I'm retiring to the Buckley area this Saturday and was stationed there for 7 years of my career, much of which I lived both on- and off-base. I completely agree with what most folks have said already; South of Southlands is like a whole different world. A lot of folks also live out east on the plains or up north; basically you have to go ~30 minutes from base to get out of the higher crime areas.

We've got a house in Parker and I absolutely love it down there. Much lower crime, great views of the mountains, and right next to e-470 (toll road, goes right by the base). It's about 30 minutes to base without the tolls, maybe 20 minutes with tolls. After 7 years in Aurora, my wife and I both agreed we didn't want to be within at least 20 minutes of Buckley ever again.