Greta Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Could you tell me how safe the downtown area is? I'm asking because the Denver campus of the The University of Colorado and Metropolitan State University are both downtown, near the Pepsi Center. If you had a sweet, inexperienced teenage daughter, would you consider sending her to school there (to live on campus)? We don't live in the state, so she'd be on her own. She has lived her whole live in a suburban type neighborhood of a smaller city, so urban living in a new larger city would definitely be a change. She would enjoy that part of it. But Mom and Dad's primary concern is, how safe would she be there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 My sister works in downtown Denver, she feels safe, but she is also there mostly during the day. There was recently (in the last several weeks) a standoff where many of the downtown buildings were under a lock down. It sounded like it was a domestic violence situation though not a random person. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Well, it is a city, so there is crime. But I do feel it is better than many cities. The Downtown area, especially around the Pepsi Center/Coors Field are very well lit and well policed. Basic safety measures and following campus security recommendations would be recommended, but I really wouldn't have more concerns about crime than I would on a big university campus. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 This is good to know. Thank you both! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 We used to live near downtown and I'd walk there every day/evening for work. It definitely was NOT safe then, but that was more than 20 years ago. I've heard it's much improved since then (no doubt, it was really bad); can you take a trip beforehand if you are concerned? I agree with a pp; street smarts are important anywhere you go to school, no matter what size city it's in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RioSamba Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 My sister works in downtown Denver, she feels safe, but she is also there mostly during the day. There was recently (in the last several weeks) a standoff where many of the downtown buildings were under a lock down. It sounded like it was a domestic violence situation though not a random person.That happened over the summer. It was an abusive soon to be ex husband who went to murder the wife who was leaving him. I feel safe in downtown Denver during the daytime, and safe in a group and at special events in the evening. I wouldn't want to walk around later at night, but I wouldn't want to do that in any big city. Here is a page from the Denver Police. The map will allow you to look at crime by neighborhood, and to filter out petty crimes. https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/police-department/crime-information/crime-statistics-maps.html 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 I agree w/RioSamba. Daytime is fine. Night, don't go alone, stay in a group, be smart. Day or night, practice basic urban safety (walk with purpose, stay aware of who is around you at all times, etc.). I took my dd15 to an annual math contest at Metro State last year - it is totally fine during the day. I'd probably avoid hanging around in the area of certain bars very late, say, after midnight, but DH and I have been out and about in the area of the Pepsi Center many, many, many times in the evening, and to me it doesn't appear any worse than any other urban area. I wouldn't go hanging out way up by Cold Crush (bar in the news recently for violence issues) but that's neighborhood-by-neighborhood awareness. I haven't looked at RioSamba's link but I suspect that would be a good start. In any case, you should visit before you decide. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Visiting is a great suggestion, and we would probably do that again before making a decision. We have visited the area before, for museums and shopping. We certainly didn't feel unsafe, but we're kind of boring people, so we just went back to our hotel room after dinner, and weren't out late at night! :lol: But during the times that we were out and about, it felt safer to me than the city where we currently live (which is saying basically nothing, because the crime here is very bad - that's why we want her to go to college in a safer place!). Thanks for the crime map, that's a great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 I agree w/RioSamba. Daytime is fine. Night, don't go alone, stay in a group, be smart. Day or night, practice basic urban safety (walk with purpose, stay aware of who is around you at all times, etc.). I took my dd15 to an annual math contest at Metro State last year - it is totally fine during the day. I'd probably avoid hanging around in the area of certain bars very late, say, after midnight, but DH and I have been out and about in the area of the Pepsi Center many, many, many times in the evening, and to me it doesn't appear any worse than any other urban area. I wouldn't go hanging out way up by Cold Crush (bar in the news recently for violence issues) but that's neighborhood-by-neighborhood awareness. I haven't looked at RioSamba's link but I suspect that would be a good start. In any case, you should visit before you decide. Thank you, this is very helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Visiting is a great suggestion, and we would probably do that again before making a decision. We have visited the area before, for museums and shopping. We certainly didn't feel unsafe, but we're kind of boring people, so we just went back to our hotel room after dinner, and weren't out late at night! :lol: But during the times that we were out and about, it felt safer to me than the city where we currently live (which is saying basically nothing, because the crime here is very bad - that's why we want her to go to college in a safer place!). Thanks for the crime map, that's a great idea! When you visit make sure to talk to someone on campus about what they have available to help keep students safe. The school where I went had special emergency phones and ROTC students that would escort you across campus after dark. I'm sure most campuses have safety measures in place it's just a matter of knowing what they are. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 I'm familiar with the campus. I attended the University of Colorado at Denver, taught at Metro, and was a college admin at CCDenver. All at the same time. I have the newspaper story to prove it. Denver has really upscaled since my time, but even back in the day, I felt as safe as one could in a city. I spent a lot of time on the campus (really????) and it was always busy; there were people around. They were just starting the campus housing program, so I am not familiar with that. Downtown Denver is hopping now with a lot of cultural, sports, and entertainment facilities in that part of town. It's not isolated, and people aren't going to go to baseball games, amusement parks or the theater in an area where they feel creeped out. If you go for a visit, you have to go visit the Wazee Supper Club. Best pizza I ever had. Maybe it still is. :0) This part of Denver is a pretty big success story for urban renewal. It is the part of town where when I was a kid, one simply did not go there. Skid Row. Now it is full of condos I can't afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 (edited) I'm familiar with the campus. I attended the University of Colorado at Denver, taught at Metro, and was a college admin at CCDenver. All at the same time. I have the newspaper story to prove it. Wow! You were one busy lady! Denver has really upscaled since my time, but even back in the day, I felt as safe as one could in a city. I spent a lot of time on the campus (really????) and it was always busy; there were people around. They were just starting the campus housing program, so I am not familiar with that. Downtown Denver is hopping now with a lot of cultural, sports, and entertainment facilities in that part of town. It's not isolated, and people aren't going to go to baseball games, amusement parks or the theater in an area where they feel creeped out. If you go for a visit, you have to go visit the Wazee Supper Club. Best pizza I ever had. Maybe it still is. :0) This part of Denver is a pretty big success story for urban renewal. It is the part of town where when I was a kid, one simply did not go there. Skid Row. Now it is full of condos I can't afford. This is great to know. Thank you, Patty Joanna! It sounds really nice. Edited because the quoting got all messed up, but I can't seem to fix it. Edited November 2, 2016 by Greta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 TBH, Denver really scared my husband and I this summer. We were there in August. We live near Charlotte, NC which isn't quite as big as Denver but we are used to a downtown area. But we were floored by the amount of homeless people. There were people passed out in the middle of sidewalks. People approached us. We stayed in a very nice hotel right in downtown. We asked one of the hotel staff about it and she said that in the past three years the situation in that area had changed dramatically. My husband travels all over the world for his job. He stays in major cities all over the world regularly and Denver didn't feel safe to him. In my opinion I would make sure you you all visit the area before you send your daughter there. Please do some research about the situation in that area and how it apparently has changed so much recently. I'm sorry to be such a downer but I would want to know if I was in your shoes. HTH. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 TBH, Denver really scared my husband and I this summer. We were there in August. We live near Charlotte, NC which isn't quite as big as Denver but we are used to a downtown area. But we were floored by the amount of homeless people. There were people passed out in the middle of sidewalks. People approached us. We stayed in a very nice hotel right in downtown. We asked one of the hotel staff about it and she said that in the past three years the situation in that area had changed dramatically. My husband travels all over the world for his job. He stays in major cities all over the world regularly and Denver didn't feel safe to him. In my opinion I would make sure you you all visit the area before you send your daughter there. Please do some research about the situation in that area and how it apparently has changed so much recently. I'm sorry to be such a downer but I would want to know if I was in your shoes. HTH. No need to apologize, I want to know these things! Thank you for sharing your experience. Something has been going on just the last few years where we live as well (Albuquerque). It's always been bad here, but the number of people we see begging on street corners has dramatically increased, and while crime in the rest of the country has been dropping, here it has been increasing (and it was very high to begin with!). I'm not sure why the dynamic here is different than the rest of the country, but I wonder if Denver is having some of the same issues we are. Maybe we need to get dd out of this region of the country entirely! :confused1: I'll keep looking into it, and we would certainly visit before sending her there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 As long as you trust her to use caution I would be okay with it. Is she the cautious type? Do you think she will actually not walk outside alone at night? Is she social enough to always invite a friend for a late-night library or junk food run? Will she go to parties with friends so they will watch each other's backs and drinks, or is she the sort to go off alone? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Regarding the homeless, this summer Denver (for reasons known only to the Devil and developers) walled off a city block by the 2 big shelters, displacing most of the chronically homeless that the shelters serve. So they, as they lost their perch and community, headed all over the city. Also, the homeless population in Colorado grows in the summer and contracts with winter. Again, Denver (though slightly a hick sort of place) is an actual city with urban issues. But I don't see it as dangerous or any worse than other downtown areas of comparable size urban centers. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 (edited) Here is a recent news article about the homeless situation: http://www.denverpost.com/2016/10/26/homeless-camp-comes-back-denver-sweep/ I haven't spent a lot of time in the city lately, but the homeless situation doesn't seem any worse than when I lived in Chicago or San Francisco, FWIW. Seems typical for an urban setting. What does this school offer that's of particular interest? Just curious. Edited November 2, 2016 by wapiti 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 To be fair, I should add that the Denver area has grown a *ton* in the last 2-4 years. A ton. More traffic, more people in general, higher rents, etc. It may just be a bit more urban than it was 10-20 yrs ago. Seriously, I don't even live in the city, and my morning and afternoon commutes to my kids' schools get a minute or two longer each year. Then there's the construction, though I don't know about construction downtown. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Thanks for the further replies! I'm definitely not writing it off, just proceeding with caution. :001_smile: Because my dd has grown up in an unsafe city with two paranoid and protective parents :lol: she is incredibly cautious! So I trust her to be careful and sensible. That half of the equation is good. What does this school offer that's of particular interest? Just curious. I'm looking at schools that offer the WUE tuition discount. UC-Boulder is, unfortunately, not on that list, but UC-Denver and Metropolitan State are. Daughter prefers the west coast, so this may all be for naught. I'd prefer that she go to Colorado, because it's closer to where we are now, and we have hopes of moving there after my husband retires. But Mom's wishful thinking is probably not going to be the deciding factor! :D 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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