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Old 12-31-2015, 11:20 AM
 
975 posts, read 1,317,214 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Good Red Road View Post
Having grown up in MSP I can speak on this...Not a good analogy. St. Paul does in fact have it's own identity where Aurora...not so much. When you think SP you think of old classic Irish neighborhoods around Boston or Chicago. When you think Aurora, it's very different.

We moved here in 2002 and whenever we mentioned Aurora we got the wrinkled nose look from the locals. To this day I have no idea why. But in MSP... St. Paul, albeit not as hip as Minneapolis, still has respect. Big Difference.

Oh I totally agree. Aurora wants to be St. Paul but has zero identity and doesn't get any respect. It's a suburb in search of a city identity and doesn't want to admit that it's a bedroom suburb that ignores what little history it has in search of something greater- apparently a giant Gaylord hotel on the plains.

It's pretty cool watching the increased gentrification of Denver and the spill-over effect that it's had on Aurora. While Denver is getting wealthier and less diverse it's leading Aurora growing more diverse as those who are priced out of Denver mover there. It's bittersweet.
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Old 12-31-2015, 11:44 AM
 
930 posts, read 696,693 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by denverian View Post
Plus, as the OP stated, parts of Aurora (like where he lives) are quite convenient and near many things, and not that far from urban Denver. So you get the "Denver experience" at lower cost.
Yeah, exactly. When I was shopping around for homes, I told my realtor this was as far east as I wanted to go, because I still wanted to be near the urban core. I'm pretty much 20-25 minutes away from anything of importance to me in the metro area. Plus, I got a newer place with more square footage than any of the run down homes that were going for as much or more because of location.

I think the best aspect of where I'm located is all of the retail around me. I can walk to King Soopers, Lowes, Costco, Safeway, Sprouts, Kohl's, Target, Dick's, Office Depot; a number of restaurants including Chipotle, Qdoba, Noodles & Co, Jimmy John's, Menchie's, Applebees, BWWs, etc. Plus the plethora of smaller boutiques, bars, and family-owned restaurants. I consider the Gardens like the Belmar or Southglenn of Aurora essentially. I had none of these options when living in Cap Hill, closer to downtown.

It's also nice that Lowry Beer Garden and Glendale Shopping Center is a short bike/car ride away. Those giant pretzels are amazing!
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Old 12-31-2015, 11:48 AM
 
930 posts, read 696,693 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wong21fr View Post
It's pretty cool watching the increased gentrification of Denver and the spill-over effect that it's had on Aurora. While Denver is getting wealthier and less diverse it's leading Aurora growing more diverse as those who are priced out of Denver mover there. It's bittersweet.
Diversity can be a very good thing!

One thing I've noticed about Denver Metro, in general, is how vanilla much of it seems. Personally, I enjoy the areas where you can choose from a multitude of different options.
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:00 PM
 
Location: The Springs
1,778 posts, read 2,862,486 times
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I lived in Aurora from 1976-1987 in Kingsborough, off Chambers south of Mississippi. Mississippi ended a few blocks past Chambers back then. Everything east was open field.

However even back then, the preference was to live south of Colfax in Arapahoe County. Haven't been back to that area in a while, but it was starting to get sketchy when we moved.

I did enjoy my time in Aurora. The city planners designed many wide, 6 lane avenues which I assume are probably inadequate today.
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:06 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kar54 View Post
I lived in Aurora from 1976-1987 in Kingsborough, off Chambers south of Mississippi. Mississippi ended a few blocks past Chambers back then. Everything east was open field.

However even back then, the preference was to live south of Colfax in Arapahoe County. Haven't been back to that area in a while, but it was starting to get sketchy when we moved.

I did enjoy my time in Aurora. The city planners designed many wide, 6 lane avenues which I assume are probably inadequate today.
Much of Denver Metro is going through gentrification. Even areas like Five Points are going through a revival. I'm sure a lot has changed since your time here, you'd probably not recognize most of it. I know people my age who said when they were growing up here in Denver, that you'd stay away from areas like LoDo and LoHi because of crime. A lot of the older folks who've lived here for awhile still think that downtown and Cap Hill are crime ridden danger zones. So much has changed with those areas.

