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Well i moved into Edgewater back in 2000 when i was 7 and it was different back then, than it is now. I know im just a teenager but i will try my best at giving an accurate description.
when i first moved in i was very young and renting was cheap, not as cheap as now though but the area was very mixed. the schools back in the early 2000's were about half latino and half white mostly with others also but not very many. but the area wasn't seen with graffiti or painted over gang graffiti on the main drags of 26th ave or 20th ave or in throughout the allies or the neighborhood very much at all due to the fact that i dont think gang members of cliques had made it there in 2000 just yet. but as soon as i got a little older in 6th and 7th grade i had seen gang kids or members in the neighborhood or by the little run down strip mall thing on 20th ave. for such a small neighborhood the crime is generally higher than the average rate and often on par with the inner city neighborhoods in north denver such as chaffee park or sunnyside. or some of the west denver neighborhoods such as villa park, or barnum. as far as the schools go, there practically the same as north denver or west denver or southwest denver or commerce city on the northeast side. the schools currently are all roughly 80% latino or more which results in the neighborhood being over 51% latino in 2009-2010. there have also been the impact of illegal immigrants in edgewater, as well as all of denver. so the latino percentage of neighborhood counting illegal immigrants is probably roughly 60-70% latino. it really has lost its small town atmosphere except for the area around the little downtownish area of edgewater by 25th and ames down to 25th and chase. many new upper income people who have moved into the gentrified west highland, sloan lake, and berkeley neighborhoods in north denver often eat at the edgewater inn or other small businesses in this little 4 to 5 block radius which results in that small are ain the neighborhood looking generally nicer than the other parts.
it also does not help that edgewater is located just a couple blocks north of west colfax ave. many assaults, robberies, auto thefts, prostitution, etc. can be found all around the predmonitely minority areas surround west colfax. i often consider the edgewood area of northeast lakewood between 20th and colfax, and wadsworth and sheridan part of edgewater figuratively in my mind because the people of that small neighborhood attend the same schools as well. the same characteristics can be seen in both bordering neighborhoods. as far as east wheat ridge (between I-70 and 26th ave, and harlan st and sheridan) its still trying to hang on, but the same thing that happened to edgewater, edgewood, and molholm two creeks in the early 2000's is currently happening to east wheat ridge.
i'll just point out some incidents that i have seen personally around my street on 20th and lamar in the past 2-3 years. again, this isnt all that has happened in edgewater in that time but its just what i have heard of or seen myself. i try not to pay attention to crime because i am in college and its not important to me.
a man shot his wife multiple times in the back on 20th ave by the strip mall and her boyfriend in the shoulder on 20th and otis. a man stabbed a tattoo artist a couple years ago int he older tattoo parlor there. a gang kid who was 19 was stabbed multiple times in the older king soopers parking lot by a rival gang, which was never reported on the news for some reason. several gun shots in the back alley behind my house on cinco de mayo, cops never showed up. a man was shot by police on 20th and lamar for armed robbery and a shootout with the police. another man, a gang member in the neighborhood, was shot by denver and edgewater police on 17th and sheridan after pulling a robbery. a homeless person beat a crack dealer to death on 25th and harlan last january or december i believe for some unknown reason. and just last week, a man had a hostage situation between 20th and 22nd on marshall st. and a shootout with police happened briefly until he realized he was surrounded and gave up. the spokesman for edgewater police said he was from edgewater but moved to california and served time there and came back to edgewater 4 years ago and was a known gang member with prison ties in colorado and in california prisons. those are just a few events i can remember in the last 2 or 3 years in the neighborhood around my street. so im sure more has happened that ive never heard of. i dont really try to pay attention to this stuff. i just hang out with my friends and attend college. i dont focus on the gang activity. also, on the surenos and nortenos gang member profile it has edgewater listed as a place of known sureno and norteno gangs or members in the neighborhood. i can tell you from knowing jefferson high that the most common cliques i heard of in edgewater or edgewood were nortenos, GKI, WSB, and RTS, all mexican american street gangs that have psread into the area since the year 2000. so it is what it is. you can probably live anywhere and keep to your self and not get messed with. but you can definitely see when the schools get out what the demographics of the neighborhood are.
