I realize this is not a sports related thread, so my apologies, but I need to reach out to my CougarFamily for some insight... My company has offered me an attractive position in SLC of all places. We have mixed emotions about leaving what has become our home and heading west, but I'll be in Provo Saturdays this fall!

For those who have info, we have a couple of requests for information...

Our oldest son (10 yrs old, just finishing 4th grade) is autistic. We have great resources here through the public schools and the med center. We have no idea what we'll find as far a special ed in Utah. Any of you have experience?

Also, what is going on in the housing market? Job is in SLC, but we can live pretty much anywhere in the valley (though I vote for a short commute!)

Thanks, and see you in CougarTown!

I live in Utah Valley, so I can only offer my limited insights to the Salt Lake area.

The south end of the valley seems to be whats really booming now, there is Daybreak, which is in South Jordan (link: http://www.daybreakutah.com/ ). It seems like a really nice area, close to some good retail, but also homey. It's probably where I would look first if I were moving up north. It also has a temple going in there.

As for special needs in schooling, my niece suffered from a rare disease which required a lot of help and attention and I know she was able to get an assistant who spent all day with just her in school, not really the same situation, but if she could get that in a public school in Utah County they must be doing something right.

as far as my work/experience goes, alpine school district has good programs for several individual needs, alpine.k12.ut.us, as i'm sure others do in salt lake. like granite.k12.ut.us
summit programs provides special attention in the alpine district, but you'd have to live in utah valley to qualify! visit alpine for info

As far as the housing market goes....
The south end of the valley is where all the growth is happening. BUT it is also the most $$$ and it is also getting really crowded. If you work in SLC, I'd say NO to DayBreak. SJ,riverton,herriman, have all boomed making the morning commute horrible from bagater to I-15. If I was you I'd look futher north, save money on your house and cut your commute down.

I'd also look into Stansybury Park. If you're not familiar, it's about 30 min west of SLC down I-80. We were there for six weeks before moving down to AZ and there were quite a few homes for sale, I saw one on the Lake for about 300 and they have some lower and higher than that price range.

We raised an autistic son in CA, but were always aware of what was going on in other states, since being transferred was always a possibility. Utah has some great programs for children, but once they turn 22 and fall out of the school system, they will be put on a waiting list for services that can be years long-like 10 years long, I am told.
The trick is to put him on the waiting list while he is still in school, so that when he moves to the adult services, he will be at or near the top of the list.
Kudo's to you and anyone who raised an autistic or other special needs child. Having been down that road, I know how rough it can be. We lost our boy a few years back to a siezure, and while I don't miss his tantrums, I sure miss him-everyday.
As far as a good place to live, just avoid some of the areas in West Valley City and near downtown, and you should be OK. If you don't mind a bit of a longer commute, Lehi/Saratoga Springs has some great deals on newer housing, the area was growing like crazy and now that the slowdown has hit, many homebuilders building on spec find themselves with a glut of houses, which they are trying desperately to dump.
One new area that you might want to avoid is the Traverse Ridge between Draper and Alpine. Incredible views, but the wind blows nonstop and there have been some major issues with hillside stability in parts of that development.
No, I'm not a realtor, but I am an insurance guy, so I see a lot of what goes on in the north end of Utah County and the far end of Salt Lake County.