17 Reasons Not to Move to Cedar Hills, Utah (Voted by the locals!)

Cedar Hills, Utah could be considered idyllic and comfortable for some, but for those who live there, it’s an area filled with flaws. Its consistent growth has made it home to nearly 10,063 people as of 2022Opens in a new tab.. So, with all these people and families residing in this city, what are the reasons that they should have considered before moving here?

There are many different factors that take place in deciding which cities not to move into. Here are 17 reasons you should not move to Cedar Hills, Utah.

17. Hikes

Cedar Hills, Utah is definitely not the place for hikers. Some might think that’s strange since it’s right next to the American Fork Canyon opening, but it’s true.

The only real hikes available are ones that you have to have a pass for, like Timpanogos Cave or Mount Timpanogos. With that in itself being incredibly inconvenient, they’re just about all you have unless you count walking up paved paths to a picnic table. Other than those, you may have the occasional option to hike up the canyon, but it may or may not be worth the commute depending on how patient you are.

16. Litter

Due to the construction within a mile of almost anywhere you go in Cedar Hills, you will almost always be welcomed with debris from projects that are currently being built or were recently finished. This garbage litters the streets and walkways.

However, it’s not just construction companies that cause so much trash to be thrown about, as the people are the biggest cause of this issue. When I lived there, I would be walking my dog and would always see cans, glass, papers, clothes, wrappers, bags, etc. littering the sides of the road, stuck in weeds, and gently blowing in the breeze, going every which way.

15. Mismanagement of Resources

One of my biggest pet peeves is the space, money, and resources wasted on the community golf course and clubhouse. It’s space that could have been used for so many better things, especially given that these are hardly even used enough to make the investment worthwhile. Also, many people in the community don’t even play golf or feel the need to use the clubhouse, so many people, including me, feel that the golf course and clubhouse are a complete waste of space and resources.

With so much of the surrounding areas being filled with weeds and dirt, it would seem as though a lot of the resources spent on the course, clubhouse, and other amenities could be spent on making the environment healthier and more beautiful.

14. Restaurants

Cedar Hills has about the worst restaurant options available, as prices go from dirt cheap to overly expensive.

Not to mention the only other restaurants that are currently under construction are two virtually identical restaurants and a sandwich shop. Call me crazy, but what city with so much construction taking place has room for two restaurants that sell the same products?

13. The Walmart

I’d say “don’t even get me started on the Walmart” but let me get started on this travesty. The Walmart around here used to be a hidden treasure to the residents since no one really knew about it. Now that Cedar Hills, Highland, and Alpine are growing in population, Walmart has also grown to be a hallmark store.

It brings in the strangest people, causes a lot of issues with the traffic, never has any parking available, and really just gives an overall irritating feel whenever you drive by.

12. No More Farmland

The growth of this city has caused a lot of the once beautiful, flourishing farmlands to be diminished in order to make room for more homes and businesses.

These lands are not only gorgeous to look at but provide level space in order to see the surroundings behind them. Once the last of the farmlands are gone and there’s nothing but buildings in their midst, the luxury of seeing so much natural beauty will be lost.

11. Renters

Renters are hard to put up with, and there are thousands of renters in Cedar Hills, Utah. They stay in basement apartments, backyard casitas, and various homes, causing the values of homes to drop for everyone else and unnecessarily increasing local traffic.

They also obscure neighborhood unity, as they leave on a regular basis. This makes it hard to become friends with your neighbors.

10. Animals

If you are an animal lover, this could be the place for you, but beware, everyone else here loves animals as well. One can almost always guarantee a dog will bark right as you are trying to go to sleep and continue to do so sporadically throughout the night until it’s almost time for you to get up in the morning.

There are also issues with neighboring deer that come down every day to leave little surprises for you to pick up in your yard. This, along with the literal hazards of their presence when you’re trying to drive at night, causes unnerving fear of one popping out of nowhere right in front of your car.

9. Lack of Public Transportation

The public transportation provided in Cedar Hills is terrible. The only bus stops available for use are in the surrounding cities like American Fork and Highland. With the traffic and overcrowding being so bad in the area to begin with, it’s mind-blowing that the other options to get around aren’t readily and easily accessible to the people living in and near Cedar Hills.

One of the most effective ways of travel for public transportation to more distant areas is the Front Runner train, which runs almost all day every day. Unfortunately, the closest stop for that is about 20 minutes away in either direction in American Fork or Lehi.

Once you do take any of the buses or Front Runners, they’re always crowded and stop so frequently that it’s almost never worth the effort of trying to get to them and utilize their services.