maybe it will get gentrified but i dont know. when west highland and sloan lake and berkeley became a little gentrified it pushed lower income residents into edgewater/edgewood, which resulted in how the neighborhood is now. west highland is no longer predomintely latino, but i do belive sloan lake and berkeley are but not as much as 5-10 years ago and htere still improving. however, this results in edgewater, edgewood, east wheat ridge, north and south alameda in lakewood to become the way inner city neighborhoods in denver are. the same thing has happened across denver such as north and west aurora, commerce city, sherrelwood, twin lakes, federal heights, east wheat ridge, edgewood, edgewater, molholm, east lakewood, etc.
also, if you drive down west 20th ave in a week day afternoon or late afternoon on a saturday or sunday you can see how the neighborhood is. several gangsters, or street gangs hang out all the time on this main drag through the neighborhoodand push crack or weed, etc. especially by the liquor store, tattoo parolor and bubba chinos in the run down strip mall. i am going for my tattoo at the self n flicted parlor there and have been offered crack and weed twice by norteno members hanging there.
the neighborhood has great food though. bubba chinos on 20th and lamar is great chicano food. also la cascada and sopapillas are great sit down mexican restaurants. also el manatial and mercedes in the edgewood part are good as well. great mexican food in a predomintely latino area.
so if you wanan live there then cool. you probably wont have a problem if you avoid bad people or gang kids/people.
Last edited by inskeep303; 09-27-2010 at 10:50 PM..
You will also find my extensive analysis (ahem) of the article. Do not pay too much attention to nay sayers about this area. It is great little area that will boom. As far as crime--I have never had a problem and I have lived just north for almost 25 years. It may have been a little rough, a few decades ago, but never at the point of a decaying ghetto. That is just me, a ex New Yawker--I have seen and lived in much, much worse. I have never seen any prostitutes, but I am sure that they are there, but I do not seemed to be a good enough John. Gangs--well, I am little too old for that infantile BS and so it is not part of my world. Perhaps if I was young, chased woman, used drugs, and went out at night, more often, then I would see the problem.
Livecontent
Last edited by livecontent; 09-27-2010 at 11:00 PM..
You will also find my extensive analysis (ahem) of the article. Do not pay too much attention to nay sayers about this area. It is great little area that will boom. As far as crime--I have never had a problem and I have lived just north for almost 25 years. It may have been a little rough, a few decades ago, but never at the point of a decaying ghetto. That is just me, a ex New Yawker--I have seen and lived in much, much worse. I have never seen any prostitutes, but I am sure that they are there, but I do not seemed to be a good enough John. Gangs--well, I am little too old for that infantile BS and so it is not part of my world. Perhaps if I was young, chased woman, used drugs, and went out at night, more often, then I would see the problem.
