Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We're looking to move from South Davis Co; I work in downtown SLC and we're considering a move to Ogden as the home prices are much better and there are a lot of interesting homes (I'm an old house lover... looking for something interesting to restore).
I know all the scary talk about the place and haven't been up there for several years until just the other day but I've gotta say, Downtown Ogden is looking really good compared to how I remembered it. Just by driving around, it would seem Harrison Blvd is the "Maginot Line" for the neighborhood east of Downtown; East of that road the neighborhood really looks nice... very much like Sugarhouse or the Avenues.
I'd use frontrunner to commute (I can get a free pass from work) so it wouldn't be so bad on that angle either.
So the place is on the upswing by the looks of it, but would YOU do it? Our kids are aged 13-11-5. I'm hoping someone "in the know" can tell me more...
I’m totally not “in the know”, but I finally had the opportunity to visit Ogden several times this year and was pleasantly surprised, especially after reading some negative things about it on this board. The old downtown area had some neat restaurants and shops, and there's some great hiking in the local mountains and canyons. While I sometimes feel that downtown SLC is little too hip, Ogden seemed more down-to-earth and manageable, but still had plenty of resources. There seemed to be some empty storefronts downtown, but overall it seemed like things were going in a positive direction.
I hope you respect my opinion enough after all these years to listen to my advice.
Don't do it. The schools are awful. Ogden is in better shape than it was five years ago, but it still has a long ways to go. There is a fair amount of all kinds of ugly stuff going on downtown. Drug use. Alcohol use. Prostitution. You name it.
You are correct in suggesting that if you do move to Ogden that the correct thing to do is to live east of Harrison Boulevard. I'd take that a step further and suggest that if you really must live in Ogden proper that you live as close to Weber State University as you can. Of course, the homes there get expensive and I don't know what your budget is.
I've felt for a long time that Davis County is simply a better deal in terms of quality housing, quality schools, low crime rate, and increasing access to stores and businesses. I wish the population was increasing here at a slower rate, but you can't everything that you want.
BTW, I work in Ogden and am there virtually every day. I grew up in Ogden too. I think I know what I'm talking about.
I don't have family in Utah but I live in Salt Lake City but just completed a 7 month time in Ogden.
I do think Harrison Blvd is in decent shape compared to most of Ogden but I wouldn't consider Harrison Blvd part of
downtown Ogden. Harrison Blvd is a pleasant surprise compared to most of Ogden. Also, the homes along Harrison Blvd are 1/3 to 1/2 the price per square foot as what one would pay in Salt Lake City in a neighborhood that looks comparable.
The main disadvantage to even the nicer areas of Ogden is that there is a lack of retail and it is dangerous to pedestrian. Riverdale is basically the it place to go for shopping in Weber County leaving Ogden lacking on retail.
Harrison Blvd for the most part is sort of like a transitional area between the run-down core and nice neighborhoods adjacent to the mountains.
However, unless they have an event in downtown Ogden it feels like a ghost town. There are many, many vacant storefront's along Washington Blvd.
Ogden has done a somewhat good job with facades and trying to do what they can make the downtown look presentable but most of the side streets adjacent to downtown especially directly north and south look quite honestly terrible with run-down homes with trashed yards and apartment complexes that are in bad shape.
One block away from Washington is Adams Avenue which has stately old apartment complexes that are falling apart. I took many walks on Adams Av and there are a lot of sketchy people who live in the neighborhood.
Ogden is also extremely pedestrian and bike riding unfriendly unless one is solely on the river trail. Ogden basically has neglected it's infrastructure in the name of public safety. Ogden has a fairly large police force per-capita but it has yielded results as the crime rate has decreased dramatically.
I do not find Ogden to be a down to earth city at all. There are many friendly, down to earth people in Utah but I would say Ogden is by far and away the least friendly city in Utah.
In much of Ogden you have a witches brew of poverty, people who started families at way to early of an age, low wages and illicit dug and excessive alcohol use that have created a perfect storm of unfriendly people. The area also has one of the highest rates of anti-depressant use in the country. However, once one goes to east of Harrison or outside the city limits these issues largely vanish.
Overall, I can see why one would want to live east of Harrison Blvd as the views are amazing and prices are much less then Salt Lake City for a similar home. I just can't see the appeal of why anyone would want to live in central Ogden.
Last edited by midwestecon; 09-04-2013 at 10:25 PM..
I really like Ogden, especially for someone looking to restore a historic home. That said, I prefer to visit instead of live there and I think it could be a mixed bag for someone with children, as markg mentioned.
I have to ask, though, Chango: If you want to restore an old home, why not downtown Salt Lake City? You imply that price is a concern, but there are many interesting old homes in need of some attention that are extremely affordable---at least in certain areas of the city. You won't be in the east central neighborhoods, or the Aves or Yalecrest, but you can get pretty close if you're willing to tackle a renovation.
You have 3 kids, so I'll guess you want at least 4 bedrooms and 2 baths (as you probably know, the old houses are most challenging when it comes to additional bathrooms). Last month there was an 1898 four-square a block-ish south of Liberty Park with 4 beds and 2 baths for $225k asking price---and it didn't need much work. I live in the Central City Historic District in an 1895 Victorian with 4 beds and 2 baths. When I bought the house (on a short sale), it was a duplex and a total disaster, but I only paid ~$150k. Five+ years later and ~$20k in renovations to go back to single family (plus a ton of work myself) and I love it. Renovations (and old homes) are not for everyone, but if you're willing to do the work and not have it "perfect" immediately it can be a great option.
