For those who want to make a fresh start in a small town and stay there for several years, Utah has a lot of great options to choose from. Several small towns in Utah offer great scenery and recreation opportunities, and many are among the safest places to be in the nation. Whether you're looking for a small town that's not too far from a big city or one that's more out of the way, you'll likely find that one of the following options will suit your tastes.
With a population of just over 8,000 people, Mapleton offers a small-town feel while being just minutes from the much larger city of Provo. The town is located in a beautiful mountain setting next to Mapleton Canyon and encompasses a little over 12 square miles. The median home cost here is under $300,000, and 46% of households make $75,000 or more. The homes currently available in Mapleton are fairly large, with many having 4 or 5 bedrooms. The town boasts a crime rate that's nearly 3 times less than the national and state averages. There are 3 public schools here, and two of them received a 9 out of 10 rating from GreatSchools. Residents enjoy a low unemployment rate compared to the national average as well. Mapleton is growing at a rate of about 6-8% per year, so if you are worried about it becoming too big for your liking in the future, one of the other options below may suit you better.
Speaking of beautiful mountain settings, it doesn't get much more scenic than Midway. This town of just under 4,000 people offers a variety of great small-town activities throughout the year including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, mountain biking, and golf at the world-famous Soldier Hollow Resort. Other notable attractions here include the annual Swiss Days and the "hot-pot" Caldera at the Homestead Resort. Midway has an unemployment rate of only 2%, and only 15% of households make less than $30,000. Midway also has 3 schools, and the most well-reviewed one is the Soldier Hollow Charter School. There are several large homes in Midway that are over $400,000, but you can also find homes that are under $300,000. Though known as more of a tourist town, the variety of activities to do here and the fact that it is only about 20 minutes from Park City make Midway a great place to put down roots.
Heber City is right next to Midway, and this town of about 13,000 people was ranked as the 8th best small town in America for 2014 by livability.com. The rankings were based on factors such as crime, air quality, natural amenities, cost of living, and obesity along with surveys of how well residents and tourists like the town. Heber has an unemployment rate of just under 4%, and 37% of households make $75,000 or more. There are several schools in Heber City, with GreatSchools giving the J.R. Smith School the highest rating at 8 out of 10. Many of the homes available in Heber are between $200,000 and $400,000, but you'll also find some that are close to and over $1 million. Similar to Midway, air quality in Heber is about 4 points better than the national average according to the EPA.
Nestled at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, Fruit Heights is a small town that's about halfway between Ogden and Salt Lake City. With only about 6,000 people, it has a small-town feel but is also close to those big cities and right next to the city of Kaysville as well. The town has one of the lowest crime rates in the state, roughly four times less than the national average. The median home cost is just over $300,000, while the median household income is quite high--just over $100,000 according to city-data.com. The current homes available in Fruit Heights have a wide range of prices from less than $200,000 to clost to $1 million. The town is only about 2 square miles, so the city really won't get much bigger than it is in terms of population unless the borders are expanded. The average length of stay in Fruit Heights is well above the state average, so there's a good chance you won't want to leave anytime soon after you move in.
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If you're looking for small town that's more out of the way but still has a lot to offer, you may want to consider Manti. Although the median income of this town of about 3,000 is a bit under the state average, the median home price here as well as the cost of living are well below the state and national averages. There are some Manti homes on the market that are around $400,000, but most are about $120,000 to $250,000. Like Fruit Heights, Manti is only about two square miles in size. Also similar Fruit Heights, the average length of stay is significantly higher than the state average. There are five schools in this town including Manti High School, which has a GreatSchools rating of 7 out of 10. As long as you don't mind being far away from any big cities, Manti is a good choice if you like the idea of living in a small town with several opportunities for outdoor recreation.
