Ogden, really that bad? / nice area with small homes? (house, neighborhood)

[osugirl2]

Originally Posted by JPeterson

Hey again. Ogden isn't necessarily for everyone. My kids are all under the age of 7 but the sacrifice is we don't let them play with all the neighbor kids. We set play dates with other families that we know and share the same values. Ogden is an urban setting and most folks in Utah simply don't understand or prefer the dynamics of an urban setting. We moved to Downtown from Roy because we preferred the city over suburban malaise. Just a personal preference.

The Salt Lake Tribune had this to say about Ogden recently:
Love Mayor Godfrey or hate him, he gets credit for energizing Ogden - Salt Lake Tribune

Hopefully this will give some insight into the conversation.

I think that was a very insightful article J! Thanks for posting!

[wally99]

I think it's awesome that JPeterson is out there renovating and making downtown Ogden a better place. As he pointed out, downtown Ogden might not be for everyone, but it's certainly a good option for those that like the Urban lifestyle. Though having lived in Queens, NY as a kid, I think Ogden is pretty mild and not that Urban. Maybe because I have lived in very urban areas, I find downtown Ogden to be interesting, but quiet.

However, that said, I like the East Bench of Ogden the best. It's a bit more pricey than downtown Ogden, but parts of the East Bench are still very reasonable. And you are very close to hiking trails, and not too far from some great ski resorts.

[pistolpeat187]

As a 22 year old single male from Roy, I find now to be the best time for myself to buy a home. I'd be a first time home buyer, no kids, and Ogden will save me lots of money, not to mention the $8,000 tax credit I'll receive. Plus, in efforts to move in motivated home buyers, Ogden has a program that will cover the down payment of a home between 12th and 36th street. I'm looking at a particular historical victorian house on 21st and Jefferson. I like Ogden because it's very diverse and historical! I really dig on stuff like that...all the history and old establishments and landscapes that have been in existance for many years. Sure, there's gang activity and crime and whatnot, and Ogden does have a pretty bad rep, being called 'the ghetto' and whatnot. I think that for the most part, not entirely, but mostly...the gangs fight each other. If you're not looking for trouble, the trouble will not look for you. I've been walking up and down the streets around my hopefully first home, just to get a feel and see what vibes I encounter...it's not so bad. Lots of entertainment is in walking distance! Historic bars, the new movie theatre, bowling alley, and a mess of other fun things, parks, old antique shops, free outdoor concerts, all the street festivals in the summer...People need to stop bashing on Ogden so much. Every city has it's bad...I think people in that mind set miss the good when talking about Ogden. I look forward to calling Ogden home.

[osugirl2]

Originally Posted by pistolpeat187

As a 22 year old single male from Roy, I find now to be the best time for myself to buy a home. I'd be a first time home buyer, no kids, and Ogden will save me lots of money, not to mention the $8,000 tax credit I'll receive. Plus, in efforts to move in motivated home buyers, Ogden has a program that will cover the down payment of a home between 12th and 36th street. I'm looking at a particular historical victorian house on 21st and Jefferson. I like Ogden because it's very diverse and historical! I really dig on stuff like that...all the history and old establishments and landscapes that have been in existance for many years. Sure, there's gang activity and crime and whatnot, and Ogden does have a pretty bad rep, being called 'the ghetto' and whatnot. I think that for the most part, not entirely, but mostly...the gangs fight each other. If you're not looking for trouble, the trouble will not look for you. I've been walking up and down the streets around my hopefully first home, just to get a feel and see what vibes I encounter...it's not so bad. Lots of entertainment is in walking distance! Historic bars, the new movie theatre, bowling alley, and a mess of other fun things, parks, old antique shops, free outdoor concerts, all the street festivals in the summer...People need to stop bashing on Ogden so much. Every city has it's bad...I think people in that mind set miss the good when talking about Ogden. I look forward to calling Ogden home.

Good for you! I hope you get the house! Ogden, does have issues, but relative to other parts of the country I think those problems are probably pretty mild. If we didn't have our little boy, I would totally do the downtown thing, becuase I love being close to where the entertainment is at, and being that most of my life has been spent in the country, or in a very small town, I think urban living would be a lot of fun

[MrAnderson]

Ogden can be pretty bad. Especially for its size (it's not that big - 80k people). Last time I was there somebody ripped off my friends headlight and took off with it. And that's parking downtown in a noticeable lot in the daytime for around 2 hours. The gangsta's walking around the downtown residential slums drinking 40's with a bunch of kids around them doesn't help either. There's also a lot in the news from gang-related crimes and shootings. I know most cities have their problems, but Ogden's really not that big. It just seems like everytime I'm there it's something like that. And also the downtown portion is pretty much the most ghetto area of it all, residential wise, and many homes, sometimes entire streets, have boarded up houses. The main thing I dislike is its lack of higher-end jobs though.

I suppose the eastern benches can be nicer. There's a lot of historic gems as well. 25th street is colorful and lively. The mountains are great and there's some nice trails. I don't think it would be the worst place to live if you find the right neighborhood, but at the same time I don't see why you pick it over a city like Salt Lake, or the nearby suburbs.

[pistolpeat187]

The salt lake city crime rate is actually lots worse compared to Ogden, not to mention the drastic change in home prices. Salt lake is very congested as well. I see a lot of homeless walking the streets of Ogden, as well ad people with a noticeable drug problem. Bad situations can be avoided by learning about the area and keeping your involvement with problem people non existant. Boarded up houses are a direct result of homes being abandoned, and homeless taking advantage of a roof. The mayor works exceptionally hard at getting motivated people in to make such houses liveable. More good to come in Ogden. That's for sure.

[osugirl2]

So, despite what I said earlier, looks like we're going to be pretty close to downtown Ogden afterall. We've decided to rent a condo off of Jefferson Ave. In one of the historical areas. Hope all the positive posts on this thread don't let me down.......lol It's supposed to be a nice area with lots of rennovated historical homes that surround it. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks!

[MrAnderson]

Let us know how it works out

[JPeterson]

OSUGIRL2,

Welcome to Ogden! Be sure to check out the Sonora Grill. The owner lives on the Historic Jefferson District as well. I live down the street a couple blocks on Jefferson. In fact, that house that burned down a couple weeks ago is behind my home. Anyway, check out the blog for Ogden updates:

www.OgdenInsights.Blogspot.Com (broken link)

Let me know how we can make Ogden home for you.

[pistolpeat187]

I'll be closing on my house finally next month. I found a steal on 16th and Jefferson. Way excited! I checked out family watchdog to check out all the sex offenders in the area...none on my street! Hooray! That's comforting. You know you're a homeowner when you are having second thoughts about the house warming party because you're afraid someone will party foul on your brand new carpet.