So you’re thinking about moving to Draper, Utah? Don’t worry, we get it! Draper is a beautiful city, has easy access to the mountainside, and has a great view of the Salt Lake Valley. However, you don’t just move to a new city now—your moving to a new neighborhood and this guide will give you everything you need to know about moving into Draper.
It can be scary and unnerving especially when you need affordable self storage in Draper. Whether you are young or old, adventurous or conservative, rich or poor, don’t leave it to chance to find your next great home. With close to twenty-thousand incorporated cities in the United States bringing so many diverse opportunities and possibilities, it can be hard to settle on just one. This Neighbor Draper Moving guide will highlight the pros and cons of each area so you can focus on finding your tribe and making a solid life for yourself.
I. Living in Draper Overview
Draper is a thriving city with a Population of 46,202 and over 14,000 Households. There are 30,801 residents over the the age of 18. The Median Age is 32.3 and the average family size is 3.3. The population is 51.5% Male and 48.5% Female. The community is made up of 7 different neighborhoods covering 30.3 square miles at an Altitude of 4,525 ft ASL. The average temperature is 70 Degrees in the Summer and 39 Degrees in the Winter. Draper is home to over 108 restaurants, several shopping areas, and many other fun things to do.
Personal Experiences From People Living in Draper
Neighbor has partnered with Lifey (Selfie + Life Story = Lifey) to give you the grass roots information on Draper, Utah. Lifey has compiled hundreds of personal experiences, tips and tricks, favorite things, least favorite things, random facts, and much more all about Draper. Read about it all in Lifey’s Guide to Draper. Give Draper your stamp of approval here.
II. Moving Guide: Neighborhoods in Draper
Moving to a new city has its advantages because you can pick which neighborhood you live in and what type of people you want to associate with and moving to Draper is no different. Smaller towns and cities lack what Draper provides. Below is a list of all the neighborhoods located in Draper along with a description of the area, local statistics, and its location in relation to other larger surrounding cities.
- South Corner Canyon Rd/Highland Dr
- City Center
- S 300 E/E 12300 S
- Minuteman Dr/Highland Dr
- Crescent/Lampton
- Bangerter Hwy/S 200 w
- S 700 E/E 12100 S
There are several statewide famous attractions in Draper, drawing visitors from all corners of Utah. There are shops, theaters, restaurants and plays, plus all of American Fork Canyon that is less than a 30 minute drive from anywhere in Draper. Up the canyon is an abundance of lakes, campsites, and popular hiking trails including the well-renowned Timpanogos Cave and Mt. Timpanogos hikes. Draper is a very beautiful city and has many differing attractions with the mountains, lakes, reservoirs, resorts, national parks, desert, and shopping within reach of you in only a matter of minutes!
Draper Neighborhood Map
III. Draper Crime Rates
Need I say more? You need to know what is going on within your chosen neighborhood. You don’t want any drunken surprises, drug busts, or robberies happening in your community. Thankfully for you, Draper is known for being a safe and secure neighborhood.
Draper received a crime rate of 214.6 which is astoundingly lower than the US average of 280.5. Within 2016 there were 0 murders, 28 rapes, 5 robberies, 42 assaults, 201 burglaries, 1,032 thefts, 184 auto thefts, and 7 arson attempts. This is considerably lower than, for example, Chicago which had 765 murders, 1,568 rapes, and 12,000 robberies in 2016. Compared to those numbers, Draper seems like a pretty safe place to live!
There are also many opportunities to volunteer and join a service organization within Draper. These organizations provide support and encouragement to those residents who need it the most.
Service Organizations:
- Mayor’s Youth Council
- Encompass Home Health and Hospice
- Mentors International
- Tifie Humanitarian
- Grassroots Org, Inc
Other Volunteer Resources:
- United Way – Salt Lake City
- www.justserve.org
- www.volunteers.utah.gov
- www.volunteermatch.org
- www.kab.org
- www.iparticipate.org
- Draper City Volunteer Opportunities
IV. Draper Schools & Ratings
If you have children then this is probably one of the most important thing you should be thinking about. Where are your kids going to go to school? How good is the school when compared to the others in the area? Does the school specialize in a certain subject and will your children enjoy that? These are all serious questions that need answered. You can visit Canyons School District’s website or Summit Academy’s website for information about each school in the area. In Draper and nearby there are:
- 29 Local Elementary Schools
- 8 Local Junior High / Middle Schools
- 8 Local High Schools
- 1 Accredited College
Since there are so many schools to report on, feel free to visit the links above for all their information, but we’ve broken down the interesting stats on 3 of the High Schools in the Draper area so you can make an informed decision on where you want to live if you have high schoolers. For more in-depth information, compare the below assessments.
