What part of town does the Northfield Shopping Center pull from? (Denver: high crime, neighborhood)

[steveindenver]

There have been a few crimes there recently...I believe a drive-by shooting and a carjacking.

Those did not happen in Northfield; one happened at the intersection of MLK and Central Park Blvd, the other in the parking lot of the Walmart in Quebec Square.

the teenagers from Montbello (which is literally just down the street) hang out there all day during the weekends and the evenings.

I thinky you might have the two confused. The Aurora mall is the one that has always had an issue with idle teens. I've never noticed it nor heard that mentioned about Northfield.

It's a fine place to do your shopping but I wouldn't buy a house there thinking that it somehow means you're in a nice area or it will add value.

Stapleton is one of the very few areas that has increased in value over the past two years. I *would* buy there if I looked at the history of the area (and liked that type of home, living etc). Think of it as the inverse of GVR in virtually every way.

-Steve (who is almost choosing to ignore the racial overtones associated with your post and black teenagers ... as if all black folks are out to rob whitey).

[XAFLOC]

Originally Posted by the3Ds

There have been a few crimes there recently...I believe a drive-by shooting and a carjacking. While that can happen anywhere, it's just another testament to the surrounding area.

If you watched the news the same day that the Central Park Blvd carjacking happened, you would have also noticed a carjacking in Littleton and an armed robbery in Highlands Ranch. So yes, you are correct. It CAN happen anywhere.

Also, I've never noticed a "cat pee" odor at the Aurora mall. I would describe the smell as more a mixture of Cinnabon and Chik-Fillet. Mmmm, now I'm getting hungry.

[MT13]

As I just mentioned in another post, I am still waiting to witness and experience all this crime that is supposedly happening in Green Valley Ranch. I have been waiting a few years now. I have not witnessed any thugs or loitering teenagers at Northfield Stapleton. As for the Aurora Mall smelling, I have no idea what that is supposed to mean, some people "think" just because they "might" have it a little better than others they have to degrade where others live just because it's not 100% perfect. I am not going to mention all the other violent crime that has been going on in downtown Denver lately.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by MT13

As I just mentioned in another post, I am still waiting to witness and experience all this crime that is supposedly happening in Green Valley Ranch. I have been waiting a few years now. I have not witnessed any thugs or loitering teenagers at Northfield Stapleton. As for the Aurora Mall smelling, I have no idea what that is supposed to mean, some people "think" just because they "might" have it a little better than others they have to degrade where others live just because it's not 100% perfect. I am not going to mention all the other violent crime that has been going on in downtown Denver lately.

I have posted numerous times about my experience in GVR. We lived in the "nice" area of GVR, on 53rd Ave, literally across the street from the golf course. Our next door neighbor was arrested, taken out in handcuffs and his house boarded up the first month we lived there. He was a meth dealer. Last time we drove through there, the plywood was still on the windows. The neighbor two houses down from us left his house for an hour (he works from home) during the day and when he returned, his sliding glass door was smashed in and his house was burglarized. Can that happen anwhere? Sure, but please stop pretending that GVR is a safe area that just has an undeserved bad reputation. I also have seen numerous fights at the large playground area near the community center and the graffiti is absolutely everywhere on the playground equipment (until the HOA comes out, cleans it off (which I've also seen on numerous occassions)) and then they get a fresh slate from which to begin their writing.

I stand by my statement about the Aurora Mall. I have been there numerous times (I had my baby at UCH and often went to the mall after my doctor appointments) and it has a weird smell (the likes of which I can only relate to my experience with the cat pee smell at my great aunt's house). It has nothing to do with my feeling superior to others. I suppose it's easy to just lump anyone who may disagree with you as some sort of snotty racist.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

-Steve (who is almost choosing to ignore the racial overtones associated with your post and black teenagers ... as if all black folks are out to rob whitey).

Ah yes, the old "you are a racist" line. Perhaps you'd like to come over for one of our monthly dinners and meet my best friends who live down the street from us and are African American. They are usually joined by my daughter's best friends' family who are Moroccan. Where in my post did it say the kids hanging out at the Stapleton mall were black? That is just silly and frankly, insulting.

As I said previously, I usually shopped at the mall during "off hours" but went there often enough for dinner or a evening movie. Coming out of the theater, there were plenty of kids (white, black, hispanic and asian) who were hanging out in the center area (near the train stop). Often enough, we would see them as they were beginning to provoke each other and had to cover my 6-year old's ears as they were hurling curse words and insults at each other. Most often, we would dive into the Borders until they were done. This happened more than a few times and therefore we made every effort to go there for lunch on a weekday. Again, teenagers hanging out at a mall is nothing new. Teenagers fighting at a mall is nothing new either, but I said it before and I'll say it again, the Stapleton mall is down the street from an area of Denver that has a reputation that is deserved (Montbello). Teenagers being who they are will hang out at a mall and since it's the closest one to them, they go there. Did I feel like I was in danger every time I went there? Of course not. But it's time for those who have visited a few times to take a seat behind those of us who went there nearly every week. It's not somewhere I would feel comfortable living near and it's not somewhere I would just drop my kids off and pick them up a few hours later if they were teenagers.