Livecontent
well i dont do drugs, chase woman (i have a girlfriend), and go out every night. And well i just disagree with people saying this area has improved in the last ten years. in the 1990's edgewater was like 80% suburban white and had almost no problems. i think it started changing in the late 90's into the early 2000's because west highland, sloan lake, berkeley, jefferson park, highland starting getting gentrified and pushed lower income residents into edgewater/edgewood, molholm, eastern wheat ridge. i'd say eastern wheat ridge is still in the middle. i dont think gangs have really hit that area the way they hit edgewater, edgewood, and molholm. if you look, edgewater is statistically no longer predominately white. its 51% Latino in 2009-2010 (mostly mexican american) and thats not counting illegal immigrants. my friends dad who works for the edgewater PD said that he estimates counting illegal immigrants, edgewater is currently roughly anywhere from 60-70% latino. also, i have seen newly redevolped houses in the neighborhood, mostly around the downtownish area by 24th and 25th avenue near ames, chase, and benton street. but most houses are small and cheap and most housing is rentals that go for anywhere between $650-$850 a month. i know edgewood isnt technically in edgewater but most people think of it as part of edgewater all together. and there are many run down appartment (possibly public housing in some) buildings in edgewood with cheap rent. i'd say that between 22nd ave and colfax ave in edgewater/edgewood is definitely more run down and more graffiti, gangs, drugs, prostitution, assault w/ deadly weapon, theft, than the part between 22nd ave and 26th ave though. the northern part of the neighborhood is more desirable and i'd say has more suburban white people but its still not predominately white counting all the residents. and most of the people you will see aoround the downtownish area are suburban white people from all over. some are from the upper scale parts of wheat ridge, some from arvada and westminster, new upper scale people who have moved into gentrified areas in north denver, upper scale parts of lakewood, etc. ihardly have met or talked to anyone near the downtownish part of edgewater that lives in edgewater or edgewood. sloan lake also attracts many outsiders or newly moved in people in gentrified north denver. i still will say that if you drive around down in edgewater/edgewood when jefferson high and all the schools let out, you see a neighborhood for a lot of its population. especially around the run down strip mall between marshall st and lamar st on 20th avenue. and i was not comparing it to new york or anything but its no longer predominatley white and is not as nice as its ever been by any means. and lets not beat around the bush. if this area in edgewater/edgewood is going to become gentrified like west highland, sloan lake, berkeley, etc in north denver, than it will bring the schools and the neighborhoods white population up again like it did in those neighborhoods. in 2000, edgewater/edgewood was 35% latino american. in 2009-2010, its 51% latino american. so the number of latinos has increased greatly and thats okay with me. and edgewater inn is not the only good restaurants in edgewater/edgewood. la cascada, bubba chinos, sopapillas, el manatial, and mercedes are all very good mexican restuarants. and if you look at the auto theft, larceny theft, and burglary rates in edgewater/edgewood, there all higher than average. the assault, sexual assault, and murder rates usually vary from year to year. so its not a run down ghetto or anything. but its becoming/already is the "hood" now, with gangs and is predominatley latino now days.
also the median household income is $38,000 and the denver average is about $50,000 and the precentage of reisdents in poverty (below $18,000) is 23.2%. so yes it may improve and become gentrified like some of the neighborhoods in north denver, but it certainly hasnt happened yet. and i love the denver post article talking about how its a good thing that birth rates are going up in the neighborhood. how is that a good thing? and the reason you see more woman having to stroll around 1, 2, 3, maybe even 4 kids is because of the higher birth rate in this area and other neighborhoods with similar demographical elements. and i also love how they only show pictures of these white families that are in edgewater, and absolutely no mexican american, or just mexican, or other latino families. it paints the picture that this is still a small town white neighborhood or something. get with the times. there wouldnt be so many business in spanish between 25th and 26th ave on sheridan if edgewater/edgewood wasnt predomintaly latino. theres a reason that the target on 20th and benton has large spanish translations in the store. and dont call me a racist or something cuz i have many mexican american friends that agree with everything im saying. so its not a terrible ghetto or anything but since the 2000 and the early 2000's its become the "hood" like many predomintely mexican american cummities in denver, similar to neighborhoods like commerce city, chaffee park, sunnyside, etc.
I have read your post, slowly and thoroughly. I do welcome your experience and observations from your associations and knowledge of the area. I will not disagree with anything you say because I do not have the same experience and knowledge of the area, which reflects your age and the view that you see from your prospective. You did provide some statistics that would support, what you are saying, that go beyond any reflections of any age and associations.
I do not get the impression in your post that you have any prejudice against Hispanics. You are just stating what you see as the truth, and what can be distilled from facts, where a large Hispanic population lives. I can see from your post that you have much experience and contact with our Hispanic citizen--that is good. I enjoy thoroughly this mixed culture and I believe to be happy in Denver; one must accept and embrace the strong Spanish influence.