Corner Canyon High School
Corner Canyon High’s mission statement is to, “inspire in education, in character, and in life.” Corner Canyon is a young school, founded in 2013. The school expects students with different levels of preparedness to, “take advantage of opportunities to improve and stretch their talents.”
- Actual Enrollment 2017: 2,227 students
- Graduation Rate for 2017: 95%
- Student to Teacher Ratio for 2017: 22 students/1 teacher
- Average Cost for Student Lunch in 2017: $2.00
- School Subject % Proficiency for 2017: 52.8% Language Arts / 53.1% Mathematics / 55.6% Science
- Average ACT score: 21.7 Composite / 21.5 English / 22.8 Reading / 20.8 Math / 22.2 Science
Juan Diego Catholic High School
Juan Diego High is a private school associated with the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City and full of students of varying backgrounds and faiths. The school puts a strong emphasis on devotion to charitable giving and good works founded on Spiritus Donorum, or the spirit of giving.
- Actual Enrollment 2017: 1,278 students
- Student to Teacher Ratio for 2017: 18 students/1 teacher
- Average ACT score: 22 Composite
Summit Academy High School
Summit Academy High believes that, “academic experience is best enhanced by student involvement in athletics, leadership opportunities, the arts, and immersion in technology and career exploration.” This charter school is oriented around preparing students for college.
- Actual Enrollment: 619 students
- Graduation Rate: 83%
- Student-to-Teacher Ratio: 21 students/1 teacher
- Average Cost for Student Lunch: $3.00
- School Subject % Proficiency: 25% Language Arts / 27.9% Mathematics / 25.9% Science
- Average ACT score: 20.7 Composite / 20.4 English / 21.6 Reading / 19.8 Math / 20.8 Science
V. Homes for Sale in Draper
Moving to a new state, city, or neighborhood is a perfect time to consider buying a home. It’s a new start and would completely establish you in the area and with your neighbors. However, there are a few things you should consider other than the color of the cabinets, how plush the carpet is, or the bedroom count. Consider which neighborhoods are going to be growing, where the shopping malls are, where landmarks are located, and how old the house is. All these things directly affect home valuations. You want to buy a home that will continue to appreciate in value so you can sell if for a profit when you decide to move again later in life.
Check out Zillow’s Home Buying Guide to get help figuring out everything you need to know through a step-by-step home-buying process. The estimated average home price or condo value in Draper is currently $491,600 for a medium home with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. We’ve compiled a list of calculators to help you purchase a home in Draper and figure out how much you can afford when it comes to mortgages, refinancing, and affordability of homes you are looking at.
Home Buying Calculators:
- Mortgage calculator
- Refinance calculator
- Affordability calculator
- Amortization calculator
- Debt-to-Income calculator
VI. Apartments in Draper
Renting an apartment is almost as stressful as entering into a new relationship. You have to search for the perfect match with the right amenities, price, location, features, and above all, the other tenants and your landlord have to be on point. You’ll be living in a neighborhood within a neighborhood—a community that functions within society as a whole, and you want to be in the best position possible. Before moving to Draper you need a landlord who fits your personality type so you don’t clash over the dumbest things. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a few resources to help make the process seamless and easy.
- Rent Affordability Calculator
- List of Nice Apartment Complexes
- Documents you need ready when you are renting:
- Past 60 days of Paystubs
- Bank Statements
- Driver’s License or Passport
- Recommendations from Friends and Family
- Vehicle Registration and Proof of Insurance
- Social Security Number
- Previous Rental History
- References
- Job History
- Checkbook
- Check out brand new properties.
- Look at middle floor units.
- When you find a place you like, jump on it!
- Negotiate on a fixer-upper.
- Choose your amenities wisely.
VII. Draper Cost of Living
Find out from the locals how much groceries are, average rent/mortgages, property expenses, taxes, etc. The better idea you can get before arriving, the more prepared you can be—and also the more negotiating power you’ll have when you’re determining what to request for your salary if you are moving here for work. The cost of living index will help you understand if you can afford to live in Draper, Utah, how this city compares to other cities within Utah, and how Utah compares to others in the USA. Take the cost of living seriously and it could save you lots of money in the long run.
