Raising tweens/teens in Park City as a non-mormon (Cottonwood Heights: real estate, house)

[angie_r_3]

I have searched here for this information, however, most of it seems 5+ years old, so I'm posting again, hoping for some updated info!

Currently, we live in the Highland area, with our three daughters (ages 12, 10, and 7). We moved here 2 1/2 years ago from Las Vegas, and it has been absolutely heartbreaking watching our girls struggle so much with making friends. My oldest daughter, who used to say she never wanted to move again, is now hoping to move to an area with less mormons. My middle daughter, who is a social butterfly, is asked ALL THE TIME in school about why she doesn't go to church, or completely strange kids coming and asking her if she is Mormon or not. She gets very uncomfortable by it...which who wouldn't?! And, my 7 year old, who used to be very talkative and outgoing, is now becoming introverted and self-conscious because she can't make friends...and feels she needs to keep it a secret that she isn't LDS. Anyway, the point to my long intro is that they have struggled, and I need to find an area where they are not shunned for their beliefs, or lack thereof.

I know Park City is a more liberal area, and I know technically, it's less saturated by LDS people than most other places in the state, and definitely less than the area I'm in now. However, are there still enough LDS people there to have this problem for those of us who do not share their beliefs?

I'm looking for personal experiences from people of non-LDS faith who have moved there with children, and how their kids have been accepted. Is there this absurd Utah culture there? I also read on another thread that the schools have problems with drugs....however, this was posted many years ago. Is there a problem, or was that something of the past that has been cleaned up? And, finally, are there certain neighborhoods that are better to live in...meaning, where most homes aren't only used seasonally? I would love to live in an area that my children could also have friends nearby.

[old fed]

only addressing the drug issue, this story is just from last year if you recall

Utah teen deaths probed amid national synthetic drug wave - The Salt Lake Tribune

i don't have children but my guess is you can find drugs in almost any school. does one distinguish between incidents and problems? i don't have an answer for that.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by angie_r_3

I have searched here for this information, however, most of it seems 5+ years old, so I'm posting again, hoping for some updated info!

Currently, we live in the Highland area, with our three daughters (ages 12, 10, and 7). We moved here 2 1/2 years ago from Las Vegas, and it has been absolutely heartbreaking watching our girls struggle so much with making friends. My oldest daughter, who used to say she never wanted to move again, is now hoping to move to an area with less mormons. My middle daughter, who is a social butterfly, is asked ALL THE TIME in school about why she doesn't go to church, or completely strange kids coming and asking her if she is Mormon or not. She gets very uncomfortable by it...which who wouldn't?! And, my 7 year old, who used to be very talkative and outgoing, is now becoming introverted and self-conscious because she can't make friends...and feels she needs to keep it a secret that she isn't LDS. Anyway, the point to my long intro is that they have struggled, and I need to find an area where they are not shunned for their beliefs, or lack thereof.

I know Park City is a more liberal area, and I know technically, it's less saturated by LDS people than most other places in the state, and definitely less than the area I'm in now. However, are there still enough LDS people there to have this problem for those of us who do not share their beliefs?

I'm looking for personal experiences from people of non-LDS faith who have moved there with children, and how their kids have been accepted. Is there this absurd Utah culture there? I also read on another thread that the schools have problems with drugs....however, this was posted many years ago. Is there a problem, or was that something of the past that has been cleaned up? And, finally, are there certain neighborhoods that are better to live in...meaning, where most homes aren't only used seasonally? I would love to live in an area that my children could also have friends nearby.

Well, Highland's about as LDS as you can get, so in that regard, yes, Park City might be a good option, if you can afford it. Otherwise, you might consider Cottonwood Heights. It's not as liberal (or an expensive) as Park City, but the LDS to non-LDS population there is more evenly matched than in Highland.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Sugar House is also pretty diverse.

[Coffeequeen]

I have to ask how you ever decided on Highland? I mean, shops in Highland shut on Sunday, right? You can't have picked a less suitable place for a non LDS family. Just move to SL county and things will improve. Park city is fine if you have millions for real estate. I am baffled as to how you got to where you are really.

[markg91359]

Originally Posted by angie_r_3

I have searched here for this information, however, most of it seems 5+ years old, so I'm posting again, hoping for some updated info!

Currently, we live in the Highland area, with our three daughters (ages 12, 10, and 7). We moved here 2 1/2 years ago from Las Vegas, and it has been absolutely heartbreaking watching our girls struggle so much with making friends. My oldest daughter, who used to say she never wanted to move again, is now hoping to move to an area with less mormons. My middle daughter, who is a social butterfly, is asked ALL THE TIME in school about why she doesn't go to church, or completely strange kids coming and asking her if she is Mormon or not. She gets very uncomfortable by it...which who wouldn't?! And, my 7 year old, who used to be very talkative and outgoing, is now becoming introverted and self-conscious because she can't make friends...and feels she needs to keep it a secret that she isn't LDS. Anyway, the point to my long intro is that they have struggled, and I need to find an area where they are not shunned for their beliefs, or lack thereof.

