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It wants to be the St. Paul to Denver's Minneapolis and have a real identity with places that are popular and where people say, "I want to check out Aurora". It wants to be a city and not just some suburb of Denver.
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.
We live pretty close to you, on the other side of i225 near Abilene and Florida.
I've lived in different parts of Aurora and in nearby SE Denver (think Hampden & Yosemite) a few different times growing up due to divorced parents who made frequent moves. I think the worst thing that has happened to me or anyone I personally know is getting the rear license plate stolen off a car in the middle of the night.
When we told our families and friends we were moving here again, they all had negative reactions. One of the funnier ones was from my Grandma (who raised me for 6 years as a child) and said in a very snooty tone, "If you live in Aurora I will not come visit." And, "I didn't help you so that you could end up living in Aurora." My father, who is by no means successful and is only able to keep his home near Belmar because his rent hasn't been raised in 8 years stated, "Oooohhh, well that sucks," when we told him we bought a town home here. My in-laws (who are afraid of Black people, and have avoided their 1 Black neighbor for 15 years) live in Highlands Ranch and just kept asking about the crime and if we were sure we wanted to do it. When we go to lunch anywhere here, they get wide eyes and try to make nice comments about diversity.
In 2009 I dated a guy from Seattle, who lived near Parker & Havana, in what I thought was a nice looking neighborhood. When it was time for me to leave he said that he'd walk me out to my car. I was like, "Oh no, that's okay, it seems like a nice neighborhood." He said, "Yeah, but it's still Aurora." He had been here like, a year maybe.
Anyways, the perception isn't good. 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. In the police report from 2000-2005 there were several shots fired, assault, and larceny reports.
I will say that there has been some things here that have made me uneasy. I listen to the police scanner sometimes on Friday and Saturday night though, and most of the crime is near Colfax or West of i225 and North of Mississippi. That's not to say that it doesn't happen in other parts though, because it does.
The schools are also lowly rated which may be why some further look down on the area. I've met more homeschooling families here than anywhere else.
All that being said, there were places my parents chose to live here in Denver or the DMA in the 1990s, that were much worse than Aurora is today. Even SW Denver up until I graduated HS in 2009 was worse. After my experiences in those areas, it's almost laughable that people could still think that anywhere but North Aurora is actually the, "ghetto," but they do. Usually they are people who are sheltered or who don't ever go outside of their comfort zone.
On a good note, our favorite Pho restaurant is here! Pho 888 on 6th and Chambers is the BEST! We love it! We've tried Pho all over the DMA and this is our favorite by far. When we didn't live in Aurora, the only reason we visited was for this Pho. Everyone should try it!
Another positive is that there are a few nice parks and community events.
We've also had a really good experience with the various children's lessons offered by the recreation center. I was pleasantly surprised.
Ramen Katsu is right down the street from me. I'm going to check out some of these other places, especially the breweries.
They're also a good filipino restaurant on Chambers and Iliff called Sunburst Grill. Enjoy! Take it from a guy that scoots around town, it's a really awesome place. Today I had Iraqi food from my barber, it was delicious. Your vibe will be the deciding factor. I have lived in East Oakland, and this place is nothing like a real ghetto. Also lived in ABQ too. Loved it lots of people complained about the crime rate. Live life not live fear. Life is what you make it, if you can socialize things always work out. Everywhere that I have lived I always get free stuff.
I lived in Aurora for fifteen years, near Mississippi and Peoria, and had very few problems over the years. There's quite a bit I miss about that neighborhood (I moved a little over a month ago). But I'm still a close enough drive to get to things there that I really liked without it being a hassle, if I want them. But the move was a trade off--on one hand, I'm in an area with more open space, and more quiet than where I was. On the other hand, the old place was very convenient to walking, my new place not so much. But all things in life are a trade off (and I suspect in a few short years, where I am now may end up built up, so I figure enjoy the openness and quiet while I have them.) I definitely needed a bigger place with my sister living with me now, and we're now both closer to our jobs, which was a huge bonus. (OK, and I hated the HOA I was under with a red-hot passion.) But I still cried like anything when I left the house that had been my home for fifteen years. I miss the cashiers at my grocery stores--after fifteen years, you're very much part of the 'fabric' of a neighborhood. It was time to move on, but I still twinge every so often.
The funny thing is, a lot of people referred to my area as 'ghetto'. It's about as middle class as you could get. Though it did seem in my last year of living there, the panhandling was getting more and more aggressive (which I'd posted about). Granted, when Buckingham Square Mall was still standing, I didn't bother going to that area (nothing there to go *to*, really), but the Gardens are nice, and I liked them.
I'm always amazed that people want to tar the whole of Aurora as 'bad'--it's a large city, and like any city with that large a population, it's going to have it's good areas and its bad areas.
I decided to take a deeper look into the issues surrounding Aurora. Here is what I came up with.
1. Take a look at a map of Aurora. There are three distinct cities:
-- Old Aurora/North Aurora is the pre-mall city. It was centered along Colfax, and is contained inside of I-225 and north of 6th Ave or so. It is dominated by pre-war and post-war housing surrounding the old Lowry AFB and Fitzsimmons Hospital. The streets are arranged in a grid for walkability and it was a streetcar suburb much like Englewood was. This area became the minority dominated part of Aurora as the Black population moved east.
