Draper is one of the faster-growing cities in Utah and could be considered idyllic and comfortable for some, but for those who live there, it’s an area filled with flaws. Its consistent growth rate has made this place home to about 52,765 people as of 2022
. So with all the individuals and families residing in this city, what are some reasons they should have considered before moving here?
There are often many different factors that take place in deciding which cities to move into. Here are 17 reasons not to move to Draper, Utah.
17. Schools
One of the main schools in the area is a large Catholic institution for students pre-k through 12th grade. This school is great and comes highly praised for the work they do over there. However, there aren’t too many other options for people who want their kids to go someplace that doesn’t focus on Catholic beliefs.
Not only that, but there are also the issues that come with this school. Since it teaches students from every single grade, the traffic is ridiculous around the school, and with so many more people coming in and working in the new office buildings that are being built and residents living in the apartment buildings nearby, the traffic gets extremely backed up around the school.
16. Parking
Granted, there is quite a bit to do in this city. There are plenty of restaurants, theaters, parks, and more. However, the parking has almost always been a nightmare each time I’ve been to this city. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, I already know that wherever I go up here, circling parking lots looking for a place to just park my car is going to take a good chunk of my time.
This is frustrating, and also increases the chances of accidents occurring in the lots when so many people are looking for a place and are not aware of the other vehicles around them.
15. No More Farmlands
The growth of this city has caused a lot of the once beautiful, flourishing farmlands to be diminished to make room for more homes and businesses.
These lands are not only gorgeous to look at but provide level space to see the surroundings behind them. Once the last of the farmlands are gone, and there’s nothing but buildings in their midst, the ability to see so much beauty in one small place will be lost.
14. No Variety
Due to this area having a Latter-Day Saint (LDS) temple nearby, the majority of people that flock to this area are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Most Utah neighborhoods follow this same trend, as this is the state where the LDS headquarters are located, and all of the neighborhoods are very similar. The residents are usually white, conservative, and members of the LDS church.
The majority of Draper is no exception. There is only a handful of different races, ethnicities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Not that this is necessary for every community, but given this growing area, it’s easy to notice there isn’t much variety.
13. Gossip
Gossip is an issue that is hard to avoid in any city, but Draper is one of the worst I’ve witnessed. I live about 30 minutes from this city, and even I hear a lot of the gossip going on up there, and I’m not alone in that. It’s also a very close-knit community so it’s very strange that so much gets out, but it does.
This city is infamous for some of the rumors that get around, and it’s not hard to know everything about everyone involved. This can be very difficult to reign in, and it is often hard for new people moving in to adjust to the amount of gossip. It also has the potential to ruin relationships once something’s been shared that wasn’t supposed to be found out by the general public, but it will be inevitable if you move here.
12. People
There are thousands of good, decent people in Draper, but there are some of the most unpleasant there as well. They can be the most judgemental, conceited, strange, and self-righteous individuals on the face of the planet. It’s hard to make lasting friendships and relationships with any of them because you’ll never know for sure what their intentions are.
Annoyances that didn’t use to be here since the invasion of so many changes have caused the people that have been living here, as well as the ones now moving in, to be more exclusive and disrespectful. They take it out on one another behind each other’s backs, in person, and while driving.
11. Weather
The weather in most of Utah follows along the same lines being super cold near the mountains and lakes, and super warm more down south. Draper, unfortunately, is both more north and right up in and around the mountain, making it one of the coldest and most miserable places to live when it snows.
It’s hard especially during the winter when a lot of the neighborhoods are right up on top of the rolling hills, so there aren’t very many large buildings or mountains to protect you from the harsh winds. However, the mountain can also create frequent and sometimes violent wind tunnels that are hard to avoid.
These winters make it hard for drivers to get from place to place safely since the roads get slicked down with ice, and a lot of people have a hard time knowing how to drive in such hazardous situations like that. It also causes problems with homes and cars when certain functions freeze over.
10. Mountain
The roads on the mountain are incredibly dangerous. With sharp turns and hardly any lights illuminating the roads in front of you, it can be hard to drive safely if anyone is coming in the opposite direction and it’s dark out. You can’t have your brights on, even if it means you can’t see, because then the other driver can’t see, and the probability of an accident shoots up. This doesn’t even include the dangers the mountain roads bring when some black ice comes along.
