google radon to see what it involves and why it's necessary.
Your question about housing is very broad. What is your price range? Do you have kids? What is important to you in a community? Also, where he gets a job may dictate where you live unless you want a long commute. SLC and it's suburbs are very stretched out, along the mountain front.
This board is a good source for many of your other questions. Just read backwards on any thread that looks interesting! The local newspaper is opnline at SLTrib.com to browse what's going on locally. Good luck!
My friend moved from SLC about 8 years ago to Centreville. She is homesick and can't wait to move back. She's just waiting for her stepson to turn 18 then she and her husband will move here.
I think a lot of your questions can be answered better once you let us know in which town your husband will be working....and what is an acceptable drive time for him to commute.
Utah has a very dry climate. You'll need lots of lotion for your skin and conditioner for your hair.
Any alcohol over 3.2% is sold in state ran liquor stores, not in grocery stores or liquor marts.
For the most part, Utah is a very "family friendly" state. Lots of families, lots of kids. I don't have kids so I don't know anything about the schools here.
Compared to other areas of the US, Utah has lower salaries. Youre husband will probably find this to be true when he negotiates salaries.
I think we have cheaper utilities here than in some areas of the US. Most homes are heated with natural gas furnaces. Homes are cooled with central air conditioning or a swamp (evaporative) cooler. Central A/C provides a more frigid cool whereas swamp coolers are cheaper to operate and require more maintenance.
I notice when I travel that I really miss the mountains. The Wasatch mountains border the SL valley to the east and the Oquirrh (O-kur) mountains are on the far west side of the valley. It helps to remember this when getting familiar with the area.
Our streets are on a grid system. Most are numbered streets. The further you go in each direction from downtown, the greater the numbers increase.
Moving from Florida to Salt Lake City. I need to be as close as possible to the airport and a good veterinarian. I am looking for a safe area.Will rent at first, condo or apt as long as it is pet friendly. No kids so I dont care about schools. I was kind of hoping to see some water,around. I know I am going to miss the beach.
Moving from Florida to Salt Lake City. I need to be as close as possible to the airport and a good veterinarian. I am looking for a safe area.Will rent at first, condo or apt as long as it is pet friendly. No kids so I dont care about schools. I was kind of hoping to see some water,around. I know I am going to miss the beach.
Dr. Ingraham at the West Valley Vet Clinic is awesome. My 3 dogs and I all love her; we drive past a dozen other vets near our home just to see her. Fortunately for you, West Valley City is one of the suburbs close to the airport. There are both bad and good areas in WVC, as well as bad and good apartment complexes, so do your research. One nice complex that is well located for both the airport and vet clinic is the Crossroads complex at 3800 South and 2200 West. The vet is just east on 3500 South (5-10 minutes depending on traffic), and the airport (15-20 minutes) is easily accessible by taking 3500 South to Bangerter, the highway that runs directly to the airport.
You do realize you are moving to a high desert? The Great Salt Lake is so sline that you can't sink in it. There is a beach at Antelope Island, maybe 30-40 min north. Or you can drive up into the mountains for a resevoir/lake. Not to mention that the water temp in those is much lower than you are likely to be used to. Oh, and the culture is vastly different, too!
Nicer areas to live in stretch along the east side of the valley, starting in the Avenues to the North and East of downtown and stretching all the way to Draper, which is quite a ways away from Downtown and the airport. The Avenues, Federal Heights, Sugar House, Foothill, Millcreek, Mount Olympus, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, Sandy, and Draper are all wonderful places to live. Each neighborhood has its own character, of course, with those at the beginning of the list being slightly more urbane, older, etc. and the ones at the end being the newest and most "suburban" in feel. There are, of course, excellent places to live all over the valley but the East Side has the lowest crime and the highest property values (and in my opinion, the greatest views ). If you live high enough up on the hill you'll even get somewhat cooler temps in the summertime and some relief from the inversion fog we get in the dead of winter (a phenomenon that must be seen...and unfortunately breathed...to believe).
Hopefully you have already moved and are established. I am a retired airline guy, Army Brat, raised all over the world. In 1985 I was living in Orlando and could not get on a flight to Denver to ski. Someone suggested Park City and when I found out it was in Utah, my reaction was "why would I want to go to that God forsaken state?"
Came here anyway and absolutely fell in love with it. Not being local, I had grave concerns about acceptance and my wife was even more reluctant.
I can say with absolute confidence that I have never lived in a place I love more.
It takes literally 14 minutes to drive to the closest world class ski resort, Snowbird and Alta is only 2 minutes farther.
We adopted from China 15 years ago and our daughter is having an incredible time here.
