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Living near Snowbasin--need help from UT Divas

skimamma

Certified Ski Diva
Need suggestions from UT Divas. I have only been to UT 4 or 5 times to ski....never to look at relocating. Now, there is a very good chance we will be moving to the Ogden area. I have always liked UT and I am excited about this move. :banana:

Right now, we think we would consider houses in Mountain Green, Eden, or Huntsville. Suggestions? I think I would like the kids to attend the public schools.

Do you know anything about the Ogden Valley Winter Sports Foundation? How are the Alpine coaches? Team dynamics? I have 2, maybe 3 racers. One child can never make up his mind on racing. My two girls are quite good. They are young (9 & 12), so I am most concerned about coaching quality and continued skills development. I would love for them to continue to practice during the week (4-5 days of practice 2011-2012 season). Any thoughts? My guess is there is no team out of Powder Mountain? Looks like weekday training is at Wolf Mountain? I do not know anything about Wolf Mountain. Again...suggestions for housing locations? Right now, we drove 35 minutes to practices during the week, 45 on the weekends. This was doable.

Do you know anything about the OVST Academy?

I would love to hear your thoughts/ideas!
 

gardenmary

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I only know the area as a Snowbasin skier. Can't speak to the schools. However, I would suggest looking in any of the places you suggest, because it will get you out the the inversion that can occur. Ogden isn't really a "pretty" city, rather industrial. Wolf Mountain is a little local hill. From any of the areas you mention, you'll drive an average of 5-30 minutes to Snowbasin (which, with Mtn Green & Huntsville, is at one end of the valley) and 15-40 to Powder Mountain (which is at the other end). Wolf is between the two.

I would STRONGLY suggest you read the moving to Utah thread on this forum. There's more to that state than meets the eye, on a number of fronts.
 

skimamma

Certified Ski Diva
I only know the area as a Snowbasin skier. Can't speak to the schools. However, I would suggest looking in any of the places you suggest, because it will get you out the the inversion that can occur. Ogden isn't really a "pretty" city, rather industrial. Wolf Mountain is a little local hill. From any of the areas you mention, you'll drive an average of 5-30 minutes to Snowbasin (which, with Mtn Green & Huntsville, is at one end of the valley) and 15-40 to Powder Mountain (which is at the other end). Wolf is between the two.

I would STRONGLY suggest you read the moving to Utah thread on this forum. There's more to that state than meets the eye, on a number of fronts.

Thanks Garden Mary.

I am guessing you are exactly right on there is more than meets the eye. Thank you for expressing your opinions. I hope to hear from some additional divas too!

My dh is already living in the Ogden area, close to work. I have read the other thread...very informative. The conservatism does not bother me. I was raised in a very conservative town. Yet, I am an "each to their own" type of philosophy; which is obviously more liberal, but I look and act rather conservative...so, I blend in, and I am used to it.

I definitely would like to get out of the inversion area. We ski a ton; therefore, proximity to the resorts is important to us. we are leaning towards Eden/Huntsville. However, I am concerned we might regret the farther distance to Park City and the other resorts. We are also worried about the condition of the road going between Eden/Huntsville and Ogden in the winter months. Morgan/Mountain Green still may be a good consideration also. The schools are rated quite positively.

Another priority is my children fitting in at school. They are from two smaller school districts (one in the mid West, the other in the Pacific NW). FYI--we are not LDS. I would love for them to continue in a non pretentious, pro-athletic, pro-family, and academically successful district. For their ages, my kids are not very city wise; they are rather innocent.

