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Old 01-28-2008, 11:50 AM
 
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Okay, I am on this board because we are considering a move to Utah. I have only been researching Utah, but have never been there. Ironically, I have lived in Austin, which is the other place you are considering.
Housing:
I lived in Austin for quite a few years during & after college but, rented, because we were not ready to live in the burbs then as we had no kids, yet, we would have loved to been able to afford a house inside Austin. The housing market in Austin does not seem to go down, for a 40 yr old shack that should probably be torn down, be prepared to pay at least $250k, and that is probably not in the best neighborhood either. I doubt you'd be able to get that on a teacher's salary.
weather:
The climate is also something to consider; if it sleets in Austin the streets basically are barron, while in Utah, it definitely has snow at times...
What to do:
The other thing to consider is the extracurricular activities: Utah seems to have quality of life in mind, you can ski, there are camps/parks, etc.; Austin has one nice park Zilker and that is pretty much it. Austin has its share of "tree huggers" that are big on causes like a few years ago with saving the Treaty Oak, a 150 yr old tree that cost the city tons of money, etc. I think Utah would have plenty of trees that are that old...There is also 6th street in Austin which is a bunch of bars on one street where people can go bar hopping, but since you won't drink nor smoke, that is not an appeal; Utah from what I have read here, you can get a drink at restaurants but really the drinking laws are much stiffer than in Texas, ie. it could then be considered safer (less drunks).
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Old 01-28-2008, 03:35 PM
 
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New Austin houses seem to sell for <150 if you go for some of the suburbs, like Leander. Apartments are about 600 a month. Unless the internet is spreading lies!

That does bring up a question though. It is relatively easy to find how much general houses cost in an area, but what about apartments in Utah?

Is Ogden as bad crimewise as its stats indicate? The Weber and Davis school districts pays slightly more than some others and median housing isn't through the roof. Clearfield being right next to an Air Force Base would usually indicate a plus.
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Old 01-28-2008, 04:42 PM
 
Location: Philippines
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In Logan, apartments rent for around $500 - $700. My husband and I rent a two bedroom townhome for $500.
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Old 04-14-2008, 07:29 PM
 
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Now four months later and I am still completely undecided about things. I've gone to Austin for some interviews but I am second guessing everything. I took an online test/poll to figure out the best place for you to live and it came up mostly as Washington state and Utah state for my preferences. I keep coming back to Utah...

Looking at Utah repeatedly over these months I still am worried about the potential money. I am not someone who covets money, but the low pay Utah has makes me wonder how comfortable my life would be. Looking at some districts and seeing a person with a PhD starting at 32k for a teacher just seems completely ridiculous. A person with their bachelors starts at 42k here in N.Va.


Using the hints from those who replied here, I did limit my searches in Utah. Park City area seems like the strongest but completely unrealistic for living expenses, unless their apartments are reasonably priced.

Logan is the realistic choice and seems to be the most moderate with various factors, like moderate pay and weather and shopping, etcetera. But it seems like it would be too far from SLC to be able to attend Jazz games more than a few times - although I am not sure how often I would do this even if I was closer.

The only other place that seems to have a possibility is the Sandy/Jordan/Draper area. What scares me about this area is the air quality levels.

Does anybody have any further advice or ideas of where to look?

Lastly...most cities I look up have above average state and sales taxes compared to the rest of the US. Where is this money going?
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Old 04-14-2008, 08:44 PM
 
1,821 posts, read 7,721,176 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TikTok0 View Post
Now four months later and I am still completely undecided about things. I've gone to Austin for some interviews but I am second guessing everything. I took an online test/poll to figure out the best place for you to live and it came up mostly as Washington state and Utah state for my preferences. I keep coming back to Utah...

Looking at Utah repeatedly over these months I still am worried about the potential money. I am not someone who covets money, but the low pay Utah has makes me wonder how comfortable my life would be. Looking at some districts and seeing a person with a PhD starting at 32k for a teacher just seems completely ridiculous. A person with their bachelors starts at 42k here in N.Va.


Using the hints from those who replied here, I did limit my searches in Utah. Park City area seems like the strongest but completely unrealistic for living expenses, unless their apartments are reasonably priced.

Logan is the realistic choice and seems to be the most moderate with various factors, like moderate pay and weather and shopping, etcetera. But it seems like it would be too far from SLC to be able to attend Jazz games more than a few times - although I am not sure how often I would do this even if I was closer.

The only other place that seems to have a possibility is the Sandy/Jordan/Draper area. What scares me about this area is the air quality levels.

Does anybody have any further advice or ideas of where to look?

