Your Honest take on SE Aurora (Denver, Elizabeth: real estate, renting, loft)

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Can anyone comment on any differences between living in SE Aurora and Centennial? I know they're basically the same in terms of housing style, location, and school district. But what differences might there be in terms of city services, rules and regulations, and taxes? Also, given that many people hear "Aurora" and think "ghetto" without even bothering to look, how much does that affect the price of a home with an Aurora address vs an identical house across the street with a Centennial address? I'm referring to the Cherry Creek School District part of Aurora.

Technically, my neighborhood (Saddle Rock Ridge) is in Aurora, but it's considered "unincorporated" and it's surrounded by the city limits of Centennial. I haven't noticed it's any cheaper because we do pay property taxes, we do get called for jury duty, we do have to register our vehicles, etc etc. The only thing I see is that we don't get snow removal service which is likely to be heinous when we really get a serious snowstorm.

As one who up until we found our house would have said that same thing about Aurora being "ghetto", I found that most who live here know there's a big difference between North, Central and South Aurora. Aurora is huge. It takes up nearly the entire east side of metro Denver, so there is bound to be good and bad parts. Reverse your thinking and ponder this. We started our house search and concentrated on Parker and Highlands Ranch. Both places are nice, but there is no real difference in homes, school districts or attitudes of the residents. What we found in Parker and HR is that our budget (NTE $275,000) would get us a fairly beat up home. Most needed something serious done or they were very small. Our home in SE Aurora is 2000 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, a walkout basement, very gently lived in, backs to open space and has good space between the homes (though the lot is not huge). I didn't find that those living in Parker or HR were willing to lower their prices because they believed their addresses justified the cost. Only those who were moving from out of state and didn't know the area would consider SE Aurora "ghetto." Those who live here and have been to the area wouldn't say that and therefore I don't believe the resale value would suffer. Plus, you aren't going to have to sell your home for a lot because you aren't going to buy it for a lot.

[MantaRay]

Actually the area within a mile or two of Southlands is on the list of my target neighborhoods for future retirement. Being within a mile or two would mean I would be able to walk or bike to most of what I need. I haven't actually visited Southlands, I'm not even sure if it was built when I visited Denver in fall 2007, but it seems from afar like one of the better shopping destinations in Denver. I'm one who has found himself looking for urban qualities in a suburban (and therefore less expensive) setting- parks, nearby pedestrian oriented retail, and walking/biking trails connecting them. You don't have to drive for every facet of your life in some suburban locales. Those suburban locales are few and far between nationwide, but in Denver metro they are more frequent, and within a mile or two of Southlands definitely qualifies. Denver is excellent in introducing walkability to the suburbs and making them sustainable. I could be wrong, but I think Denver has built more suburban town centers/power centers/outdoor lifestyle centers than any other US city.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

If you choose to live in an area that is not sustainable and where you must drive for every facet of your life, that is your own choice. (funny that no one in the exurbs every mentions the total and COMPLETE lack of water in the next 10 years for the SE and S exurbs to future suckers who might buy there).

The unfortunate reality is that people like myself who are awake and hard working must suffer the consequences of those who are not and believe that they A. have a right to own a house, B. said house obviously must have a yard and C. the government must support this illusion by providing the same level of service no matter where it is.

As someone who lives in Steve's version of hell, I will just mention to Steve (and others who are looking to live "all the way out" here), that despite Steve's belief that he sustains my lifestyle, I'll give you a quick rundown of my bills.

I live in the "soon-to-be dry" suburbs of SE Aurora (where Steve thinks will be a desert wasteland shortly). We have a company called East Cherry Creek Valley that provides our water. Every month, we are charged $25 extra for something called the North Project Fund. It costs more than what my water runs on average ($21). According to the back of the bill, the fee covers the cost of developing the Northern Project. I am assuming that since I am only one of thousands of residents who pay into this fund, the money will go to ensure that we have water for years to come. Pretty sure Steve is not paying into the fund, so I'm not sure how he concludes he is picking up my excess.

We also have a company called IREA who provides our electricity. Every month, we pay a distribution fee, an energy delivery fee, a energy purchase fee and $1 for my street light. The distribution and delivery fees make up the bulk of the bill.