I do believe that the area is much improved over the many decades that I have been going to the area. I think my longer historical view, because of my age (I am in my sixties) gives me a different and broader prospective. Not only should we talk about North Denver, as an good influence, but we should also take in account the better neighborhoods of Lakewood, west beyond Pierce. I think those areas of Lakewood have shown an improvement in quality of Life. Much has to do with the commercial improvement along Lakewood's West Colfax.
Whatever the disagreements, I did enjoy your posts. I would like to give you some suggestions, in a nice way, to better make your posts understandable and easy to read. I would suggest that you break it up more into smaller paragraphs. It does not necessarily have to be stylistically correct, but providing spacing and smaller ideas that somehow fit together, makes it easier to read on a online forum--especially for older slower people, like myself, whose mind wanders in mid-sentence.
Well thank you for not being harsh. And, well i guess we just have disagreements on certain things but i can live with that. I completely agree that west of pierce st, or west of wadsworth in northeastern/northern lakewood is really nice. Very solid middle class neighborhoods. I still think that west colfax avenue between wadsworth and sheridan in edgewood,molholm and just south of edgewater is still run down. A lot of the assults, robbery, prostitution, etc. happens along this area. west colfax west of wadsworth is okay im book. its not the greatest area but its not the hood by any means or does not have really any gangs at all and is still predomintely white.
Berkeley, west highland, sloan lake, etc. in north denver have been redevolped alot i believe. the demogrpahics of schools, the neighborhoods, and other stats show that. However, these areas being gentrified pished lower income residents/renters into adjacent areas such as lakeside/east wheat ridge, edgewater/edgewood, molholm, north alameda, south alameda, lasley, etc. it just changed these neighborhoods in the late 90's and early 00's. the renting population increased greatly and brought in the gangs, crime/gang violence, graffiti into edgewater/edgewood, molholm, etc. But thank you for posting as well and being udnerstandle with my knowledge of the neighborhoods. i just think the neighborhood of edgewater/edgewood has not looked better now days than it did during the 1980's-mid 1990's.
i also enjoy a diverse population with latino/mexican american culture which is why i will always live in either colorado, utah, arizona, nevada, new mexico, california, and maybe texas, although im not a big fan of the south. but i will always remian in the west/southwest region for my life. thats why i like living in edgewater since 2000, because of the population. its predominately latino the past 5-10 years and thats okay with me. i love the chicano food in this city as well as this neighborhood.
Hey, I was wondering if anyone could tell me how it is in 2010 currently, seeing as I've have disputes over this with people on here. I noticed that since 2000, the number of free/reduced lunch rate in the neighborhood is up from 40-45% to 80-85%. Also, I have noticed that the Latino population in 2000 was 35%, and now its over 51% in 2010.
Has the gentrifying in most North Denver neighborhoods pushed the lower income residents into the Edgewater/Edgewood area? If so, does the neighborhood have local street gangs? I noticed on the Sureno and Norteno gang profile's, it lists Edgewater as a known neighborhood with Sureno and Norteno members. But, are there any other smaller Denver local Mexican-American (Latino) street gangs?
Finally, how is the crime rate? I noticed that Edgewater is only 5,000 people, making it a small neighborhood but its's basically a Denver neighborhood. And, citydata.com shows the rate of crime as 734, 588, 480, 500, 461, 440, and 452 in the last 7 years, with the U.S.A. average being 321. These crime rates the last 7 years were all higher than the Long Beach, CA crime rates, so i aim just wondering. Does this neighborhood in Denver has a decent amount of crime for its size?
Also, there have been 7 murders in this small neighborhood and 2 murders where police gunned down a suspect in the last 8 years. 4 murders from 02-08, and 3 more since. Also, a Edgewater gang member with prison gang ties in California and Colorado was arrested for a hostage situation and shoot out with police a couple weeks ago. The Edgewater PD said he has a long criminal history and gang record. So i am just wondering what you all think. Let me know
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How is Edgewater currently in 2010?