Have a great day!
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
I know nothing about ski teams or schools or anything, but I do have friends who were raised here and are not LDS and who are now raising kids here, and obviously their kids aren't LDS either. They're living down in the suburbs south of Salt Lake instead of up that way, but I have a feeling it's pretty similar. We had this discussion not too long ago, and their general feeling was that once your kids are involved in sports teams or various activities, they are going to make friends with other kids for whom sports are a priority and everything will work out just fine. My thought (not that I have kids) is that you're going to run into people who judge you no matter where you live, one way or the other. I guess I can imaginie living somewhere very liberal and being judged for driving my (non-hybrid) car too much or not being a vegetarian. There are judgemental people in the world, and you've got to learn to deal with it at some point. I guess personally, while there are some quirks here, I don't feel like it's nearly the issue a lot of people make it out to be. I mean, if you were talking about moving down to Hildale/Colorado City, I'd tell you to run the other way, but the places you're looking at are pretty normal, I think.
 

gardenmary

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I guess I would say that while most Utahns are pretty conservative, they tend to be polite about it. I had a political discussion with the shuttle driver headed up to Snowbasin one day, and while we disagreed on several topics he was well informed and knew how to carry on a civil discussion. It was such a nice change from the screaming one sees on TV, that's for sure.

As I look at the layout, if you want to be between Snowbasin and Park City/LCC/BCC you'd need to be in Salt Lake City. The traffic between SLC and Ogden can be bad during rush hour; we've hit it a few times. And of course SLC gets the inversion too. The road around the lake between Eden and Snowbasin is no problem; if they get a huge dump the canyon road down to Ogden from Eden can get tricky. It's really narrow in spots. But you could always go down to the freeway through Mountain Green.

You might want to call Stew Marsh, the ski school director at Snowbasin, and ask him about the OVST Academy. He is a retired educator so he might have some feedback on that end too. Tell him Mary from California recommended you call him for his opinion. The phone number is on their website.
 

skimamma

Certified Ski Diva
Thanks to both of you.

We don't have to make a long term housing decision just yet. We will probably be looking to buy or rent starting in early July. If you hear anything about Mountain Green, Morgan, Eden, Huntsville, please let me know! The kids handled the last move very well. This one will probably be more permanent. (Although, we are keeping our mid-west home to return in the summer.)

You are right about sports. My kids love to ski. This is what they spend most of their time doing during the school year. Their best friends, are often their ski buddies, or race team members. But, I want them to feel included at school. I have heard, either correctly or not, some areas the LDS is so strong that kids have a hard time making friends if they are not LDS. That said, I have also heard....LDS is a positive contributor to UT. Their belief in helping others, philanthropy, and family cohesion is a wonderful contribution to the area. I have no objection to a community with semi high LDS, as long as they are open to non LDS newcomers. Otherwise, I really feel I need a community that is more diverse, even if the schools are not quite as good, etc. I don't want my kids eating lunch by themselves or being teased.

Since my DH is working in Ogden, it makes sense we are near Snowbasin. It is one of the resorts I have not skied in UT, but have heard great things about it. I could be wrong about this...their ski team, does not have as much name recognition. However, I could care less about the name if they have a good team dynamic and terrific coaches. My kids' current coach looked at the list of coaches and said positive things about many of them.

This is still a 98% chance type of thing. When my dh's company wants him to move permanently, things will happen fast. I just want to be prepared if/when it happens. Narrowing down areas really helps when we want to make decisions quickly. And, I want my kids to be happy at school.

Thanks!
 

vickie

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Skimamma -- I've been following these Utah threads with interest as I am planning a move west. I may find myself in Utah; if so, most likely the Ogden area. I don't have kids so the school issues don't affect me, but I may suddenly be very interested in what the different areas are like with respect to housing.

Keep the info coming ... I'll just be a parasite!
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Skimamma -- I've been following these Utah threads with interest as I am planning a move west. I may find myself in Utah; if so, most likely the Ogden area. I don't have kids so the school issues don't affect me, but I may suddenly be very interested in what the different areas are like with respect to housing.

Keep the info coming ... I'll just be a parasite!

Wait, what?! Look for a PM.
 

skimamma

Certified Ski Diva
Great Vickie.

Some cool things I have learned about UT....
The unemployment rate is relatively low
Being a conservative state, state taxes are relatively low
Inexpensive flights from many areas of the US....easy for friends/family to visit
Not to mention--THE SKIING!

You probably already know this ---But, if you are purchasing a home, you may still want to keep an eye on the school district. It can have an effect on the resale of your home (both in value & in how long it takes to sell). Obviously, if you are renting and you do not have kids....it doesn't really matter.