Maybe it's just me, coming from a more rough-and-tumble area, but I've never considered any of these areas shady. It's all relative, I suppose. Living in Denver makes me happy that I lived in a less vibrant, ritzy area. It's made living here an absolute cake-walk with regards to what I require of my living environment. You get the impression that some people here are afraid of their own shadows.
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:09 PM
 
9,868 posts, read 7,596,911 times
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Default "Something must have happened around 1988"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greentea323 View Post
We purchased all of the police reports for our unit, and for the neighboring town homes. It seems there was a lot of crime from 1995-2005. The reports started tapering off until there wasn't really anything besides domestics after 2008. We also looked at all of the property records in our community, and it seems almost every single unit foreclosed in the late 1980s. Something must have happened around 1988-1990 (though that's before I was born, so I wouldn't know) It then appears that most of the units went to the local housing authority and were used as Section 8 type rentals, rent to own homes, or HUD homes throughout the 1990s.
What happened was that Colorado's recession had hit earlier that decade. When I moved to CO I lived near Hampden and Yosemite for the first 8 or 9 months before leaving for hillier ground west of the city. Metro Denver was plastered with signs for free first month's rent, cheap rent, low house prices, HUD homes galore. Now look at it. My, times do change.

Anyway, at that time Aurora was someplace to stay away from.

BTW, I moved from MA knowing nobody in CO, had quit my job with nothing lined up in my new home state, at a depressing time of year. I brought with me enough savings to last a year without finding work, not expecting to hit those funds so deeply. But I dug my heels in and found a job before running out of money. It was still a rough time after that, yet worth persevering. The turnaround in CO's economic condition still amazes me, and that particular upswing was not fueled by an oil/gas boom. It had broader roots.
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:21 PM
 
5,110 posts, read 3,367,260 times
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Quote:
...No good news comes out of Aurora. Number 4 talks about crime, but what good news comes from Aurora? Aurora has nothing of consequence inside of its borders. There's a failing horse racetrack and nothing else. No cultural amenities, no entertainment opportunities...
The Fox Theater has some of the best live productions in the metro area.

Last edited by Gorges; 12-31-2015 at 12:38 PM..
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:22 PM
 
9,868 posts, read 7,596,911 times
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Anybody who likes authentic Asian food should go to Federal Blvd. south of Alameda (west Denver, not Aurora). It is packed with fantastic Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, and other restaurants. There is so much competition that you could go into almost any one and find good food at reasonable prices, some of it unbelievably cheap yet NOT because of crap ingredients or skimping. I grew up in the Boston area and Federal's selection has some restaurants as good as Boston's Chinatown.

I almost hate to recommend it because I remember one excellent Chinese restaurant that got so deluged by non-Asian customers after a glowing newspaper review that it started Americanizing its dishes. Ugh. Eventually that caused its demise.

BTW, there are good Mexican restaurants on Federal in that area, too.

BUT...Federal Blvd. there is also one of those places that xenophobic people think is dangerous to go. Make no mistake, there was and probably still is a lot of crime around that part of Denver. But for the most part it is fine to visit for a meal. It did not deter my husband and I from going there for frequent meals or, in my case, haircuts.

Just know that it is not some cute boutique touristy spot. It is noisy, heavily trafficked, potholey, filled with the grittiness of the city. Hallelujah.
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:23 PM
 
Location: Howard County, Maryland
16,308 posts, read 10,329,396 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Analyst View Post
It seems to be a very hoity-toity attitude from sheltered white people (I'm white).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Analyst View Post
It's good enough for me, but I'm not a snooty, sheltered white person.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Analyst View Post
In Metro Detroit, there are ethnic restaurants and shops everywhere. We embrace that culture there. Apparently it is not embraced as much here in Denver, which is still primarily a very "white" city.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Analyst View Post
A lot of the people I know here grew up in very "white" communities like Maine or Boulder or Dacono. So the concept of diversity seems foreign to them and, in some sense, like a "bad" thing (because brown people = bad, or so we're told by our media).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Analyst View Post
One thing I've noticed about Denver Metro, in general, is how vanilla much of it seems.

Why do you feel such disdain for white people and for white-dominant cities?
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:28 PM
 
Location: Howard County, Maryland
16,308 posts, read 10,329,396 times
Reputation: 35973
When I was considering a move to the Denver area, back 10 years ago or so, a friend of mine who lives in one of the closer-in northern suburbs (I forget which one) gave me one and only one piece of advice, regarding a search for housing: "Don't look in Aurora." Period. No reason given; just don't do it.

So, that's the entirety of the impression I have of Aurora.
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