I know Park City is a more liberal area, and I know technically, it's less saturated by LDS people than most other places in the state, and definitely less than the area I'm in now. However, are there still enough LDS people there to have this problem for those of us who do not share their beliefs?

I'm looking for personal experiences from people of non-LDS faith who have moved there with children, and how their kids have been accepted. Is there this absurd Utah culture there? I also read on another thread that the schools have problems with drugs....however, this was posted many years ago. Is there a problem, or was that something of the past that has been cleaned up? And, finally, are there certain neighborhoods that are better to live in...meaning, where most homes aren't only used seasonally? I would love to live in an area that my children could also have friends nearby.

I will tag onto what others have been saying here.

If you had come on this forum and sought advice prior to moving to Highland we would have discouraged you from doing so. We get continual requests for advice from non-LDS people on this forum who indicate a preference for moving to the Utah County area. The advice they generally get from us is to avoid moving to Utah County. Its a heavily LDS area. I think the county has a population that is about 70% or more LDS. It is well known for being one of the most socially and politically conservative counties in the entire USA.

I often wonder why we get so many non-Utahns on here who are interested in moving to some location in Utah County. I can only imagine it is because there are some jobs available down there and moving there might look good on paper. Some of us who are LDS have commented that even we would never consider living there because it has such a non-diverse population and such a reputation for being conservative. There is even a nickname for Utah County which is not a positive one: Some of us refer to it as "Happy Valley". It is not meant to be flattering.

Other places in Utah are more pleasant to live in for non-LDS migrants to this state. Virtually anywhere in Salt Lake County is more diverse and less conservative. Park City would be another example of a more diverse and somewhat liberal area. Although living there would be very expensive.

I encourage people not to judge Utah by experiences in Utah County. Again, I just wonder why so many people seem to end up there.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by Coffeequeen

I have to ask how you ever decided on Highland? I mean, shops in Highland shut on Sunday, right? You can't have picked a less suitable place for a non LDS family. Just move to SL county and things will improve. Park city is fine if you have millions for real estate. I am baffled as to how you got to where you are really.

I am wondering the same thing. How did you end up in Highland?

I have heard of these stories before (usually a bad corporate relo is involved), but it still seems so unusual for this to happen in the age of the internet. Did you do any research before settling on Highland?

I think getting anywhere outside of Utah County would feel like a significant improvement. Park City is so far from Highland, I wonder how you could consider moving there without significant changes in employment, etc.? Moving is such a difficult and expensive task if you own your home. A more feasible option might be to find a private school points north to send your children to. You could also consider involving yourself in a religious community more to your sensibilities, if only for the children to make more connections.

Originally Posted by markg91359

If you had come on this forum and sought advice prior to moving to Highland we would have discouraged you from doing so. We get continual requests for advice from non-LDS people on this forum who indicate a preference for moving to the Utah County area. The advice they generally get from us is to avoid moving to Utah County. Its a heavily LDS area. I think the county has a population that is about 70% or more LDS.

Utah County is more than 80% LDS according the latest stats. It can feel like 100%, probably especially so for children.

[Coffeequeen]

I would wonder how budget wise, one would pick Highland and then PC, it doesn't seem likely to me that one could lead to the other. (I assumed Highland would have been a cheap place to live). Perhaps define your budget (ss above, just moving is financially onerous in the costs of the process). I would always echo Cottonwood heights, if you are PC cashed up then the Avenues. Public schools will usually be LDS dominated, but you can do some due diligence and find the most suitable options. The more diverse and poor the school, the less LDS it will be. Pick your poison. Your experience wouldn't not have been like this had you moved to a suitable spot. Even in super white SLC schools. Highland is really an outlier. On Sunday it is like a scene from the Midwich Cuckoos LMAO.
As for when active kids have asked mine about not going to church, it is always with a massive amount of envy. Those active tween + LDS kids don't have a chance to fart on their own.

[Shellybug]

I teach middle-school in Park City (I live in Salt Lake), am not LDS, and do not see any issues at all related to religion. If I could guess (because I certainly don't ask), I would guess that many of my students are not LDS. I have students from all backgrounds, as well as from all over the country. If I could guess, there are no more issues with drugs in Park City than anywhere else (and likely much less), but it is a small town, so these stories will stand out glaringly more than in a larger city. For some perspective, Park City is a 7-school district. I came from a 36-school district in Florida. If something bad happens in Park City, people hear about it.

[parentologist]

What about the Avenues, or other areas close to the U of Utah? The area attracts educated, non-LDS families, so the schools are good, but not heavily LDS.