I think the company is going to fly me out to look at a few schools in 2 weeks. Visiting with a handful of principals and walking the halls really helped with my last decision. Although, it doesn't always tell the whole story, it should help. It is funny because I would totally trust my husband to buy a house without me....but, not sure I would want him to pick out a school. Crazy.

Have a good day everyone!
 

Pequenita

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
But, I want them to feel included at school. I have heard, either correctly or not, some areas the LDS is so strong that kids have a hard time making friends if they are not LDS. That said, I have also heard....LDS is a positive contributor to UT. Their belief in helping others, philanthropy, and family cohesion is a wonderful contribution to the area. I have no objection to a community with semi high LDS, as long as they are open to non LDS newcomers. Otherwise, I really feel I need a community that is more diverse, even if the schools are not quite as good, etc. I don't want my kids eating lunch by themselves or being teased.

I'm going to hazard a guess that a reason that it could be challenging making friends is not so much that certain areas are unwelcoming to non-LDS newcomers, but rather that the LDS kids have more in common with each other and, due to their faith, probably see each other outside of school more often. This reasoning is also applicable to non-LDS adult newcomers trying to make friends in the area - it's not that the locals are anti-newcomers who don't share the same faith, it's that, well, a significant proportion of the office isn't going out for drinks after work, but rather headed home to family or to a faith-based social event.


ETA: It's like any other social situation -- if people have more opportunity to get to know each other, they're going to develop closer friendships than with someone they see less frequently.
 

litterbug

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
After writing in the other thread that I'd hesitate before putting children (if I were to have any, which I don't), I've paid a little more attention to what my friends with both younger and teenaged kids say about their kids' experiences, and I think things have changed significantly since I heard complaints from some families 12 years ago. One friend with two daughters aged 6 and 9 doesn't report any sense of her kids being excluded from social activities. There are certainly a lot of LDS kids there, and they do have a lot more in common with each other, as Pequenita said, but the place has loosened up a lot.For one thing, kids are all exposed to the same culture no matter how much their parents try to filter what they see on TV and in movies, which simply makes them more tolerant and willing to hang out with someone different than themselves.

When I moved to SLC in 1993, there was a fair amount of discomfort about an influx of newcomers changing the culture, which was perceived to have begun in the early 80's. Now I don't hear anything about it. So take my earlier post with several grains of salt, because it reflects what newer 'gentiles' experienced long ago.
 

skimamma

Certified Ski Diva
Thanks Pequenita & litterbug,

You are making me feel better. I get two reactions when I mention UT, one from skiers is, "awesome", the second from random others is, "are you Morman?" My kids will probably meet their best friends on the mountain. They usually have terrific ski friends. We also do a lot as a family and travel quite a bit. So I am primarily worried about school friendships, and your comments helped a lot. The kids and I will be going back "home" for the summers in the Midwest; therefore, even summer friendships are not an issue.

Excited to go visit schools soon :-) Hope that helps me to get a feel for the area.
 

Sheena

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hope you are able to find a place that suits you. I live about 45 miles north of Ogden. We are considering a move to the Ogden area depending on how things work out over the next few months. We have not quite found an area that we like, aside from some parts of Ogden near the university... but even then I have concerns about the schools in that district.

I am sure your kids will adjust. The LDS thing for the most part is a non-issue. I have been in UT for almost 5 years now and have From stories I have heard things can get a little more distant when the LDS kids start their young mens and young womens activities. Though I am sure your kids would be more than welcome to join in when they want, they will probably be invited at some point. And then when the kids start the LDS Institute in HS, and take a class period and all take religious studies during school hours.
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
I have another friend who now lives in California but moved to Provo as a teenager (which is like 99+% LDS) and said it was definitely weird, coming from California, but it didn't sound like it was that bad (and that's about as homogenous an LDS area as you can find). She said she briefly considered joining the church because it sounded like fun to go on a mission. But only until she realized you don't get to pick where you go and the missionaries she had known out in California weren't following any of the rules - so she would not, in fact, be spending her time hanging out at people's houses watching TV or at the beach somewhere exotic and suddenly it didn't sound fun anymore. That story really made me laugh. :smile:
 