I am a Realtor now and specialize in relocations when a spouse is reluctant. Please allow me to help in the transition.
my website is: [url=http://www.themcnarygroup.com]TheMcNaryGroup.com[/url]
It looks like we may be moving to the Salt Lake City area. We stayed in the northern end this summer and loved it. We loved all the activities, the people and scenery (it's so different from VA). We even rented a boat on Lake Jordanelle for a day. My husband's heart has been there since we left. He's going there for two weeks in November to interview and find a job. My question is simple...I'm a native of Northern VA (not near DC, actually 2 hours west in the town of Winchester)...what can I expect? What are the nice areas to live in? Low cost housing (no arsenic poisoning possibilities)? Where can I get info about the schools, traditions, normal every day life? I'll be very far from my family and that's been the hardest part for the change...but the area and idea is growing on me as well! Thanks for any info you can give...
PROS of SLC:
-beautiful nature, beats many other states due to mountains.
-skiing/snowboarding, resorts, park city; if you have the money for this lifestyle, it is awesome.
-national parks. wonderful but also need money.
-crime non-issue
-people nice and friendly
-relatively easier to find jobs and relatively easier to buy home. you can get a smaller brick cottage in a desireable area for about 280k (excluding park city and federal heights, priciest neibiorhood)
CONS of SLC:
-predominance of one religion (lds), felt in all pores of life (note lds persons are good people, but can be exclusive)
-having non-lds children. your kids will experience down the line some exclusion from lds kids. Lets just state that lds persons are not to marry outside their religion; what does that do to high school prom prospects?
-other than what is mentioned under pros, not much to do. the first cheesecake factory just opened here recently. not much choice in shopping (i think currently no malls in slc due to construction of new one due to open in 2011). one good mall in Murray and the gateway.
-Feeling of being in a desert. land-locked. lakes ok if you own boat, otherwise no good. if you like water like i do, none.
-night life non existant or poor.
-restaurant and culture scene forget about it.
-the horrible smell of great salt lake that makes city smell like sewer a few days in a year.
(oh, and a previous poster said beach at the great salt lake?! you drive up, it stinks. it is you and maybe 5 other retired folks on the whole huge island. secluded. nothing to do. a bison crosses road and that is a highlight. "the beach" is a patch of deserted sand with noone there, you walk in the water and cannot sink even if you try due to salt while being assaulted by flies. water is full of little crabs a million per quart, very visible. oh, and you pay to go here.)
-summertime heat. weeks and weeks of 95 plus with no break. low humidity helps.
Some will disagree with me but these are my honest 2 cents. good luck.
PROS of SLC:
-beautiful nature, beats many other states due to mountains.
-skiing/snowboarding, resorts, park city; if you have the money for this lifestyle, it is awesome.
-national parks. wonderful but also need money.
-crime non-issue
-people nice and friendly
-relatively easier to find jobs and relatively easier to buy home. you can get a smaller brick cottage in a desireable area for about 280k (excluding park city and federal heights, priciest neibiorhood)
CONS of SLC:
-predominance of one religion (lds), felt in all pores of life (note lds persons are good people, but can be exclusive)
-having non-lds children. your kids will experience down the line some exclusion from lds kids. Lets just state that lds persons are not to marry outside their religion; what does that do to high school prom prospects?
-other than what is mentioned under pros, not much to do. the first cheesecake factory just opened here recently. not much choice in shopping (i think currently no malls in slc due to construction of new one due to open in 2011). one good mall in Murray and the gateway.
-Feeling of being in a desert. land-locked. lakes ok if you own boat, otherwise no good. if you like water like i do, none.
-night life non existant or poor.
-restaurant and culture scene forget about it.
-the horrible smell of great salt lake that makes city smell like sewer a few days in a year.
(oh, and a previous poster said beach at the great salt lake?! you drive up, it stinks. it is you and maybe 5 other retired folks on the whole huge island. secluded. nothing to do. a bison crosses road and that is a highlight. "the beach" is a patch of deserted sand with noone there, you walk in the water and cannot sink even if you try due to salt while being assaulted by flies. water is full of little crabs a million per quart, very visible. oh, and you pay to go here.)
-summertime heat. weeks and weeks of 95 plus with no break. low humidity helps.
Some will disagree with me but these are my honest 2 cents. good luck.
Hmm, I'd have to disagree on a couple points I wouldn't say crime is a non-issue. It's more sporadic than in other cities but in the past several years it's spread and it's becoming more of an issue, although again less than in other cities. I also have to disagree on exclusion of non-LDS children. I fell in that category and did not face exclusion at all, along with several of my non-LDS peers. Sure, there was a bit of lingo that we couldn't really relate to when they discussed church things, but I guess this might be either a problem of the past or a crap shoot.
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). If you live high enough up on the hill you'll even get somewhat cooler temps in the summertime and some relief from the inversion fog we get in the dead of winter (a phenomenon that must be seen...and unfortunately breathed...to believe).
Moving or relocating to Utah
I wouldn't say crime is a non-issue. It's more sporadic than in other cities but in the past several years it's spread and it's becoming more of an issue, although again less than in other cities. I also have to disagree on exclusion of non-LDS children. I fell in that category and did not face exclusion at all, along with several of my non-LDS peers. Sure, there was a bit of lingo that we couldn't really relate to when they discussed church things, but I guess this might be either a problem of the past or a crap shoot.
