Best Neighborhoods in Salt Lake City? A Local’s Guide to the East Side

By Meghan Powers, Sold by Powers | Windermere Real Estate Utah

Last updated November 11, 2026

If you’re moving to Salt Lake City and want parks, good schools, walkable streets and a short commute to the University of Utah or downtown, the four neighborhoods to look at first are the Avenues, Federal Heights, Yalecrest and the East Bench. All four sit on the east side, close to the foothills, and each one offers a different kind of daily life.

I moved here with my own kids from the Bay Area by way of Seattle, so I know how hard it is to choose a neighborhood from a few websites and one short trip. Here is how I explain the differences to clients relocating to Salt Lake.

Quick comparison

The Avenues: character and variety close to downtown

The Avenues is one of Salt Lake’s oldest neighborhoods. Its first lots were surveyed in the 1850s on the hill just north of downtown, and it grew into a streetcar suburb around 1900. It’s easy to find your way around: the north and south streets are lettered A through U, plus Virginia Street, and the east and west streets are numbered 1st through 18th Avenues. The blocks are half the size of the city’s original grid, which is part of why it feels so walkable. You’ll find Victorians, Craftsman homes and bungalows on tree lined streets, many built between about 1880 and 1920, mixed with apartments and townhomes in the lower Avenues. It has a slightly quirky, eclectic feel that I love. It reminds me of Ravenna in Seattle.

The lower Avenues puts you close to downtown, a few local shops and restaurants, and Memory Grove and City Creek Canyon along its western edge. The upper Avenues is quieter, with bigger homes, valley views and fast access to the foothill trails. Above about 13th Avenue, the grid gives way to winding streets and newer homes. There isn’t one main street of shops to walk to, so most people drive for groceries. The Avenues Historic District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980.

Federal Heights: space and privacy next to the U

Federal Heights sits in the northeast corner of the city, just north of the University of Utah and below the Block U on the foothills. It took shape in the early 1900s, when nearby Fort Douglas was expanded and officers built homes just north of the post, according to Salt Lake City Council District 3. The homes are larger and grander, the lots are bigger, the streets are wide and the trees are mature. Almost every house is very well maintained. You’ll see colonial and Spanish style homes alongside newer builds.

If you work at the University of Utah or the hospital, you can often walk to work. The neighborhood borders the Red Butte Canyon Research Natural Area, so hiking trails are close by. The tradeoffs: student parking on some streets near campus, no shops within walking distance, and prices that run higher than most of the east side. I live here, so I’m happy to tell you what it’s really like.

Yalecrest: the most walkable east side neighborhood

Yalecrest is the neighborhood I describe as the most “neighborhoody,” and I know it firsthand: our first house in Salt Lake was in Yalecrest, and we loved living there. Kids walk and bike everywhere, neighbors know each other, and you can walk to Emigration Market, coffee, Laird Park and the shops and restaurants at 15th and 15th. Miller Bird Refuge and Nature Park is right there too.

Yalecrest, also called Harvard Yale, was built out quickly, with 22 subdivisions platted between 1910 and 1938. Most homes are Tudor and English cottage style homes and bungalows from that era, often on smaller lots. The whole neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and several smaller pockets, including Harvard Park, Princeton Park and Douglas Park, are also local historic districts, where changes to the outside of a home go through city design review. Homes here are some of the most sought after in the city, so good ones often see multiple offers.

The East Bench: more room and trail access

The East Bench is a broad term for the neighborhoods east of Yalecrest, up toward the foothills: Bonneville Hills, Indian Hills, Arcadia Heights, Oak Hills and St. Mary’s. You’ll see brick ranches, bungalows and midcentury homes, with bigger lots above Foothill Drive. St. Mary’s was built mostly in the 1960s and 1970s on the site of the former St. Mary’s of the Wasatch school, and it has a rare collection of midcentury modern homes by Utah architects, according to 15 Bytes.

This is where you get more space, quick access to trails along Wasatch Drive and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, and a short commute to the U. Red Butte Garden, Hogle Zoo and This Is The Place Heritage Park are all close by. The homes below Foothill near Foothill Village are close to shops and restaurants. Indian Hills Elementary and Beacon Heights Elementary are both rated 9 out of 10 by GreatSchools. Prices generally drop as you move south and away from Yalecrest, and rise considerably in St. Mary’s.

What about schools?

The east side neighborhoods in this guide are in the Salt Lake City School District. The high schools serving them include East High, on the east bench at 1300 East, and Highland High near Sugar House Park. Elementary schools in and around Yalecrest and the East Bench include Beacon Heights, Bonneville, Indian Hills, Uintah and Wasatch, and middle schools include Bryant, Clayton and Hillside, according to Salt Lake City Council District 6. Assigned schools follow boundaries, so check the district’s boundary map for any specific address.

Utah also has open enrollment, so your kids aren’t limited to the school you’re zoned for. If a school has space, you can apply there, even in another district, as long as you can drive. In the Salt Lake City School District, the early open enrollment window runs from November 15 through the first Friday in February, with decisions by March 31, according to the district’s open enrollment page. Skyline High School in Millcreek, in the neighboring Granite School District, is another well regarded option east side parents often ask about. Many people relocating from out of state also look at private schools, such as Rowland Hall and J.E. Cosgriff Memorial Catholic School, and I’m happy to share what I’ve learned about the options.

Commute tips most websites miss

Foothill Drive is usually very congested to and from the U at peak times, and so is 1300 South. If you’ll commute to the University of Utah or the hospital, a home north of Foothill, in Federal Heights or the Avenues, can save real time. If you’ll commute to the airport, the Avenues and Federal Heights also put you closer to I-15.

Transit is worth a look too. The TRAX Red Line runs from downtown up to the university, with stops at the stadium, Fort Douglas and University Medical Center, and the Green Line runs from downtown to the airport. If you’ll head to Park City often, the East Bench puts you closest to I-80 and Parleys Canyon.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most walkable neighborhood in Salt Lake City? Yalecrest, near 15th and 15th, is the most walkable of the four east side neighborhoods, with shops, cafes and parks within a few blocks.

Which Salt Lake neighborhood is closest to the University of Utah? Federal Heights borders the university, and many people who work at the U or the hospital walk to work.

Where can I get more space without leaving the east side? The East Bench, especially the areas above Foothill Drive, offers larger lots and quick trail access while keeping a short commute to the U.

Let’s find the right fit for you

I help people relocating to Salt Lake understand the neighborhoods before their first house hunting trip, preview homes so one visit can be enough, and catch the issues older homes tend to have. Our team, Sold by Powers, has more than 30 years of experience in Salt Lake real estate.

If you’re planning a move, I would love to send you my east side neighborhood guide and set up a quick Zoom call. Reach me at 805-689-3976 or meghanpowers@soldbypowers.com, or visit soldbypowers.com.

About the author

Meghan Powers is a real estate agent on the Sold by Powers team at Windermere Real Estate Utah. Before real estate, she earned a PhD in ocean science from UC Santa Cruz and worked as a marine scientist in California. She moved to Salt Lake with her own kids in 2017 and now helps buyers relocating from out of state find homes in the Avenues, Federal Heights, Yalecrest and the East Bench. Her teammate and aunt, Maura Powers, has more than 30 years of experience in Salt Lake real estate.