litterbug

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
But only until she realized you don't get to pick where you go and the missionaries she had known out in California weren't following any of the rules - so she would not, in fact, be spending her time hanging out at people's houses watching TV or at the beach somewhere exotic and suddenly it didn't sound fun anymore. That story really made me laugh. :smile:
I lived upstairs from an apartment rented by the church for female missionaries; I think it was part of the landlord's tithe. All the girl/women were from the states, boy-crazy, and generally boobs. Talk about breaking the rules--late at night their male counterparts would come over and they'd take up the stairwells fooling around and then the boys would leave and the girls would charge around their apartment squealing.

I didn't know anything about the strict rules missionaries were supposed to follow, so I was surprised when I complained to an LDS friend at work, and he said to send a note to the bishop in charge of that mission or whatever they called him, so I did send a short letter saying gee, I thought missionaries would be a little quieter and go to bed a little earlier; I don't think I even mentioned the boys. Next thing I knew the missionaries were gone and the apartment was rented to some more grown-up people.

True story: The Europeans at the Zen Center were fascinated by Mormonism, and SLC is the place you're least likely to meet one unless you're a lapsed Mormon or ask for them, so one of the monks called someone and asked for a pair of missionaries to be sent to talk with them. Oh, those poor Elders (that's what you call them); the Zennies expected an academic discussion of different faiths, but missionaries have a pretty fixed script where they give four 'lessons' which are meant to lead, hopefully, to conversion. After all, they're missionaries, right? They gave up after the second lesson; their bishop probably told them to move on instead of getting corrupted by a bunch of Dutch and German hedonists!
 

Pequenita

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Once, in college in rural New England, the First Lady was visiting. I was at a grocery store and saw these guys in suits, and my friends and I were convinced they were the secret service. So we're darting around the aisle like idiots and giggling and whatever else college sophomores do. I did think it was a little weird that the secret service had name tags on, though.... :doh:

Off course, now I'm taking this thread off topic....sorry!
 

skimamma

Certified Ski Diva
Thanks everyone! We purchased a home in Eden. Driving West on Saturday/Sunday from the Mid West. We have also purchased our Snowbasin Season Passes. Looking forward to a great school year and ski season!
 

mustski

Angel Diva
Congratulations! I would love to be able to relocate to somewhere with such outstanding skiing as Utah!
 

Sheena

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hey skimamma...great news about the house. and what a fantastic year to get snowbasin passes - super super good deal this year.


we are strongly considering moving to Ogden early next year like March/April. What do you think of Eden? My husband is really thinking that would be a good place, but I worry about being isolated. Especially since I don't know if I will be working right away after we move.
 

skimamma

Certified Ski Diva
Thanks Mustski & Sheena!

Sheena, so far, I really like it. I am a stay at home mom; however, I don't mind having alone time, I like some quiet time each day. Eden has a little grocery store that has most food items, a couple restaurants, a gas station, etc. The only big thing they do not have that I miss is a gym. We live in a subdivision in Eden, so I haven't felt isolated. When I am out around the neighborhood, everyone seems very friendly and welcoming. At this point, the snow isn't here yet and it is easy to drive to Ogden. I have heard they keep Canyon Rd. cleared quite well because of the access to Powder Mountain & Snowbasin (have to keep the tourist industry in good shape!) If you are used to the close proximity of everything, it may bother you. But, I previously lived in a small midwestern town....so, I am used to having to drive to get to larger stores and malls. I am looking forward to being 5 miles from Powder Mountain and about 15-20 miles from Snowbasin. I have heard their is some really good x-country skiing quite close also. The area seems to be child & pet friendly. I think Eden is a somewhat transient area, which makes people more open to meeting the newcomers. From the sampling of neighbors I have met so far, many have moved from various parts of the country and have lived here for less than 10 years.

Feel free to ask again when I have a little more time here!
 

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