As far as driving til you qualify, well, I am sure there are those who do that. I am assuming there are many more who wanted to be in our school district. If DPS provided the quality education that Cherry Creek SD does, we all could be Steve's neighbor. They don't and I am not going to put my kids in a sub-standard school to reduce my carbon footprint. There are plenty of ways to do that and to assume that everyone who lives nearby their work doesn't waste electricity or resources is ludicrous.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by MantaRay

Actually the area within a mile or two of Southlands is on the list of my target neighborhoods for future retirement. Being within a mile or two would mean I would be able to walk or bike to most of what I need. I haven't actually visited Southlands, I'm not even sure if it was built when I visited Denver in fall 2007, but it seems from afar like one of the better shopping destinations in Denver. I'm one who has found himself looking for urban qualities in a suburban (and therefore less expensive) setting- parks, nearby pedestrian oriented retail, and walking/biking trails connecting them. You don't have to drive for every facet of your life in some suburban locales. Those suburban locales are few and far between nationwide, but in Denver metro they are more frequent, and within a mile or two of Southlands definitely qualifies. Denver is excellent in introducing walkability to the suburbs and making them sustainable. I could be wrong, but I think Denver has built more suburban town centers/power centers/outdoor lifestyle centers than any other US city.

You're right. With the exception of work (my husband is out at DIA), we don't drive too far out for anything. Shopping is less than a 15 minute drive, as are eating out, seeing movies, going to the doctor, swim lessons and day-to-day activities. Denver has "centers" all over the city. I've never been to many cities in the metro area because I don't need to go. The places I shop and eat are the same everywhere. With the exception of my every-two-month haircuts, the occasional "nice" meal out, Rockies baseball games (we take RTD there anyway), the zoo and various museums, we never go near the downtown area. I'm not sure why Steve (and others) are under the impression that every occassion in the suburbs calls for a huge amount of driving. Most of the days when it's nice, we walk to the store and to the movies because we can.

[denver_hacker]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

...I have to pay my tax dollars for the stupidity of others.

To which tax dollars are you referring?

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

No one is out to get you Vega, it is just that many of us have worked our asses off to not contribute to the stupidity that is most Suburbs. I'm not telling anyone where to live but I have a hard time swallowing the fact that I have to pay my tax dollars for the stupidity of others. If you choose to live in an area that is not sustainable and where you must drive for every facet of your life, that is your own choice. (funny that no one in the exurbs every mentions the total and COMPLETE lack of water in the next 10 years for the SE and S exurbs to future suckers who might buy there).

The unfortunate reality is that people like myself who are awake and hard working must suffer the consequences of those who are not and believe that they A. have a right to own a house, B. said house obviously must have a yard and C. the government must support this illusion by providing the same level of service no matter where it is.

Drive until you qualify for the fake American dream all you want, just don't drag me into it. Convince yourself that a 45 minute drive to Denver makes you a Denver resident all you want, but don't think that people who saved and compromised will ever accept that. You live in SE Aurora? You live in Colorado, you are about as much a Denver resident as someone in Ft Collins.

I'm not sure why you are so bitter. It seems totally unreasonable to me for someone like you (who otherwise seems reasonably intelligent) to be so angry over where we chose to live. To imply that those of us living in the suburbs are only driving until we qualify is silly as most of the houses surrounding my area are well above the average of a home in Denver. The suburbs used to be a place where only the poorest lived. The "outskirts" of town were full of high crime areas while the cities were full of the rich. You can still see some of that in older cities like London and Paris. However, the suburbs here in the US sprung up for 2 reasons: Cars and to get out of the high-crime, high-density areas that defined the cities. Many cities have suffered greatly because of the expansion of suburbia but many used it as an opportunity to revitalize neighborhoods and downtowns which have then attracted people with money back. Luckily, Denver is one of those places, but their school system is still sorely lacking.

