Denver metro area travel advice (Aurora: house, to live, cars)

[history nerd]

I personally wouldn't be so worried about car theft as to avoid staying in Denver, that seems excessive. Boulder or somewhere in the NW burbs makes sense in terms of proximity to the park. I doubt you or your car would be any safer.

[interloper1138]

Originally Posted by vunderbar

Actually, they are constantly. Check out the stats, do a little reading instead of repeating anecdotal evidence.

Reading like this?

Or this?

Or this?

Or this?

Or how about this?

I did mention that statistically the OP should have no problems. But if the city has to come up with multiple plans to specifically address car thefts, that's not exactly a sign that things are hunky dory in the Mile High City.

Originally Posted by history nerd

I personally wouldn't be so worried about car theft as to avoid staying in Denver, that seems excessive. Boulder or somewhere in the NW burbs makes sense in terms of proximity to the park. I doubt you or your car would be any safer.

I also agree with this. My own concerns have never stopped me from visiting friends or running errands or staying overnight for shows in Denver. But for some to suggest that the problem is overblown is a bit delusional. Is it a war zone? Of course not. But vehicle-related crime is getting worse.

[vunderbar]

Here are a few significant factoids, some from the very sources you cited:

* Car thefts and breakins at DIA are down more than 70% (Denverite 1/18/24)

* Motor vehicle theft in Denver dropped 19% in 2023 compared to 2022, the third-largest decrease among 38 major cities analyzed. Statewide, auto theft dropped even further, by 21% (source: Axios 1/25/24

* Denver has significantly fewer murders than other cities your source

*violence is rising in Denver as fast as any big city in the country. your source

Denver is a city. Like every other city.

I have lived in central Denver -- walking distance to downtown -- for over 30 years. I have NEVER had a car broken into. Or stolen. And I park on the street, as I have mentioned earlier. I walk to restaurants, at night. There are parts of the city that wouldn't be advised, but I do it regularly in and around downtown, uptown, Cherry Creek, Capitol Hill.

There are posh, highly desirable historic neighborhoods very close to downtown with multi million dollar homes NOT in "gated communities" and where people regularly take leisurely walks down stunning parkways. Evenings as well. That is MY reality in the part of Denver you seem so frightened of.

[interloper1138]

Originally Posted by vunderbar

Here are a few significant factoids, some from the very sources you cited:

* Car thefts and breakins at DIA are down more than 70% (Denverite 1/18/24)

* Motor vehicle theft in Denver dropped 19% in 2023 compared to 2022, the third-largest decrease among 38 major cities analyzed. Statewide, auto theft dropped even further, by 21% (source: Axios 1/25/24

* Denver has significantly fewer murders than other cities your source

*violence is rising in Denver as fast as any big city in the country. your source

Denver is a city. Like every other city.

I have lived in central Denver -- walking distance to downtown -- for over 30 years. I have NEVER had a car broken into. Or stolen. And I park on the street, as I have mentioned earlier. I walk to restaurants, at night. There are parts of the city that wouldn't be advised, but I do it regularly in and around downtown, uptown, Cherry Creek, Capitol Hill.

There are posh, highly desirable historic neighborhoods very close to downtown with multi million dollar homes NOT in "gated communities" and where people regularly take leisurely walks down stunning parkways. Evenings as well. That is MY reality in the part of Denver you seem so frightened of.

You're really projecting a lot onto my statements, but at least we're having a real discussion now. The fact that you seem to think that I am a wealthy suburbanite because of my opinion is telling. I am not afraid of Denver or anywhere else in the metro area. Never once have been. But to pretend like crime there isn't worse than it was 10 years ago when I first moved to CO is disingenuous at best. Does that make Denver a bad or dangerous place to live or visit? Certainly not. There's a reason it's such a hot real estate market. People want to be there. I never made any statements saying it was worse than other major cities in the US.

And yes, I'm very aware that crime is going up across most of the country as of the past 5 years, not just in cities either. I live in Alamosa which has experienced rising property and violent crime in that same time period, as well. I've never felt unsafe here, either. But would I caution people about leaving their car on the south side of my town for extended amounts of time? You bet.

And I admit I could have been a little less bombastic in my original statement. But when I factor in news reports from the past few years combined with stories from my coworker, healthcare providers I have worked with, and my friends who have lived in central Denver and have since left for other areas, I have to acknowledge that some aspects of Denver life seem to be trending downwards. Maybe that doesn't match your experience, though, and that's valid, too. It's a big place. YMMV.

[Mike from back east]

News reports, of themselves, go heavy on the sensational aspects of life. Here in the Phoenix area my wife and I refer to the 10PM TV news as the 'crime report' as that's the lead topic. Shooting here, shooting there, fatal car wreck, update on prior shooting stories, always the grimmest news to lead with. I'd not let TV news' emphasis on bad stuff flavor my outlook. Crime happens everywhere. It's a shame but that's the world we're in, and it's worldwide.

[interloper1138]

For what it's worth, the majority of the news about Colorado I read is from the Colorado Sun. That's about as objective as local news in CO gets. A relevant article.

[Mike from back east]

I think our local news is just a typical case of "if it bleeds, it leads" like that old popular song by Don Henley called Dirty Laundry

We got the bubble-headed bleached-blonde, comes on at five
She can tell you 'bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye
It's interesting when people die
Give us dirty laundry

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by interloper1138

For what it's worth, the majority of the news about Colorado I read is from the Colorado Sun. That's about as objective as local news in CO gets. A relevant article.

The Sun is decent. That article is from January of last year. That bill was signed into law in June of last year. The new law makes all vehicle thefts a felony. The old law was dumb because the severity of the crime was based on the value of the car. Cheap car - misdemeanor with a PR bond, and the perp would be back on the street within hours.

The new law is probably a significant reason why the rate of stolen cars has declined dramatically.

[Willy702]

We can argue about crime and car theft all we want but that should not have been the point here. When someone comes here and says they want to spend a month, shouldn't we welcome that? And if their concern is about something that thankfully has a super low chance of happening over such a short time, why are we saying something to the effect of yeah its going to happen to you when it almost certainly will not? That's the problem with being in this tiring cycle of political scoring and government grading all the freaking time.

We all have lives to live and we do it with usually very little impact from crime. We take precautions and the OP and anyone else visiting should do the same but we shouldn't really change our lives to avoid the invisible bogeyman.

[gray-beard]

https://communitycrimemap.com/map

Check out the area you will be in