Currently the cost of living index for Draper is 92 which is less than the average across the United States. This means it is relatively cheaper to live in Draper than most cities across the US.
VIII. Things To Do in Draper, Utah
Let’s be honest for a second. The main thing we care about when moving to a new city or neighborhood is, ‘what is there to do in Draper?’ We care less about the crime rates than we do the food scene, fitness gyms, grocery stores, shopping malls, theatres, etc. No one wants to live in a place that has no nightlife! So what is there to do in Draper? More than you would think!
- Loveland Aquarium
- Cowabunga Bay
- Room Escape Games
- Bell Canyon Trails
- Mountain Biking at Corner Canyon
- Timpanogos Cave
- Draper Crossing Shopping Mall
- Parasailing and Paragliding
Draper Attraction Resources
IX. Draper Commuting & Public Transit
How accessible is Draper? Before settling down in any given neighborhood you need to check out how close it is to the main cities and attractions. You don’t want to have to live in Big Water, Utah which is 5 hours and 39 minutes from Salt Lake City or where there is no public transit. We’ve compiled the best commuting times, average gas prices, and available public transit surrounding Draper below.
Commuting Times can make or break an apartment or house when you are deciding on a place to live. Unless you want to be out in the open and in the countryside then I’d suggest looking up the typical travel times from Draper out to the nearest cities.
Commuting Times
- Time to Provo – 35 Minutes
- Time to Lehi – 10 Minutes
- Time to Sandy – 10 Minutes
- Time to Salt Lake City – 20 Minutes
- Time to Bountiful – 30 Minutes
- Time to Ogden – 50 Minutes
- Time to Logan – 1 Hour and 35 Minutes
- Time to St. George – 4 Hours and 10 Minutes
Travel Time from Draper to the Attractions and National Parks
- Time to Park City – 50 Minutes
- Time to St. George – 4 Hours and 10 Minutes
- Time to Bear Lake – 2 Hours and 25 Minutes
- Time to Yellowstone – 5 Hours
- Time to Zion National Park – 4 Hours and 25 Minutes
- Time to Arches National Park – 3 Hours and 25 Minutes
- Time to Canyonlands National Park – 3 Hours and 40 Minutes
- Time to Capitol Reef National Park – 3 Hours and 15 Minutes
- Time to Bryce Canyon National Park – 3 Hours and 55 Minutes
Average Gas Prices around Draper
- Average Gas Prices – $2.23 per Gallon – From 2017
For real time insights into gas prices in Draper visit GasBuddy.com!
Available Public Transit
X. Cheap Self Storage in Draper
If you are moving then you should seriously consider self storage. It could take a while to find the perfect neighborhood in a day, week, month, or year. You’ll want to arrange for a cheap self storage unit that can protect your belongings while you continue your search for home. You need something flexible, cheap, and in a convenient location—you need Neighbor Storage. Neighbor’s got you covered with their self storage platform. The prices below speak for themselves.
Average Price of Storage in Draper:
| Unit Size | Traditional Self Storage Facility Price | Neighbor’s Average Price |
| 5 x 5 | $22 | $8 |
| 5 x 10 | $29 | $25 |
| 10 x 10 | $88 | $40 |
| 10 x 15 | $59 | $43 |
| 10 x 20 | $78 | $56 |
| 10 x 20+ | $312 | $56 |
We’ve listed out all the unit sizes you could possibly imagine. You won’t need anything bigger than an 10×20 storage unit unless you are trying to store an RV, in which case you should really be looking at Neighbor’s website for a space to save you money. The traditional self storage unit prices are almost double every time for every size of storage unit available. Neighbor provides storage at affordable costs, secure locations, and has on demand units so you can get a unit anytime, every time. Find cheap Draper self storage or rent out your extra space on Neighbor.
XI. Draper Moving Guide Conclusion: Home Sweet Home?
You can literally move anywhere in the United States. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 37% of Americans have never lived outside their hometown and 57% have never lived outside their home state. Don’t fall into that statistic! Be a traveler, explorer, or nomad of the the USA suburbia! Why not try moving to Draper, Utah? If not, explore other new neighborhoods near you and only settle when you have found the city that fits your vibe.