-- "Saudi" Aurora (as it was called because people considered it to be in BFE)follows a swath from the old Lowry AFB to Buckley AFB. This area was built up between 1960 and about 1990. Development crept eastward from Lowry as evidenced by the opening of new high schools: Hinkley (1960s), Gateway (1970s), and Rangeview (1980s). The city also spread south as white flight started from Denver. Aurora spread into the Cherry Creek school district and Overland and Smoky Hill High Schools were both opened in the 1970s. This area has experienced a demographic shift as more minorities have moved into the area since the 1990s.
-- Southeast Aurora is the extreme southeast. It is connected by a single flagpole annexation and it is the epitome of planned master communities, newer homes and sprawl.
2. Aurora's demographics have changed dramatically. It is a white majority city, but not by much. Diversity is not a major asset in most people's minds despite what they might say. Most people want ethnic places where they can shop and eat, but don't want ethnic neighbors living next door.
3. The areas nearest to Denver are very much like the inner ring suburbs that are just now starting to gentrify, but between the 1960s and 2000, these were some of the rougher parts of the city.
5. 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, no good fairs or festivals, just nothing. Why would I want to go to Aurora? Nothing draws me there. If I don't want to visit Aurora, why would I want to live there? Maybe the Gaylord Rockies Resort will help, but who knows? Its proximity to DIA might just make people think it's part of Denver.
That is all for now, but if I think of more I will post.
If I don't want to visit Aurora, why would I want to live there?
The main reason to live in Aurora is that housing is WAY more affordable than most of the Denver metro area. You get more bang for your buck at any price point. Other than that, I agree with your post.
Another thing to add, most of Aurora, not counting the newer neighborhoods built since the mid 1990's in the far southeast part of the city (Saddle Rock, Tallyns Reach, Southshore, Blackstone are gorgeous) and a few older gems here and there in more west/ central parts of the city (such as Meadow Hills, Dam East, Dam West, a few others) is physically ugly. Especially in the older neighborhoods with no HOAs, it's full of ugly tri-level homes, unkempt neighborhoods with trailers, old boats, RVs in people's yards, ugly strip malls, ugly landscaping, ugly street lamps, ugly decaying wood fences, ashtray style curbs and street medians. And the people who live in those ugly neighborhoods like it that way. I realize a lot of people think that all suburban development is ugly, an elitist view that I do not share, however, I think even compared to most suburbs Aurora is definitely kind of an eyesore.
The main reason to live in Aurora is that housing is WAY more affordable than most of the Denver metro area. You get more bang for your buck at any price point. Other than that, I agree with your post.
I will add, Aurora does have some pretty good ethnic places to eat such as Korean BBQ, plenty of Chinese restaurants, Japanese restaurants and sushi bars and more affordable housing. I could see more southeast Asian and pacific eateries opening in the future.
I decided to take a deeper look into the issues surrounding Aurora. Here is what I came up with.
1. Take a look at a map of Aurora. There are three distinct cities:
-- Old Aurora/North Aurora is the pre-mall city. It was centered along Colfax, and is contained inside of I-225 and north of 6th Ave or so. It is dominated by pre-war and post-war housing surrounding the old Lowry AFB and Fitzsimmons Hospital. The streets are arranged in a grid for walkability and it was a streetcar suburb much like Englewood was. This area became the minority dominated part of Aurora as the Black population moved east.
-- "Saudi" Aurora (as it was called because people considered it to be in BFE)follows a swath from the old Lowry AFB to Buckley AFB. This area was built up between 1960 and about 1990. Development crept eastward from Lowry as evidenced by the opening of new high schools: Hinkley (1960s), Gateway (1970s), and Rangeview (1980s). The city also spread south as white flight started from Denver. Aurora spread into the Cherry Creek school district and Overland and Smoky Hill High Schools were both opened in the 1970s. This area has experienced a demographic shift as more minorities have moved into the area since the 1990s.
-- Southeast Aurora is the extreme southeast. It is connected by a single flagpole annexation and it is the epitome of planned master communities, newer homes and sprawl.
2. Aurora's demographics have changed dramatically. It is a white majority city, but not by much. Diversity is not a major asset in most people's minds despite what they might say. Most people want ethnic places where they can shop and eat, but don't want ethnic neighbors living next door.
3. The areas nearest to Denver are very much like the inner ring suburbs that are just now starting to gentrify, but between the 1960s and 2000, these were some of the rougher parts of the city.
5. 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, no good fairs or festivals, just nothing. Why would I want to go to Aurora? Nothing draws me there. If I don't want to visit Aurora, why would I want to live there? Maybe the Gaylord Rockies Resort will help, but who knows? Its proximity to DIA might just make people think it's part of Denver.
That is all for now, but if I think of more I will post.
Great post, wish I could rep you again.
With regards to the bolded, I think that's what is vastly different from where I come from in Metro Detroit to Denver Metro.
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. As a white American-born, I grew up mostly on Arabic food and attending Arab parties, because my best friend was Iraqi/Palestinian. To me, that was an amazing, unique experience.
Aurora very much looks like many of the communities I grew up in and visited in Metro Detroit. Therefore, it has more of a home-like appeal to me. 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). I just love the fact that I can find all the retail I need and enjoy all the different varieties of ethnic foods within a 2-mile radius. That really wasn't available to me the closer I lived to the downtown core.
Not to say that I don't find appeal in all the other little cookie-cutter predominantly white upper class areas; they're very nice areas. But Aurora does something else for me; it keeps me grounded and close to my roots so that I don't lose sight of what I came from, which was a lower middle class white family from a rust belt city. In essence, the blue-collar vibe of Aurora keeps the drive, motivation, ambition alive.
The main reason to live in Aurora is that housing is WAY more affordable than most of the Denver metro area. You get more bang for your buck at any price point. Other than that, I agree with your 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.
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