Lastly...most cities I look up have above average state and sales taxes compared to the rest of the US. Where is this money going?
Teacher salaries in Utah are the pits. I suppose you could work in the summer to supplement your income. Park City would be really expensive. Logan wouldn't be a bad choice. It's an hour and a half to SLC. So if you did want to go to Jazz games you could do it from time to time. Especially since the new Front Runner is starting this month. You could drive a half hour to Brigham City and take the train from there to SLC. As for taxes -- I think most of it goes to pay for education because there are so many kids and then to roads because the state is growing so quickly.
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Old 04-15-2008, 09:29 AM
 
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I live in Syracuse and this year Syracuse High School just opened up and I am sure there are more to come since this area is expanding so much. Syracuse has a small town feel but the bigger stores are 10 minutes away in Layton and 20 minutes to Ogden. There is a lot of open space, the front runner train is about 10 minutes away, you can go 5 minutes to Antelope Island, and there is a nature park with walking trails and fishing ponds right outside of my neighborhood. Last year when we were looking to move Davis school district had the highest graduation rate. My kids are in elementary school and we have only been here a year so I am not sure what the high schools are like. Our middle school principal received Principal of the Year this year. I visit another forum called pinching your pennies. I will PM you the link because I am not sure of the rules for posting it. There will probably be several woman that are or have been school teachers throughout the state that might lend some more insight. It is also a site that talks about the good deals found around town/internet, etc. Good Luck.
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Old 04-15-2008, 09:16 PM
 
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Default Davis

I have no idea why I skipped over Davis county. I know I went through their site for a while, but didn't really do a long look at it. They do seem to have (for Utah) higher salaries - it would still be about a 10,000 cut or more in pay.

I have not had enough time to look at their sites yet, but I did notice that Viewmont High School, which sounds like it is the best of Davis, has a schools-within-schools program where students choose their specialized path. Really like that idea and have wanted to give it a try.

They do not have a computer science pathway from first glance, so perhaps that would be an option if they are willing to hire me and let me start up a program.

Anybody have any comments about Davis - particularly about specific high schools?
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Old 04-21-2008, 05:02 AM
 
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
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It sounds like you're being way too picky with your choices. Ogden has high crime rates compared to other areas of the state, but overall it's not bad at all (except for maybe some neighborhoods). If you have respiratory problems then I'd be concerned about air quality in the winter along the Wasatch Front on some days, otherwise it's only an inconvenience. Pay for teachers, frankly, sucks in Utah, but our current governor is a lot more dedicated to improving education in this state and the last couple of years have seen handsome pay raises for teachers in this state (although much still needs to be done). However, I can almost guarantee that living standards are lower than in northern Virginia in most areas of Utah (although certainly not all).

Also, I'm confused why low math scores would turn you off. As someone who wants to a be a teacher (although definitely not a math teacher), I would rather teach in a school with bad scores than good scores; after all, I would rather TEACH students who don't already know this and help them improve. You'll also have no problem finding a high school with 700+ students; unless you're in a small town, almost all of them have that many. High schools here are big.

I don't know much about the Davis District, but it would be a decent place to live (just know that traffic would be horrendous). Also, how are you determining what the "best" schools are? Because, really, the "best" schools are the ones that have the best teachers, the best administrators, and the best programs for students, not the ones with the best test scores or the best graduation rates. Based on what you would like to see from your students, you would probably want to avoid the Salt Lake City School District. I don't know about pay, but there's probably a larger proportion of students with bad attitudes, although you will also by far find the most diverse ethnicities and probably personalities, as well. "Thug" students are few and far between, although they do still exist. I attended Highland High School, in Salt Lake City, very recently, and I can tell you that a lot of students there have fairly bad attitudes, the administration is very closed-minded, and that the nearby neighborhoods are like student hang-outs during school hours. The only thing they have to be proud of is their rugby team and their performing arts program. *Ahem* Sorry, I'm getting off track here.

I can't tell you more than this. All I can say is that you should be more open and less picky about your choices, because it sounds like you'll never be satisfied at the standards you're setting yourself to.
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Old 04-23-2008, 12:06 PM
 
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Amazing that with all this talk of schools both public and Private Meridian in Provo/Orem did not show up. I know they have had AP classes since the school started 18 years ago. I was in them, it was the first time I had a teacher that explained math well enough for me to grasp it. It is the same distance from SLC as Logan about an hour and a half. Even better is looking for one of the new towns between SLC and Provo/Orem or Ogden. If the students commuted from Sandy to Provo why can't a few teachers?

Also just wanted to say I don't think your being to picky considering your planning to teach for years, being appriciated is a benefit in any profession.
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Old 04-23-2008, 09:41 PM
 
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I feel like I have to answer your statements bob...

As I have no first hand experience of the schools in Utah, I was trying to get opinions on anything I could from those who did. The only thing I can do is look at test scores and form biased opinions off of them, which is why I was questioning about the low math scores. Usually you associate low scores with poor work ethic, although this is not always the case. I had originally mentioned that I would rather work with students who still had a drive for education.

Unfortunately, there are certain locations that have very low opinions of all things education related. Students sense the apathy parents have in schools and bring that attitude with them. As a teacher, you can sometimes break through to some children the importance of education and really get them to learn, but it is awful hard. Very rewarding when you do, granted. But awfully hard and draining.

I began teaching in my current location specifically because I knew the schools had gone downhill and I wanted to come in and make a difference. I did and was quite successful. But, I am also drained to the point that I am constantly tired. I work from 6 til 5 at the school with students, then come home and plan or grade or go to my own classes. Aside from eating dinner and a half hour of sitting down, there's nothing else besides work. This all comes from caring too much about the students and the students not caring about themselves.

I want to move to a place where the skill set of the students doesn't matter nearly as much as the motivation and self-drive. Somewhere students are more appreciative when extra effort is given. Somewhere administration is better.

And I asked about the air quality because I have a weak immune system after battling cancer. I just see the air quality numbers of the city data pages and it seems scary, although I have absolutely no idea if it is something I actually have to worry about.
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