By the way, I'm not confusing the Stapleton and Aurora Malls. They are completely different in every way. The obvious is that the Aurora mall is indoors while Stapleton is outdoors. Not really easy to overlook or confuse. I know of what I speak...plus the fire pits in Stapleton would likely be frowned upon inside the Aurora Mall.

[HighlandsGal]

When I lived off 20th St and I-25 I went to Northfield Stapleton all the time. I still often go to the SuperTarget there, and I live near 70 and 25 now. We've also eaten or had drinks at Bar Louie and I can't remember the name right now but the Asian fusion place. Oh yeah. Ling and Louie's. I haven't been at many of the other shops (besides Old Navy) but that is mainly because I don't really "do" malls anyway.

[the3Ds]

I just found something I think is interesting. I am sure there are still naysayers, but here it is: Crime Statistics for Stapleton, Denver, CO - REALTOR.com

The specific neighborhood of "Stapleton" is color-coded light blue which equals "low crime." The entire surrounding area is colored orange (above average), peach (high) and red (highest). I suppose you could live somewhere in the light blue neighborhood and try to never leave your "bubble", but I would assume you've got to go out and shop, get gas, send your kids to school and maybe even ride your bike.

When you look at "violent crime", Stapleton is listed as 2nd highest with a score of 159. By contrast, Montbello comes in 3rd with 147 and Denver has 126. When you look at "property crime", Stapleton is 2nd with 204. Montbello is 1st with 204 and Denver is 170. "Overall Crime" puts Stapleton in 2nd place with 211, Montbello in 1st with 215 and Denver with 171. Not exactly a list I would be proud to have a house in.

The Stapleton Mall is smack dab in the middle of the orange (above average) crime area and literally across the street from the streets and neighborhoods shaded red.

But yes, it must just be me and my racist friends who post these statements.

You can spin those statistics to suit your needs but as someone who read these posts constantly before looking for a house, it seems unfair to paint a rosy picture of an area which clearly has proof that things are not as nice as you would like them to seem. There are people who genuinely need help finding a house and the Denver area has a lot of space from which to choose. The house we bought is placed happily in an area shaded light blue, surrounded by miles and miles of "low crime" shaded areas. It didn't cost any more than a house in Stapleton and isn't any further away from where we work. It's just in a different direction.

By the way, we are in the Southlands Mall area, zip code 80015/80016. My daughter's school proudly boasts that it's demographics match the US demographics, so you can stop with the posts about being a "whitey", rich area. I like that her best friend is Moroccan and our best friends who live two doors down are African American. I don't want my daughter to only be exposed to white people. I have found that it's the expectations of those in your neighborhood that make it a nice place to live, rather than the color of our skin.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by HighlandsGal

When I lived off 20th St and I-25 I went to Northfield Stapleton all the time. I still often go to the SuperTarget there, and I live near 70 and 25 now. We've also eaten or had drinks at Bar Louie and I can't remember the name right now but the Asian fusion place. Oh yeah. Ling and Louie's. I haven't been at many of the other shops (besides Old Navy) but that is mainly because I don't really "do" malls anyway.

I love Ling and Louie's! I like La Sandia too...though it's not really Mexican Food...what they do have is excellent. For some reason, the SuperTarget seems to always have a great selection. We often go out of our way to shop there and headed there right after Christmas to scoop up all the discounted Christmas decorations since they really hadn't been picked over. Not sure if they just don't have the foot traffic or if the store buyer really has her/his act together. Either way, it's a great SuperTarget. I also love that they have a Sephora inside JCPenneys.

[Scott5280]

I decided to stop into Northfield on my way back from taking someone to DIA; I have been hearing all the hype about this place for quite some time so I thought I would check it out..All that can be said is that I have already seen this project before within the dozens of bland mixed used developments dotting LA's suburban outskirts..Actually I am generally more impressed with the West Coast ones..better stores, restaurants and palm trees...

[steveindenver]

You can spin those statistics to suit your needs but as someone who read these posts constantly before looking for a house, it seems unfair to paint a rosy picture of an area which clearly has proof that things are not as nice as you would like them to seem.

Your crime "stats" take into account the Denver Jail which sits at Havana and Smith.

Ah yes, the old "you are a racist" line. Perhaps you'd like to come over for one of our monthly dinners and meet my best friends who live down the street from us and are African American. They are usually joined by my daughter's best friends' family who are Moroccan. Where in my post did it say the kids hanging out at the Stapleton mall were black? That is just silly and frankly, insulting.

You didn't, you insinuated. You also I suspect got the malls confused but then ....

It didn't cost any more than a house in Stapleton and isn't any further away from where we work. It's just in a different direction.

I would hope it cost considerably less. Stapleton charges a premium for a reason, they are in a better location and have not suffered the property depreciations (at least yet) in areas like the one you likely moved into, well outside of Denver proper.