I really like Ogden, especially for someone looking to restore a historic home. That said, I prefer to visit instead of live there and I think it could be a mixed bag for someone with children, as markg mentioned.
I have to ask, though, Chango: If you want to restore an old home, why not downtown Salt Lake City? You imply that price is a concern, but there are many interesting old homes in need of some attention that are extremely affordable---at least in certain areas of the city. You won't be in the east central neighborhoods, or the Aves or Yalecrest, but you can get pretty close if you're willing to tackle a renovation.
You have 3 kids, so I'll guess you want at least 4 bedrooms and 2 baths (as you probably know, the old houses are most challenging when it comes to additional bathrooms). Last month there was an 1898 four-square a block-ish south of Liberty Park with 4 beds and 2 baths for $225k asking price---and it didn't need much work. I live in the Central City Historic District in an 1895 Victorian with 4 beds and 2 baths. When I bought the house (on a short sale), it was a duplex and a total disaster, but I only paid ~$150k. Five+ years later and ~$20k in renovations to go back to single family (plus a ton of work myself) and I love it. Renovations (and old homes) are not for everyone, but if you're willing to do the work and not have it "perfect" immediately it can be a great option.
I currently live in a restored historic house in South Davis county so if I was smart I'd just stay where I am.
Our house is beautiful but small (a teens era bungalow... and yes, we live with 1 bathroom!) and we've put a huge amount of work into it but I've always had a fantasy in my head of restoring a real, honest to god huge Victorian mansion. My wife just wants more room.
I work in downtown SLC so it would make more sense to live here but honestly, the prices of the historic areas in SLC that I'd like to live in (The Avenues, Harvard/Yale Marmalade or Sugarhouse) are just too high. Besides, lets be honest... SLC has far worse crime and drug problems than Ogden.
Anyway, I am interested in Ogden because it is full of really beautiful architecture and prices are much cheaper; I could actually afford a 4-5K sq foot Victorian up there, and if the area actually gentrified like the above mentioned areas of SLC, it would be a great investment. There's a BIG question mark on whether the "if" will actually happen over the next decade or 2 though...
I hope you respect my opinion enough after all these years to listen to my advice.
Don't do it. The schools are awful. Ogden is in better shape than it was five years ago, but it still has a long ways to go. There is a fair amount of all kinds of ugly stuff going on downtown. Drug use. Alcohol use. Prostitution. You name it.
You are correct in suggesting that if you do move to Ogden that the correct thing to do is to live east of Harrison Boulevard. I'd take that a step further and suggest that if you really must live in Ogden proper that you live as close to Weber State University as you can. Of course, the homes there get expensive and I don't know what your budget is.
I've felt for a long time that Davis County is simply a better deal in terms of quality housing, quality schools, low crime rate, and increasing access to stores and businesses. I wish the population was increasing here at a slower rate, but you can't everything that you want.
BTW, I work in Ogden and am there virtually every day. I grew up in Ogden too. I think I know what I'm talking about.
I do appreciate the advice and am thinking long and hard before making a decision. Ogden is far from our only option.
I'm planning on retiring next year, and, in the past, when I got on Trulia.com and looked at the prices in Salt Lake City I quickly ended the search, way too expensive for my retirement budget and the price I'd fetch for my paid-for house in Las Vegas, also a factor.
In June, I spent 3 days up in Ogden, rather than SLC, and loved it. And, when I curiously got on Trulia.com last night, lo and behold, the prices in Ogden are certainly much lower than SLC, lots of older homes in the $40's, $50's, $60,s, which would fit into my budget. I also tried Provo, but that's as expensive as SLC, no way!
I looked at the comparative climate stats for SLC and Ogden, and I'm wondering if Wikipedia is all that trustworthy for information, as from what I found out, Ogden only gets about 23 inches of snow a year, compared to SLC at 55-60 inches. What a surprise! Ogden being so close to SLC, why the big difference? And does the inversion, which is discussed, also effect Ogden in the same way as SLC?
Up further north in Logan, I see the snow level is only 16 inches a year. But those stats come from Wikipedia and I don't know if they're all that trustworthy. Are they?
I was all set to head for Tucson to retire, but their prices have raced ahead of the prices I'd get for my property here in Las Vegas, so I'm now looking at alternatives. I can deal with some snow, and have dealt with many cold winters here in Las Vegas, but if there's going to be too much cloud cover, then I may re-consider. So the big question remains: do those cloudy inversion periods effect Ogden equally as it does SLC?
Snowfall in Logan is significantly wore then in SLC. Don't know where those numbers came from. They are also much colder up there (altitude matters). I don't think those under 100K houses are going to be in safe areas. Post some addresses (from realtor.com) and people can tell you.
On Trulia.com, with any house you're looking at, you can click Amenities, Walkability score, what restaurants/grocery stores are in that neighborhood, along with Crime. I clicked Crime for those homes in the older area of Ogden, and much of the area comes up bright green. Red being dangerous. Again, you don't know what's trustworthy info today!!!
Also, according to Wiki, the altitude is lower in Ogden than SLC, but higher in Logan. Yet, when I drove from Ogden to SLC, it appeared like it was a downhill drive.
Time to do even more research!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
