Moving to Ogden-same old thread (Roy, North Ogden: apartment complexes, crime, houses)

[librarian23]

Hello,

My husband and I are moving to Ogden in a few months and we just looked at houses there. We like old houses and found something that is great for two people. However, my soon-to-be co-workers have been trying to warn me off of the area, saying that there are drive by shootings and and that it is really dangerous. The house is near Monroe Park. If anyone lives around that area, please let me know how it is working out for you. Thanks!

[DelaneyRudd]

Drive-bys, no. It's not the best area though, relative to the Wasatch front as a whole. Property crime is more of a worry.

[librarian23]

That's exactly what the statistics show but I wanted to get some neighborhood perspectives to be sure. I will keep that in mind about the property crime. Thank you!

[markg91359]

I was born and raised in Ogden and moved to Davis County when I was about twenty. I personally wouldn't live in the inner city area that you are describing (Monroe Park), but that's just me. Ogden is a sometimes "distressing" mix of old and new. The downtown mall is a bright spot. There are some new restaurants, movie theaters, the Ogden Children's Museum, and a Gold's Gymn. You'll also find the Dinosaur Park up near the mouth of Ogden Canyon. There are many hiking trails in and around the city. For those who like watersports, there is a kayak park just west of the 24th Street Viaduct. There are also blocks and blocks of old and often dilapidated housing in the inner city area. Sadly, one can also find apartment complexes inhabited by people with drug problems and other issues. Ogden has its share of homeless people as well. If you want to live in inner city Ogden, there are really several issues that you have to carefully evaluate.

First, while the price for the home may be a good price (better be, in that part of town) when it comes time to sell and move again, the price you will get for the home will not be good either. In fact, you may have trouble selling since the home is in this part of town. I'm saying that a home in inner city Ogden is not, IMO, a good financial investment.

Second, it doesn't sound like you have children. If you are planning on raising a family, I strongly recommend against inner city Ogden. The public schools here are not good. Although, to be fair to many good teachers and employees in the Ogden City School District, most of this has to do with the fact that a huge percentage of the kids speak English as a second language, come from single parent households, and have low family incomes. Even if you don't have children, good schools (or their absence) strongly affect property values.

Third, crime is a concern. There are gangs in Ogden just like there are in many places. Inner city Ogden sees homicides, drug-related crime, burglaries, and prostitution. I don't think living there places you in any great danger. However, if you are the sort that likes to go for a walk early in the morning or in the evening, the safety issue needs to be considered.

Fourth, you won't be located near any supermarkets or major businesses. There is a new Walmart on about 20th and Wall Avenue, but that is way west of where you are thinking of moving. Retail stores have pretty much totally abandoned the area between 36th Street (south) and 12th Street (north).

I personally think you and your spouse would be better served by moving to a suburb of Ogden like South Ogden, North Ogden, Riverdale, Roy, Harrisville, Pleasant View, or Plain City. Houses in these areas are newer and hold their resale value better than houses in the downtown do. Additionally, if I did decide despite all this that I wanted to move to Ogden proper, I wouldn't live in the area that you describe. I'd get a home up near Weber State University in the east bench of the city.

It sounds like you are getting a lot of good advice from people who have your best interests at heart. If I were you, I'd heed that advice.

[lizeman]

Originally Posted by librarian23

Hello,

My husband and I are moving to Ogden in a few months and we just looked at houses there. We like old houses and found something that is great for two people. However, my soon-to-be co-workers have been trying to warn me off of the area, saying that there are drive by shootings and and that it is really dangerous. The house is near Monroe Park. If anyone lives around that area, please let me know how it is working out for you. Thanks!

Hi,

I would definitely stay away from the Monroe park area,as it is very depressed and unsightly. There are some nicer areas that are nearby that would be a better investment for you. I have a 4 bedroom home in South Ogden that is really nice. I would stick to shopping for a home in South Ogden.

[Calibelle]

You may find this older thread here from city data to be a help:
//www.city-data.com/forum/salt-...rea-small.html

This person had similar questions that you do, and they were answered very well.

Good luck.

[TCAS007]

I would go for the North, East part of Ogden or any towns around. It's not like they shoot all the time in Ogden but most parts have 90% of hispanics or gang problems. Not too fun.

North Ogden is not as fine as everyone claims though and has it's share of criminals. Think about the Millerbergs...

For the newbies: North Ogden is a different city than Ogden and not the north part of Ogden.