Living in Centerville

Centerville is one of Davis County's best-kept secrets: a town of about 16,700 people tucked between the Wasatch foothills and Farmington Bay, roughly 15 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. People usually find it by accident while they're looking at Bountiful or Farmington, and then wonder why nobody mentioned it.

It has mature trees, a historic Main Street, trails that start where the streets end, and one of the shortest commutes in the county. I've lived here for 21 years, in Rolling Hills on the east bench, and my kids went through Centerville Junior High and Viewmont High. This is the honest version of what it's like to live here.

Centerville runs seven city parks and more than 30 trails. The parks are open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Trails

Trail people move here on purpose. The Bonneville Shoreline Trail runs along the bench above town, with views across the valley to the Great Salt Lake. You can pick it up at the Freedom Hills trailhead.

The hike up Deuel Creek to its waterfall is a local favorite most people outside Davis County have never heard of. The paved Legacy Parkway Trail on the west side is the flat option for long runs and road rides.

Golf

There's no course inside city limits, but two public 18-hole courses are minutes away:

• Lakeside Golf Course (1201 N 1100 W, West Bountiful), a flat par-71 course about 2 miles from town
• Bountiful Ridge Golf Club (2430 S Bountiful Blvd, Bountiful), a city-owned course with views of the Great Salt Lake

Eaglewood in North Salt Lake and Davis Park in Fruit Heights are also close.

Open Space and Water

Centerville has no lake or reservoir of its own. Its big open space is just west: the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, an 18,000-acre bird refuge on the shore of the Great Salt Lake.

More than 200 bird species have been spotted there, with bald eagles in winter, and its dikes make for easy, flat walking and biking. The main entrance is off Glover Lane in Farmington.

Short Drives Worth Knowing

• Lagoon and Station Park in Farmington, about 5 to 10 minutes north
• Antelope Island, about 35 minutes away
• Eight major ski resorts within about 45 minutes

Most of Centerville's restaurants sit along Parrish Lane and Marketplace Drive, right off I-15.

Wendy's is on Marketplace Drive, and Arby's and Taco Bell sit on the I-15 frontage road. Five to ten minutes away, Station Park in Farmington adds dozens of sit-down restaurants, and Main Street in Bountiful has local cafes and bakeries.

Centerville has two full grocery stores in town, both on Parrish Lane:

• Dick’s Market is the hometown grocer. Dick Winegar opened the original store in Centerville in 1967, and it moved to its larger Parrish Lane location in 2012. It's known for friendly service and its bakery.
• Walmart Supercenter (221 W Parrish Ln) covers full groceries, a pharmacy and household basics, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Close by, each about 10 minutes away:

• Harmons at Station Park in Farmington
• Smith’s Marketplace stores in Kaysville and Woods Cross

The Home Depot, PetSmart and other big-box stores line Marketplace Drive.

This is Centerville's quiet advantage. The average commute here is 19.7 minutes, compared with about 23.5 for Davis County and 26.4 nationally.

The Roads

Typical Drive Times

Off-peak and approximate:

Transit

• There's no FrontRunner train station in Centerville itself. The nearest are Woods Cross and Farmington, each about a 7-minute drive.
• UTA bus Route 470 runs the Ogden–Salt Lake corridor along Main Street.
• Route 455 connects to the University of Utah and Weber State.

Centerville is in the Davis School District, where elementary runs K–6, junior high is 7–9, and high school is 10–12.

Boundaries are tight, so two houses on the same street can feed different elementary schools. Always check the specific address.

For every school, the boundaries, and what parents ask most, see my Centerville Schools guide.

Who Lives Here

• About 16,700 residents (16,884 at the 2020 Census), with a median age of about 39.5
• A median household income around $123,000, with 88% of homes owner-occupied
• A steady population rather than a boom. The city is about six square miles and mostly built out, so growth comes slowly, through the occasional new subdivision like Summerhill Lane.

Walkability

It depends on where you live. The blocks around Main Street and Parrish Lane score in the 70s on Walk Score ("very walkable"), close to City Hall, the parks, shops and restaurants. Most of the rest of the city is car-dependent, especially on the east bench.

The Annual Rhythm

The character underneath it all: Centerville is a settled family town. Neighbors know each other, kids ride bikes to the park, and the mountains are part of daily life. What it doesn't have is nightlife or a big walkable downtown. For that, Salt Lake is 15 minutes away.

How long is the commute, really?

Downtown Salt Lake is about 15 to 20 minutes off-peak, and the city's average commute is 19.7 minutes, one of the shortest in Davis County. The one thing to watch is I-15 northbound in the evening. Legacy Parkway is the local workaround.

Should I live on the bench or the flats?

The east bench means bigger lots, newer and larger homes, and views, but also steeper streets, more snow and higher prices. The flats around Main Street and the west side have older homes, mature trees, quicker freeway access, better walkability, and generally more attainable prices.

What does it cost to buy here?

In mid-2026 the median sale price in Centerville was in the low-to-mid $500,000s. Under about $450,000, you'll mostly be looking at condos, townhomes, or older homes that need work. I'll tell you honestly what your budget buys before you spend weekends touring.

Do all neighborhoods have HOAs?

No. It varies by subdivision. Townhome communities like The Hive and Country Cottages have HOAs, while single-family streets like Pitford Acres and Fox Bridge have none. I pull the current HOA documents and dues for any home before you make an offer.

Is there new construction?

Very little. Centerville is mostly built out. The main new-construction community is Summerhill Lane off North Main, with larger homes starting around $890,000. Most buyers here buy existing homes, which often means bigger lots and mature landscaping.

Does Centerville have its own high school?

No. Students attend Viewmont High in Bountiful, a 5 to 10 minute drive. Centerville does have four elementary schools and its own junior high inside the city.

What’s the weather like?

Four real seasons: warm, dry summers, colorful falls, and snowy winters. The bench gets more snow than the flats, so if you're looking up high, pay attention to the slope of the driveway.

Is it a good place to raise kids?

That's who Centerville is built for: small neighborhood elementary schools, seven city parks, trails out the back door, and a Fourth of July that families plan their summers around.