It's 300 miles to Tooele, but only 30 miles back!

300 miles to Tooele, but only 30 miles back. This was the (approximate) tagline used by Steadman's Recreation (the greatest motorcycle, snowmobile, 4-wheeler retailer anywhere!) for a long time to let people along the Wasatch Front know that Tooele wasn't actually that far away from the big city. It was very effective in getting the message out that all the best deals could be found off the Wasatch Front, a mere 30 minutes away.

The reason I bring this up, is that I was reminded just yesterday that we often really are off the beaten track, at least in the consciousness of those that are along the Wasatch Front. It took a Super Bowl commercial to remind me that I need to remind you about the joy that is Tooele County! You see, the Utah Association of Realtors did a great ad yesterday extolling the virtues of buying a home along the Wasatch Front, including Salt Lake and Davis County. They also did ads for Northern Utah, Wasatch back, and Southern Utah. So, as a County sharing a border with Salt Lake County, but with a mountain range in between us, where do we fit in?

Tooele County sits south and west of Salt Lake County, directly south of the Great Salt Lake. We're very large in land mass, but fairly sparcely populated, with the largest concentration of our 58,000 residents in a traiangle of roughly 10 miles on a side made up of Tooele City, Grantsville and Stansbury Park. Here in Tooele where I live, I can be in either of those areas in no more than 10 minutes. That makes it easy and fun to work in the Real Estate business, as I can show a 1700 square foot rambler in Tooele on a quarter acre lot, a 5 acre ranchette in Erda or Stockton, a 1 acre horse property in Grantsville and a home on the lake in Stansbury Park, all in the space of about an hour!

The other undiscovered benefit to Tooele County living is the 'commute' to the Salt Lake Valley. I did the 'quote' thing because I need to emphasize a very real difference to the laid back, relaxed pace of Tooele County versus the big city issues you get with living and travel along the Wasatch Front. If you work in downtown Salt Lake City, and live in Utah County to the south, or Weber or Northern Davis County to the north, I'm betting you are looking at 45 minutes to an hour to get to work. And what an hour it is! Stop and go traffic on I-15, and all the stress that goes with it. Friday morning, I drove to the Capital in downtown SLC at the busiest part of 'rush hour'. 35 minutes from my garage to my favorite parking space. The speed limit for most of my trip is 75 mph, and it's an easy one to maintain, as the traffic is nothing like what I described on I-15.

The only other benefit I'd like to mention is an important one, especially for those looking for a home. It's price. The average sales price out here is significantly leass than it is along the Wasatch Front. 3000 square feet and a quarter acre for 150k? Even the 5 acre ranchette in Erda or Stockton witha custom home can be had for less than 350k!!

So, for those of my colleagues on the other side of the Oquirrh Mountains that laughed at the exclusion of Tooele County from a commercial, albeit a Super Bowl one, I'll simply remind you that we'll be laughing last out here. Because, Steadman's had it right all those years ago. It worked for them, as they are one of the highest volume recreational vehicle retailers in the State. 300 miles out here, but only 30 miles back! Come see us!