Setting and City Form
The city’s official elevation is posted as 5,471 feet, while its terrain varies from Sand Creek in the northwest to higher ground along the southern border in Douglas County.
Aurora is part of the Denver–Aurora–Centennial Metropolitan Statistical Area, the Denver–Aurora–Greeley Combined Statistical Area, and the Front Range Urban Corridor. It is largely suburban in character, with hundreds of subdivisions and a modest number of multi-story buildings.
From Fletcher to Aurora
Before European settlement, the land that became Aurora was territory of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Ute, and Sioux tribes. The city began in 1890 as the town of Fletcher, named for Denver businessman Donald Fletcher, who and his partners laid out four square miles east of Denver.
After financial struggles tied to the Silver Crash of 1893 and a large water debt, voters renamed Fletcher as Aurora in 1907. The Aurora post office opened in 1908, and the town was reincorporated as a city in 1928 after its population passed 2,000.
Military and Medical Presence
Aurora has had a military presence since the early 20th century. Fitzsimons Army Hospital opened in 1918, Lowry Air Force Base opened in 1938 along the Aurora-Denver border, and Buckley Field was built in 1942. Buckley Space Force Base is home to the Buckley Garrison and the 140th Wing Colorado Air National Guard and is Aurora’s largest employer.
The former Fitzsimons site is now part of the Anschutz Medical Campus and the Fitzsimons Life Science District. The campus includes the University of Colorado Hospital, which moved to Aurora from Denver, and the Children’s Hospital.
Parks, Open Space, and Historic Places
The city manages more than 100 parks, more than 6,000 acres of open space and natural areas, and six municipal golf courses. Star K Ranch includes the Morrison Nature Center and access to the Sand Creek Greenway Trail, while Jewell Wetland has trails, boardwalk and deck access, and a butterfly garden.
DeLaney Farm includes open space, trails connecting to the High Line Canal, an organic garden, and two structures on the National Register of Historic Places. Aurora also manages historic sites and landmarks including the Gully Homestead, Centennial House, DeLaney Round Barn, Lowry Building 800, and Stanley Marketplace at the former Stanley Aviation site.
Culture, Shopping, and Access
The Aurora Fox Theatre & Arts Center is a historic performing arts facility in the Aurora Cultural Arts District along East Colfax Avenue. The Aurora History Museum features a permanent exhibit on local history and changing exhibit galleries, and the Colorado Freedom Memorial is also in the city.
Aurora is served by I-70, I-225, and the E-470 beltway. Light rail service reaches the city through the H Line and R Line, with connections that include Peoria Station and access to the A Line between Downtown Denver and Denver Airport.