Great places to live for outdoors lovers

blueeyes said:
Air quality looks fantastic out there today. 70 is the high I believe. Sure had fun mountain biking this weekend. Thanks for asking Nick.
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I agree. In fact I've hike four of the last five days and been in short sleeves each day. Gotta love it.



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wnorton @ Southern, UT
 
Smog and Soot Pollution for St. GZZY
http://scorecard.goodguide.com/env-releases/cap/county.tcl?fips_county_code=49053#air_rankings

Not really great

For "hazardous" air pollution
http://scorecard.goodguide.com/env-releases/hap/county.tcl?fips_county_code=49053#rankings

Somewhere in the middle

I am pretty happy in S.W. Utah. As was mentioned and adding a few to the list
1 hr Zion,
3 hr Capitol Reef
2 1/2 hr North Rim
2 1/2 hr Bryce
4-5 hr canyonlands (island in the sky)
4-5 hr Arches
3 hr Great Basin
15 minutes snow canyon state park
<15 minutes Red Cliffs
2 hr Cedar Breaks
2-3 hr grand staircase
2-3 hr Paria/Vermilion Cliffs
2 hr Las Vegas
..................................................................................

The heat of Aug/Sept is pretty bad but you can still hike just find canyons w/ water, or be home by noon! But you cant beat the winters! I was in shorts and a tshirt hiking Yellow Knolls Red Cliffs yesterday!
 
wnorton said:
I agree. In fact I've hike four of the last five days and been in short sleeves each day. Gotta love it.



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wnorton @ Southern, UT
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We had 17F this morning and lower tomorrow, 11F. Pretty much the forecast for the week. Enjoy it
 
I visit Grand Junction 4-5 times per year and every time I'm more and more convinced I want to live there someday. It does have similar weather pattern to SLC (minus the inversion, but similar temps). You're 1.5 hours from the Swell area, 2.5 to Capitol Reef, 1.5 hrs to Moab area, then if you head south you head into some BEAUTIFUL high mountain country.

The town itself has a 4 year college (Mesa State) and large hospital (Saint Mary's Regional), and a revamped downtown area that is both fun and family-friendly. The city itself still has a somewhat small-town feel, but still large enough to get things you need (major shopping retailers, plus an REI). The Colorado River runs right through the city, and I'm into mountain biking and it's practically one of the best places to mountain bike in the US.

St George would definitely be second on my list.
 
Tyler said:
It does have similar weather pattern to SLC (minus the inversion, but similar temps).
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We normally get an inversion or two in the winter....but unfortunately we've been stuck in an inversion this year for much longer than normal. We actually broke the record yesterday for most days in a winter below zero...it's been a very uncommon winter for us. Usually when it snows here it melts off the next day, but because of the inversion we've had snow on the ground for a few weeks now!
 
Nick said:
...I'd love to live in a place like Torrey...:)
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LOL, that's exactly what popped into my head the second i saw the thread title...

i've thought about this topic many a times. i always come to the same conclusion that i find SLC too centralized to all-things/places western US to move away from. imo, what variety that can be accomplished away from SLC during a long weekend is unrivaled by any other town. my love for multi-seasonal sports heavily influences my opinion. a major airport hub with a good selection of destinations is also a bonus. agreed on the drawbacks: nasty air followed closely by politics.
 
Kanab gets my vote, then St. George.
 
Albuquerque is a cool city in a pretty well populated area. It's a bit farther from the Utah backcountry, but still within weekend striking distance... only 6.5 hours to Canyonlands. South CO mountains aren't too far. There's a lot of neat mountains and desert nearby. The city isn't perfect, but it has a lot going for it. The area has history like crazy (if you enjoy that sort of thing)... Native American history for sure, but even the history of European settlement goes back as far as anywhere else in the US.
 
That's it. I'm doing it. Can't take the SLC inversion any more. It might take a year or two, but St. George, here we come. Those of you that live there or know the area well, where are the best areas to live? blueeyes told me to watch out for blue clay and I found this map from the Utah Geologic Survey. Seems like it's mixed in all over the place not just certain areas. What else should we thinking about when looking at places to live down there, finding jobs, etc.? Going to scout the area in a couple weeks...
 
