In 2009, AARP Magazine named the North Logan area one of the Top 10 Best Places to Live the Simple Life. That same year, Fortune Small Business named it the fourteenth best small metro for small business start-ups. In 2011, Money Magazine named North Logan one of the Best Places to Live in the United States. Are you beginning to sense a trend here? No? Here it is, simply put: people are moving to North Logan because it's an amazing place to live.
North Logan is located just south of the Idaho border. This roughly seven-square-mile parcel of earth is home to just over 8,200 residents, according to the last census count. Bordered on the west by the Wellsville Mountain Range and on the east by the Mount Naomi Wilderness area, you would be hard-pressed to find rental housing in North Logan that doesn't have stunning views and easy access to nature. Minutes from Utah State University (go Aggies!) residents enjoy a fine balance between wide open spaces and room to roam, and big-city draws that only a college town can offer.
Moving to North Logan
When hunting for a house, town home, condo, duplex, or apartment to call your own in North Logan, expect to jump through the same hoops you'd jump through when leasing anywhere else. Be prepared to pay first month's rent, a security deposit and a pet deposit (if you've got one). You may need to provide references, a credit history, an employment history and perhaps a clean criminal background check.
You'll be ahead of the game if you keep a few things in mind. First, it is cold in North Logan during the winter. In fact, North Logan has earned the nickname "Icebox, Utah," because the mercury often dips south of what residents of other towns in the state contend with. You can house, apartment or condo hunt in the dead of winter. Just make sure you're prepared. If, say, you are relocating from the South (where locals freak when there is even a suggestion that flurries may be a possibility), you'll want to invest in some winter gear before heading out.
While North Logan doesn't shut down when it snows (unlike those sissy Southern locales), much of it does shut down on Sunday. Locals value this day of rest and make full use of it attending church, studying, sleeping in, skiing, hiking -- whatever. One thing most folks are not doing, though, is showing apartments or rental homes to prospective tenants.
Last but not least, Utah State University is minutes away in Logan proper, remember, North Logan essentially is a suburb of Logan. Living a stone's throw from a university offers many huge advantages. It also means you'll experience higher-than-average competition for landing a rental. However, the presence of students is the reason why many of those rentals exist in the first place. So the university-town pros and cons for house hunters essentially cancel out. So, essentially, never mind. Just keep it in mind. Oh and one final P.S. -- North Logan's rentals are extremely reasonably priced. You can score an amazing place for surprisingly little per month.
North Logan Neighborhoods
Whatever style of housing you're looking for, you'll find it in North Logan. From six-bedroom luxury home rentals to economical all bills paid apartments, North Logan's got options galore. For apartment rentals, your best bet is to look in and around USU where you will find a large array of choices. Before you turn up your nose thinking, "I'm not a student and I don't want a 1 bedroom apartment," just relax. Near USU and, frankly, throughout much of North Logan, you'll find complexes that offer a studio apartment for rent right next to a two or three bedroom apartment for rent.
Many of the homes for rent are nestled into convenient, well-manicured neighborhoods. Here are a few examples of good options to check out if you're looking for a house.
Foothills: This subdivision is conveniently located near city center (and its shops, restaurants, and businesses) and hiking trails. When you live here, you're in close proximity to Green Canyon.
Towne Center Villas: This neighborhood is a community of attached (low-maintenance) homes. Like a city within itself, there's a pool, party room and easy access to all that North Logan has to offer. Possibly a great find for local bingo spots and pick-up bridge games!
Canyon Gates: This neighborhood of predominantly detached single-family homes is located on North Logan's east foothills, adjacent to Cache National Forest and Green Canyon. It's just five minutes from Main Street and five minutes (in another direction) from USU.
Living in North Logan
A true sportsman's paradise, North Logan is home to Logan Canyon, Green Canyon and the skiing and snowboarding of Beaver Mountain.
North Logan also is a community-oriented city where small-town traditions meet urban conveniences. You'll find fast-food joints, and you'll also find gems like Kneaders Bakery & Caf̩ and Black Pearl Chinese. You'll find a Walmart and you'll find independents like Blush Fashion and Labelle boutiques.
One example of the traditions that await you in North Logan is the annual Pumpkin Walk, which has been held every October since 1982. October is a pleasant time in North Logan (before Old Man Winter freezes everything.) Locals turn out in force to enjoy good, clean Halloween fun whilst carving pumpkins (and other vegetables) into whatever their minds can conjure up. Celery Santa Claus anyone? Artichoke Garfield? Anyway, a good time is always had by all during Pumpkin Walk, and people come from all over the Cache Valley to participate.
Another fun event that isn't a tradition quite yet, but that has all the earmarks of one in the making is the Cache Valley Storytelling Festival. June 2014 marks the inaugural event, which was launched to honor the 80th anniversary of the founding of Cache Valley, Utah. Living in North Logan is good living. Congratulations on your impeccable taste in homesteads!