9. Roads
The roads in this area are very frustrating for me, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. While they are nice and well-paved, they are some of the most winding and confusing roads ever. The signs aren’t always super helpful, there are roundabouts in areas that don’t make sense, and with this city being right up on the mountains, you have to be incredibly careful while driving up and down that steep road, especially at night.
8. Transporation
Transportation around here is rough since most of the areas in Draper are so out of the way from regular traffic. Bus stops and train stations are either not nearby enough to make it worth the trip, or nonexistent at all for where you’re wanting to go. In all honesty, a car is definitely the best thing that you can use to get around the city.
7. Litter
Due to the construction within a mile of anywhere you go in Draper, you will almost always be welcomed with debris from projects that are currently being built, or just finished. This garbage litters the streets and walkways.
Though it’s not just the building departments that cause so much trash to be thrown about, the people are the biggest cause of this issue. Cans, glass, papers, clothes, wrappers, bags, whatever it is, there are always different types of garbage littering the sides of the road, stuck in weeds, and gently blowing in the breeze going every which way.
6. Animals
If you are an animal lover, this could be the place for you, but beware that everyone else here is as well. It is likely that dogs around your home will start barking at night when you are trying to go to sleep and not stop until morning, which will make it hard for you to get a good night’s rest.
Due to this area being so close to the mountains, it is also likely that other wildlife such as bobcats will be found near your home, which means that you will have to be extremely cautious so you don’t run into one.
There are also issues with 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 whenever you’re trying to drive anywhere at night, causes unnerving fear of one popping up out of nowhere right in front of your car.
5. Traffic
I’d say one of the most annoying issues to have to deal with in this city is the traffic. There are so many stop signs and stop lights everywhere, everything is constantly backed up more than necessary. There’s also the fact that since it mainly consists of neighborhoods with children that could run out at any moment, so the average speed limit is around 25 on any street in the whole city.
Drivers around here are also not very respectful, so expect to be cut off, honked at, flipped off, and tailgated at any given time. Also, expect accidents to happen nearby, as they will make your commute longer than expected.
4. Lack of Infrastructure
There’s a lot being built and will be built in this area. Lots of apartment buildings and other corporations have been popping up over the last couple of years, and it doesn’t look like it will be stopping anytime soon. This is great for the economy, but Draper simply doesn’t have the infrastructure to support all these places coming up, and the city has no way to accommodate the number of people that are coming in. There’s also just not enough room on the roads to support this level of growth in the city.
3. Code Enforcement
The code enforcement around here is lazy, and there’s no other way to say it. It doesn’t feel like the officials take as much care of the area as in other cities in the Salk Lake Valley. Whether it’s maintaining curb appeal in the neighborhoods, or people leaving their boats and trailers parked on the streets for weeks and months on end.
Though it may not seem like that big of a deal, it’s against Draper’s codes, but it’s never enforced. They don’t seem to care about keeping up the beauty of the city and the houses. But there are just too many instances where people get away with breaking the codes and no repercussions following their actions.
This is not only incredibly annoying and inconvenient for everyone coming through trying to navigate through the trailers and boats blocking the streets, but it also makes it hard for people to enjoy living in this city.
2. Overcrowded
One of the causes of a lot of these issues is the fact that Draper is a growing city that once had a lot of room and is now being overrun with people.
There is too much construction and homes are being built almost on top of one another. More people moving in brings more cars contributing to the traffic, using up the businesses around here, and increasing wait times for everyone.
The more that’s built, the more charm Draper once had is lost in the craze. Those that have been living here, wishing some could have just left well enough alone, miss the peaceful community they used to have, but are well aware that it’s now a thing of the past.
1. Expensive
Finally, Draper is an incredibly expensive city to live in. The area is booming, and the homes are nice and big, so the prices are out of this world. The neighborhoods are sought after because of the views, the schools, the numerous things to do each day, the temple, and the beauty of it all, and the housing market knows people will pay any price to live there. This drives the prices for everyone else up in cheaper areas in the city, making the whole place available to pretty much only millionaires who are able to make the necessary down payment.