8. No Variety

Most Utah neighborhoods are very similar in the sense that the residents are almost always white, conservative, and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The majority of Cedar Hills follows this trend as well. In all my years living there, I’ve seen maybe only a handful of different races or members of the LGBTQ+ community. This isn’t the case for every community in this city, but given this growing area, it’s easy to notice that there isn’t much variety when it comes to the people living there.

7. Schools

Some of the schools are located in great proximity to those living in Cedar Hills and have been regarded as some of the best in the state. However, these awards were given by people that didn’t go to these schools and don’t know what they’re about like someone who did.

I am mainly talking about Lone Peak High School, the high school that I attended. This school has had so many scandals with teachers showing up drunk or high and having inappropriate relationships with students that were sexual or abusive. Most of these issues eventually get reported, but some don’t.

There was also a point in time when this school had the highest state average for suicides in one year. Because it prides itself on being “world-class”, it makes its state accomplishments more of a priority than the safety and comfort of the students in attendance.

However, the students aren’t completely innocent either. There are several times I’ve personally seen drugs being dealt and abused, as well as sexual liaisons behind the building, in bathrooms, in parked cars, and before and after school hours. And that’s just during the day. At night, you will always spot cars in the parking lot drag racing or doing who knows what else while the engines are off.

6. People

There are thousands of good, decent people in Cedar Hills, but there are some of the most unpleasant there as well.

They can be the most judgemental, conceited, and self-righteous individuals on the face of the planet. It’s hard to make lasting friendships and relationships with any of them, as you’ll never know for sure what their intentions are.

As people have moved into the city, residents have become rude to newcomers because they don’t want the changes that new people will potentially bring to the city.

5. Law Enforcement

Despite the consistent growth of this city, it’s still pretty small compared to larger metropolitan standards. Because of this, there is no law enforcement dedicated to the city itself, so we’re always relying on police officers from surrounding areas to take care of us as well as the city they are assigned to.

Anytime you see a cop in Cedar Hills, you’ll notice that they are either from Pleasant Grove or American Fork. You may sometimes get a splash of Lone Peak in there as well, but those officers are dedicated to the high school. That’s right, the high school has its own police force, but Cedar Hills doesn’t.

4. Expensive

There are plenty of wealthy people that live in this area, so it’s no surprise that many of the homes are incredibly overpriced and expensive. Within the last several years, multimillion-dollar homes within the boundaries of Cedar Hills have become exponentially more popular.

Many people have been moving out lately due to the now almost unbearable environment with the influx of people and construction. With this, people have been selling their homes for almost triple what they originally bought them for.

With the housing market increasing in price as much as it has been, many people have been left unable to afford homes, especially in certain high-end neighborhoods.

3. Traffic

I’d say one of the most annoying issues to have to deal with in Cedar Hills is the traffic. There are so many stop signs and stop lights everywhere that everything is constantly backed up more than necessary.

Cedar Hills also mainly consists of neighborhoods with children that could run out at any moment, so the speed limit is oftentimes 25 miles per hour, even if it should be higher.

Drivers around here are also not the brightest since a lot of the vehicles are just passing through to get to another city or to partake in some of the amenities we have to offer. So, expect to be cut off, honked at, flipped off, and followed closely while driving.

2. Construction

With Cedar Hills being one of the faster-growing cities in Utah, it’s pretty much a guarantee that frequent construction will be involved. As someone that’s lived here for the last 14 years, I’ve never seen so much construction as there’s been in the last couple of years.

It’s hard to drive down any street or enter any area without there being a “road-closed” or “detour ahead” sign blocking the path you’d like to take, promising to make you late unless you plan ahead of time.

That, along with the sheer amount of noise so much machinery makes, it’s nearly unbearable to step outside because a new house being built the next neighborhood over.

1. Overcrowded

This city is now being overrun with people when it used to be beautiful farmland, which is one of the reasons why Cedar Hills has so many issues.

There is too much construction, and homes are being built almost on top of each other. The new houses are bringing in homeowners and renters. The more people that live in the city, the more cars there are on the road, contributing to the traffic. Also, more people are using Walmart and restaurants, which increases wait times for everyone.

The more things that are built, the more the charm that Cedar Hills once had is lost in the craze. Those of us that have been living here for a long time wish some could have just left well enough alone, as we miss the peaceful community we used to have. However, we are all well aware that it’s now a thing of the past.

Nathan Aydelotte

Hello! I'm Nathan, the lead editor for Suggested by locals. I grew up in the Boise, Idaho area and have lived here most of my life. I enjoy being close to the mountains where I can go hiking, camping, and mountain biking.

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