Where to live in Utah with Mountain Views and sububan vibe (Salt Lake City: sales, apartment complex)

[whattoknow]

Hello all,

Can you suggest which area of Utah I might want to focus on living with the mildest the climate has to offer is, where I can live as close to the mountains a possible and yet still enjoy close convience to suburban type shoping facilities?

Also, in the summertime does Utah have high humidity or is the heat dry? Sorry if these questions seem ignorant, but I really know nothing of the area.

Before my father passed he mentioned that if he were ever to consider moving away from his beloved California, Utah would be the only place he would consider because he thought it so beautiful.

I now have an opportunity to move, and I am focusing on two places I've never been to. One is Utah, the other is Tennessee.

I have been living in Vancouver WA for the past 3 years and love the climate and scenery there, but would love more sunny days. I have some health issues and humidity and/or freezing fog aggravates them, and too many cold days does as well but for different reasons. So I am looking for as mild as I can get in these two states. Your direction on the cities I should focus my searches on would be very helpful.

Thanks,
Rebecca

[f5fstop]

As a person who lived in Moab for a little over six years, and south of Nashville for seven years, if you don't like humid weather; DON'T move to TN!

TN is beautiful state that is thought of in geographical areas; that's why there are three stars on the flag. The eastern part of the state is mountainous but the highest peak is approx. 6600 feet and part of it is actually in NC. Middle TN is rolling hills, and western TN is considered lowlands.

The weather patterns for TN come from the west, like basically everywhere else in the USA; however, it will suck up the gulf moisture and if a big Hurricane comes through the gulf, it can rain for days in TN.

But it is a friendly state, and Nashville is one fun city, and there is basically NO income tax, but a darn large sales tax that can vary between counties (or so it was when I lived there).

When I was looking for a place to retire and move from UT, I considered moving back to middle TN; however, I wanted higher mountains for camping and I dreaded the thought of 90 degree days with humidity thick enough to cut with a knife. The temps didn't bother me, just the humidity.


Moab and the rest of southern UT is dry but it does get up into the 100+ range in the summer. And it can rain at times pretty hard.

However the mountains are a lot higher, and usually snow covered most of the winter. Mt. Peale is the highest point at approx. 12700 feet, but the area around Moab is primarily desert, and officially known as the Colorado Plateau and known in Moab, unofficially as the Colorado High Plateau Desert.

Most of the towns (probably all of them really) in southern UT are tourist cities, and are usually quiet in the winter, but during the summer full of tourists, either visiting or passing through.

Also in some of the larger towns in southern UT, such as St. George, Moab it is expensive to live.

As for northern UT, I cannot say much about it. Other then it is beautiful. Good luck in your search

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by whattoknow

Can you suggest which area of Utah I might want to focus on living with the mildest the climate has to offer is, where I can live as close to the mountains a possible and yet still enjoy close convience to suburban type shoping facilities?

I wouldn't describe the winters anywhere in northern Utah as "mild," but believe me, a lot of people in the midwest and on the eastern seaboard would! Here are some average temperatures for Salt Lake City:

Daytime summer high 88 degrees F.
Nighttime summer low 60 degrees F.
Daytime winter high 45 degrees F.
Nighttime winter low 27 degrees F.

Also, in the summertime does Utah have high humidity or is the heat dry? Sorry if these questions seem ignorant, but I really know nothing of the area.

Now it does get a lot hotter than 88 degrees for much of the summer. Many days are in the 90s. But the humidity is very low, so even the 90s are not unbearable as they might be in some areas.

Before my father passed he mentioned that if he were ever to consider moving away from his beloved California, Utah would be the only place he would consider because he thought it so beautiful.

Utah really is beautiful. If you want to be near mountains, northern Utah (Salt Lake City) would be your best bet. I have lived in Cottonwood Heights for 33 years now. It's about a 25-minute drive from my house to downtown Salt Lake City. We are about a mile and a half west of the Wasatch Mountains, the elevation of which exceeds 11,000 ft. Shopping in this area is as good as it gets.

Good luck in your search, and listen to what your father said.

[whattoknow]

Thank you both for your very kind and informative replies. And thank you so much for your words about my father Katzpur. It brought a tear to my eyes and a smile to my face.

May you both have a great day.

[shimmercat]

The suburbs of Salt Lake City sound almost exactly like what you are looking for. Salt Lake is a great town!

[irman]

Almost anywhere, unless you live in an apartment complex on the bottom floor, you can have a mountain view. Just make sure when you find a place to live, where you can see some mountains.
You suburban, stay out of SLC proper. Anywhere else is suburban.
You like more open areas, make sure you get a bit of bare land with your house.
Sadly today, people prefer these crazy huge Mansions and have a lot of house but no land around.

[Tuck's Dad]

My daughter bought an older home (1400-1500 sq/ft) in good repair on the eastern bench above Ogden for about $125000 a year or so ago. Most of her neighbors are 70+ and it is a very stable, established neighborhood, but the houses are starting to turn as the original owners pass or go to assisted living, and it is starting to see 20 something's buying in as first time homeowners.

She has a university about 6-7 minutes away (Weber State), decent shopping and restaurants in Ogden, and she's about 20 minutes north of SLCs northern limits, and has access to anything SLC has to offer without the housing/rent prices. She commutes into SLC for work, and that may (or may not) be an issue for consideration - where you work will likely drive where you live more than the other way around.

It's a very nice place with excellent mountain and valley views, and access to trails on the mountains where she walks her dogs. Also, she is just high enough that she is above most inversions and can see the upper limits of the trapped air.

I also have a son in the Sugerhouse (?) area in south SLC, and I am not as impressed. Housing is overpriced for what you get, but there is a lot of conveniences in the area. He has a condo, but single family homes there are outrageous in price for what you get in size and quality IMO. He is looking to move further south because of his commute to work, and wanting a larger place with a yard.

A third kid lives in an upscale planned community in Farmington (just north of SLC), my only complaint with his place is that if there is an inversion, he's in it, other than that it seems like a great location, with views and a lot of amenities. He really likes it there!

Personally I prefer the Utah climate to HI, because you get four seasons but winter and summer are both pretty mild for a four season climate - FYI I grew up in MN, so my "mild" winter may not be the same as yours! Also it's relatively dry, humidity wise, so it is very comfortable. I lived in Utah for a few years, and always liked the way the sun "feels" there - don't know if it's the latitude, elevation, or semi desert environment (or all three) that causes it, but it is "different" in a very positive way IMO.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Sugar House is NOT in South Salt Lake" which is its own city. It's in a southern area of Salt Lake City.

[Tuck's Dad]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

Sugar House is NOT in South Salt Lake" which is its own city. It's in a southern area of Salt Lake City.

I grew up in a suburb of MPLS, however, if you ask me where I grew up, I always say MPLS. Same same on the Sugar House area, it is part of the greater SLC metro area. I get it that it is a suburb with a separate government and is not SLC, but my son who lives there says he lives in SLC. My son who lives in Farmington also says he lives in SLC, but he really doesn't either, because Farmington is incorporated.

This is about the third or fourth post of mine you have jumped on with an adversarial tone, did I insult you somehow on the forum at some point, or are you just so rigid and focused on others being technically correct, that you feel compelled to correct them on the technicality, even if the greater point is 100% correct?

[ksman]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

Sugar House is NOT in South Salt Lake" which is its own city. It's in a southern area of Salt Lake City.

That's what he said... "area in south SLC". Keep posting Tuck.