Nick said:
That's it. I'm doing it. Can't take the SLC inversion any more. It might take a year or two, but St. George, here we come. Those of you that live there or know the area well, where are the best areas to live? blueeyes told me to watch out for blue clay and I found this map from the Utah Geologic Survey. Seems like it's mixed in all over the place not just certain areas. What else should we thinking about when looking at places to live down there, finding jobs, etc.? Going to scout the area in a couple weeks...
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That's cool!! Great news, Nick!!! :)
I'm not of a big help for your move, I'm still too green to the area.
But I'm sure blueeyes and Seldom Seen Anderson will be really helpful.
 
Blue clay and falling boulders! Don't buy a house in the flood plane either. One little pig built a house on blue clay, one little pig built a house by the river and one little big built his house next to the pretty red cliffs.... haha. It seriously comes down to how much you are willing to spend on a house, if you want or don't want Home Owners Association Dues and if you want to live in St. George, Ivins, Santa Clara, Hurricane, La Verkin or even Dameron Valley? Really best plan is live here one year and get a feel for the place. I lived on the west side for the first 18 months and loved all the access from my door to mountain biking trails. I wanted to stay over there but ended up on the inverted valley (NO BLUE CLAY!!) and love it except my kids feel isolated but you can't beat a two stop sign commute to work. If I could figure out how to set up a zip-line I would be set!
 
That happened just off the ridge I live on. I heard of another one but it didn't hit the house. All I can say is there are cliffs with rather large boulders and gravity happens unpredictably. It is not something I would have ever thought of myself until the recent incident. Oh and some lessons learned from buying a house up north. Watch out for termites!! Here you will mostly likely have cockroaches... hate the buggers have to be sprayed every month.
 
I'm jealous and may be joining you someday (when my son turns 18 and is out of the house). I think if I were to live in the area I'd like Hurricane a bit more than living in St George proper. I like it because it's still relatively close to the freeway and still enough stuff to do in the backyard.

If I was into more seclusion, I'd go with Dammeron Valley or Veyo (NW of St George). Beautiful area.
 
Steer clear of Dixie Downs area north of Sunset Blvd around Dixie Dr below Snow Canyon Park Way. Housing is cheaper in that area and you have a lot of rental houses. That is probably the worst of St. George and in reality it is not that bad.
 
Did a google search for fun... found this post it is from 2007 but still pretty accurate I think

Hello, I lived in the St. George area for 15 years and have found it to be a wonderful place to live.

The area of St. George, Utah has many wonderful neighborhoods. Some i suggest are:

Washington Fields: Only since the late 1990's has Washington Fields even been developed. The area is home to several farms and many fields (hence the name "Washington Fields"). More recently the area has been booming with new subdivisons and homes. The area (South of the Virgin River and East of Bloomington Hills) is settled into a small valley and is very spread out. The area is almost completely residential other than some small construction, cement, excavating, trusses etc. businesses that are located on the Washington Dam Road. Almost all the of the neighborhoods feature custom homes despite a couple and many of the homes have large yards and are predominately newer. The home prices for Washington Fields is anywhere between $180,000 to well over a $1,000,000. There are some subdivisons in the center of the fields that feature multi-million dollar mansions. The boom for the area has slowed down as of 2008 but still growth is taking place. I would estimate that the population of Washington fields is 8,000. Washington fields is in a close proximity to many shopping locations in Washington City which includes large departments stores and many restaurants. The area is accesible from Washington city to the north, Bloomington Hills (& Little Valley) from the south, and one of the main roads in St. George, River Road, from the East. The area is zoned for several schools, Desert Hills High School (brand new school, opened in 2008), Pine View High School, Pine View Middle School, Desert Hills Middle School, Sunrise Ridge Intermediate School, Fossil Ridge Intermediate, Horizon Elementary, and Riverside Elementary. The area is split down Washington Fields Road to form the boundaries for the school which has caused previous problems for many parents and students in the past. Also, the area is predominately LDS (as with the whole Southern Utah area). I estimate the LDS (mormom) percentage to be 65%. All in all this area is a great place to raise a family.

