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Old 08-09-2013, 01:14 PM
 
Location: Berkeley Neighborhood, Denver, CO USA
17,680 posts, read 29,620,546 times
Reputation: 33232

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https://www.auroragov.org/CityHall/Maps/
has many detailed PDF maps for Aurora
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Old 08-12-2013, 04:04 AM
 
Location: Arvada, CO
13,824 posts, read 29,817,265 times
Reputation: 14418
Aurora is a big suburban city.

It is more interesting as you go north and west, less interesting as you go south and east.

I have lived in Aurora Hills, and at Parker/Quincy. Both were fine, nothing to be terrified of in either location.

I know the city quite well, and would likely be fine even living in the "scary" areas. In fact, we've cruised some of them in our many housing searches. Some homes near Del Mar Park in North Aurora look straight out of 90210.

Sure, there are plenty of neighborhoods in Aurora that are rough around the edges (bars on windows, chain link fences/etc), but many blocks, even in the "bad" areas, are perfectly fine overall.

The good thing about Aurora, is that 80% of it is un-yuppified/un-snobbified, and that is why much of it is in my target territory.

You couldn't pay me to live in SE Aurora, however. I'd go crazy.
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Old 10-08-2013, 11:20 AM
 
2 posts, read 2,753 times
Reputation: 11
Default Living in Aurora

I have lived in Aurora since 1977. My father was a retiree from the old Fitzsimons Army Medical Center and my parents have owned their home in Hoffman Heights, roughly 6th Avenue & Potomac Street since 1979. I went to school at South Middle and Aurora Central. To say this neighborhood has remained the same since then would be a lie, it has definitely changed, more in the area of cultural demographics, lot more Latino and Hispanics. Most of the neighborhoods around the old Fitzsimons and Lowry were traditional military personnel and military retirees. Since those bases closed, no more active duty personnel living in these areas, but there are still quite a few retirees in these areas. A lot of posters on here have stated that north of Mississippi and especially around the Colfax Corridor are "bad." I tend to disagree, at least in this neighborhood. I still visit my parents frequently in Hoffman Heights, as I help them around the house a lot. I, nor my parents, have never in the past 30 years or so had any issue, criminal or otherwise there. All the neighbors have been the same and we all still stand out in our yards and talk to one another. One thing I have noticed in the past few years, the City of Aurora has become increasingly aggressive in their Code Enforcement of property violations. This is due to the growth of the Medical Complex, Anshutz, VA, Children's Hospitals and this area has become a soon to be place to live for the medical community. The face of the neighborhoods around the new and growing Medical Complex is changing again to meet the needs of the worker's, students and other related personnel. In closing, I find the Hoffman Heights neighborhood a little dated, but still has that old neighborhood charm.
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Old 10-08-2013, 05:24 PM
 
Location: Denver, CO
1,627 posts, read 4,205,747 times
Reputation: 1783
Aurora, for the most part, isn't that bad as far as "scary" goes. There's just parts that are...dull...or unkept...or kind of hopeless ;-)

I know Aurora wants to see itself as a city comparable to Denver, but it's just another western American suburb and it isn't doing much to change that. It's not about density, or central business districts, necessarily...but it just seems like Aurora has no vision...no plan...no idea what it REALLY wants to be. Maybe most Aurorans are happy with what they have.

I think having something a little more localized...some proper main streets instead of the typical suburbasprawl shopping center...would go some way. Maybe some ACTUAL sense of community. Sure...some people may find it in their neighborhoods, but with very little to distinguish what they have from the next "neighborhood" over.

There's nothing really "wrong" with Aurora, in my opinion...I just don't think there's anything particularly "right" with it.

But then, you know what they say about opinions
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Old 10-09-2013, 02:26 PM
 
Location: Colorado
4,005 posts, read 2,679,717 times
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Aurora, being the third-largest city in Colorado, is going to have it's good parts and not-so-good parts.

Something I've noticed is that everybody's definition of 'not-so-good' seems subjective. There seem to be people that are convinced my area of Aurora is 'in the hood' (I live just a smidge north of Mississippi Ave, between 225 and Havana), which gives me a giggle, since my area is so solidly middle-class it's not even funny. (My area also falls into the Cherry Creek School District, something I wish I could get into the Aurora Public School District's head).

I would agree that Aurora does seem to lack a 'distinct identity', especially in terms of a 'downtown' or 'business' district. Though with all the medical centers being built up around here up and down the 225 corridor (plus the Light Rail going up that way), I wonder if that will bring about a change to that.
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Old 10-09-2013, 09:14 PM
 
Location: Denver,CO (originally Boston MA)
31 posts, read 64,110 times
Reputation: 73
Quote:
Originally Posted by cookiepuss View Post
Underwhelmed is a good thing. Every time I hear about bad sections in Aurora I figure to leave that area out on my list of places to live. I'm curious as to how bad it really is. My main concern would be about the good parts being too close to the bad to feel safe and secure. I'll make at least a couple of trips throughout that area to see what it's all about. As I said some of the apartments and homes look really nice in the photos.
PHILADELPHIA - YouTube
Check out this video if you want to see the nice city I just moved away from. It also has some bad areas.
I'm from the northeast as well. You're not going to see a "ghetto" similar to the ones in Philly anywhere in the Denver area. As others have said, Northern Aurora / Colfax is probably the most sketchiest parts of town.

Some areas remind me a little of ghetto northeast, but they're few and far between.

What I notice in Aurora (mainly from the mall on north) is the rapper-type cars with the huge wheels blasting hip-hop music. I like to call it a "mini" Compton (or Compton "wannabe")

That in itself is less dangerous than it is just plain obnoxious.

Far Southern Aurora is just plain safe suburban America where you can't tell the difference if you're actually in Aurora or neighboring Centennial or Parker.
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Old 10-09-2013, 09:28 PM
 
Location: Corona the I.E.
10,137 posts, read 17,415,364 times
Reputation: 9138
Having known several that lived in North Aurora I would pass. South of 225 around Parker road is very nice looks like Parker and Highlands Ranch yet it's Aurora.

It seems like Aurora inc. everything else Denver and surrounding areas didn't.

The reason Colfax leaves a bad taste in my mouth is twice I drove by city hall their were gang bangers jwalking on Colfax, I know no big deal I am no prude haven't worked with GM's, but the cops just sat there and did nothing.One car honked at one guy that looked Crip affiliated, all blue, and he just flipped them off and challenged one guy to a fight, cops did squat.

As you drive on Colfax between downtown and the new devlp. you see cheesy, Hispanic rest./bars.

To be fair that area would be working class at best.

This was recent about 2 years ago.
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