That being said, I sure hope you live right in the very center of Denver...in a historic, original building and you only have an antique bike to get you around. I assume that you only grow whatever food you eat in your container garden that you have on your miniscule patio (since you can't have a "wasteful" yard) and collect rainwater or melted snow for your bathing. Perhaps you hitch a ride to the mountains (since driving would contribute to the carbon footprint) and no doubt send all of your extra funds to poor countries to help them curb their own carbon emissions. Don't forget to only run your computer a few times a month because that is a huge energy waster as well.

The rest of us will continue to prioritize where we live by where our kids go to school and help out the environment where we can. I don't want to live in a city in a place without a yard. That's the beauty of America...for all of us who want a yard, there are others who live in places like NY City who are absolutely content living in a high rise with thousands of people literally on top of each other. I will never get the image out of my head of NY after 9-11 when the plumes of smoke were literally heading down the streets like they were trapped in a hallway. Essentially, they were. That is my definition of hell (and claustrophobia).

As for the SE Aurora resident not being a Denverite...you're correct. I live in Aurora. I only tell people I'm from Denver when I'm talking to someone from out-of-state. I think you're under the impression that all of us would live in Denver if only we had enough money and we like to pretend we live in Denver. Not sure why that's your impression, but from what I gather from most here on these threads, we are well aware of the city we chose to live in and are not under any kind of assumption that we are within the city limits.

Incidentally, Green Valley Ranch is considered Denver. That is the closest area to the airport and I would hardly consider that within whatever city limits you have in your head. If the airport is out in the middle of nowhere, GVR isn't far behind.

[nwlv]

Isn't it a known tornado magnet?

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by the3Ds

I'm not sure why you are so bitter. It seems totally unreasonable to me for someone like you (who otherwise seems reasonably intelligent) to be so angry over where we chose to live. To imply that those of us living in the suburbs are only driving until we qualify is silly as most of the houses surrounding my area are well above the average of a home in Denver. The suburbs used to be a place where only the poorest lived. The "outskirts" of town were full of high crime areas while the cities were full of the rich. You can still see some of that in older cities like London and Paris. However, the suburbs here in the US sprung up for 2 reasons: Cars and to get out of the high-crime, high-density areas that defined the cities. Many cities have suffered greatly because of the expansion of suburbia but many used it as an opportunity to revitalize neighborhoods and downtowns which have then attracted people with money back. Luckily, Denver is one of those places, but their school system is still sorely lacking.

That being said, I sure hope you live right in the very center of Denver...in a historic, original building and you only have an antique bike to get you around. I assume that you only grow whatever food you eat in your container garden that you have on your miniscule patio (since you can't have a "wasteful" yard) and collect rainwater or melted snow for your bathing. Perhaps you hitch a ride to the mountains (since driving would contribute to the carbon footprint) and no doubt send all of your extra funds to poor countries to help them curb their own carbon emissions. Don't forget to only run your computer a few times a month because that is a huge energy waster as well.

The rest of us will continue to prioritize where we live by where our kids go to school and help out the environment where we can. I don't want to live in a city in a place without a yard. That's the beauty of America...for all of us who want a yard, there are others who live in places like NY City who are absolutely content living in a high rise with thousands of people literally on top of each other. I will never get the image out of my head of NY after 9-11 when the plumes of smoke were literally heading down the streets like they were trapped in a hallway. Essentially, they were. That is my definition of hell (and claustrophobia).

As for the SE Aurora resident not being a Denverite...you're correct. I live in Aurora. I only tell people I'm from Denver when I'm talking to someone from out-of-state. I think you're under the impression that all of us would live in Denver if only we had enough money and we like to pretend we live in Denver. Not sure why that's your impression, but from what I gather from most here on these threads, we are well aware of the city we chose to live in and are not under any kind of assumption that we are within the city limits.

Incidentally, Green Valley Ranch is considered Denver. That is the closest area to the airport and I would hardly consider that within whatever city limits you have in your head. If the airport is out in the middle of nowhere, GVR isn't far behind.

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to the3Ds again."

[maciesmom]

Originally Posted by nwlv

Isn't it a known tornado magnet?

steve or SE Aurora?

[maciesmom]

shut the **** up you stupid urban sprawling dumbass. You hear me! have fun in you boring lame life-steveindenver

.

Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of the whole class.....thanks for the rep points though...