CoralCanyon (Washington City): 2 miles east of Washington City is the masterplanned community called Coral Canyon. Coral Canyon is relitively hidden from the rest of the metro area and features hundreds and hudreds of tract homes. That being said, the tract homes are extremely nice and custom and range from around 1100 square feet to over 5,000. The homes are also reasonably priced but may tend to be a bit higher per square footage than many homes in Southern Utah. The neighborhood offers many parks and trails which is great for many young families. Coral Canyon is mixed about half and half between young families with young children and retired couples. I wouldn't recommend this neighborhood for families with teenagers. Also in Coral Canyon is an elementary school that was recently built that offers relief to many parents whose children used to be bussed several miles away. Coral Canyon is not the closest to all the attractions that St. George has to offer but it isn't too far away. To get to downtown St. George from Coral Canyon would take a good 13 minutes on a good day. Coral Canyon is beautifully landscaped and would be a great palce to start raising a family or to continue raising a small family.

Bloomington Hills: Located in the southern end of the valley, Bloomington Hills is a great place. The area is a bit older (developed in the late 1980's) but the homes are still well taken care of. The area is situated around a golf course and has many trails and beautiful large trees. Bloomington Hills has many larger families and is a better option to live if you have teenagers. Another great reason to locate to Bloomington Hills is the whole area is zoned for the same schools so there is no concern or problems which school zoning issues. And, the schools are great and extremely close by (about 1 mile away). the zoned schools are Bloomington Hills Elementary, Sunrise Ride Intermediate, Desert Hills Middle, and Desert Hills High. The area is a short 5 minute drive to the center of town where all your needs are. This neighborhood is also completely residential which is a good thing.

Snow Canyon/Entrada: In the northwest corner of the city is the area of Snow Canyon with the neighborhood of Entrada. Entrada is a newer subdivision which many expensive southwest styled homes located in the beautiful lava rocked and red cliffed landscaped area of Snow Canyon. Entrada is within close proximity to Snow Canyon State Park, Tuachan Ampitheater, and many restaurants and businesses.

Some Areas to Avoid or caution:

Dixie Downs: The farthest west area of St. George, Dixie Downs is a more dense, diverse, and dangerous area of town. Many people view the area as trashy and the area is very old. Nothing special here whatsoever.

Downtown St. George: Located in the center of the area, downtown St. George features the oldest part of town and has much more crime and is more predominately a Hispanic area of town. However, the area has very cheap single family housing (old, but cheap), and is close to many businesses, entertainment, and restaurants in St. George.

Washington City: Despite efforts to help Washington City, the area still has lost some shine. The area was the first part of Southern Utah to be developed and doesn't have a very good police force or government system. It is north of Washington Fields but they are fully separated. The housing is much cheaper though but the crime is higher and many gang reports have been from Washington City. However, the best part of town to go shopping is located in Washington. With stores like WalMart, Costco, Kohls, BestBuy, Bed Bath and Beyond, Albertsons, Home Depot, PetCo, Zions Bank, Village Bank, In N OUt Burger, Del Taco, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, El Pollo Loco, Burger King, and several other independent businesses, it is easy to see where the best place to have a business is located. However, that part of town is extremely congested. The largest intersection in Washington County is located right off I-15 at exit 10 and it is always jammed. The intersection is an 8 lane intersection that is still the busiest. Around Christmas time, Saturdays, and rush hour, you will have to wait for up to 6 light changes of your lane with cars backed up over a mile at times because not very many people use the freeway in Southern Utah. Also, finding parking to the stores around and getting out of them is very difficult. And beware, the WalMart supercenter in Washington City is probably one of the more busiet Wal Marts in the United States. Sometimes to check out takes around 45 minutes.

Hope this helps!

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/st-g...eighborhoods-steer-clear-3.html#ixzz2KJs2IaAp
 
I will add my two cents of S. Utah communities later but Nick you realize our mountains are much different than yours, are you going to be able to handle not having the Uintas and Winds in your back yard? The Tushars are kindof cool but... definitely not...
 
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