Before coming to Alaska, my wife and I made our home in the Denver metropolitan area. It worked for us at the time. My business required me to be near a major international airport, we were well-established in the area, and the mountains, those glorious Colorado Rockies, were just a short drive away. But in our 30 years in the area, we saw the city start to decline, a decline that was accelerating by the time we pulled the pin and moved away.
Now, it's to the point where vacationers are finding Denver to be a risky vacation destination, prompting a warning from the Rocky Mountain Voice.
The Mile High City logged 401 property crimes per 100,000 residents during peak summer travel season, putting it behind only Honolulu (442), Seattle (415) and Philadelphia (408) among 25 popular U.S. vacation cities studied. That rate is nearly three times higher than Park City, Utah, which topped the safest list at just 136 per 100,000.
Denver wasn't always like that. But then, Colorado wasn't always a Democrat-dominated state, with Denver completely in the hands of local Democrats. That's a trend we've all noticed by now, yes? The only faintest hint of a silver lining in this debacle is that the primary crimes listed aren't necessarily confrontational, like armed robbery or assault, but property crimes - not that this makes it any better.
The ranking is driven by three categories: burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft. And if you live in Denver, you already know which one is doing the heavy lifting. Car break-ins and vehicle thefts have been a persistent headache across the metro area for years, and the Vivint data suggests tourists are catching on. The analysis noted that Kansas City recorded the highest rate of motor vehicle theft among all destinations studied, but Denver’s overall property crime rate still landed it firmly in the top five.
That's not good. The only possible caveat is that Denver's relatively small population, compared to places like Los Angeles, may be skewing the numbers some. But that's thin comfort. Denver has become a place that tourists will now avoid. Tourism remains a big chunk of Colorado's economy. But who wants to spend time in a city where you are likely to have your rental car's windows broken out and your overnight bag stolen?
To be fair, the study is measuring crimes per resident, not per visitor — and Denver’s permanent population of about 715,000 is relatively small compared to the 40 million-plus travelers who pass through the metro area annually. That math can skew the numbers. But the reality on the ground is hard to argue with: Denver has a property crime problem, and it’s visible enough that a national security company ranked it among the worst in the country for tourists.
Denver is becoming Los Angeles on the Front Range, and we saw it coming a decade ago, perhaps two. This is what happens when a state and a city flip blue. This is what happens when Democrats take the reins. Look at our nation's cities, and you'll see it, time and again. But it's sad to see Denver come to this pass. We still have family in the area, although not in the city itself. We raised our family in the area, we lived there for 30 years, we have a lot of memories there, and it's saddening to see Denver's decline. But the people of Colorado and Denver have voted, and now they count the cost.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
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