Aurora, Colorado

Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. The city is the third most populous city in the state of Colorado and the 59th most populous city in the United States. The city had an estimated population of 325,078 in the 2010 Census. Denver and Aurora are the principal cities of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2007 had an estimated population of 2,464,866. (22nd most populous MSA) However, Denver and Aurora combined make up less than half of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield Metropolitan Statistical Area's population and Aurora has approximately half the population of Denver. The estimated population of the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area was 2,998,878 in 2007(15th most populous CSA).

History
It originated in the 1880s, as the town Fletcher, taking its name from Denver businessman Donald Fletcher who saw it as a real estate opportunity. He and his partners staked out four square miles east of Denver, but the town - and Colorado - struggled mightily after the Silver Crash of 1893. At that point Fletcher skipped town, leaving the community with a huge water debt. Inhabitants decided to rename their township Aurora in 1907, and it slowly began to grow in Denver’s shadow becoming the fastest growing city in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Although Aurora has long been considered by many only as one of Denver's larger suburbs, its growing population in recent decades (now over half the size of the City of Denver) has led to efforts for co-equal recognition with its larger neighbor. A former mayor once expressed the somewhat whimsical notion that eventually the area would be called the “Aurora/Denver Metropolitan Area.” However, such efforts are somewhat hampered by the lack of a large, historically important central business district in the city. Aurora is largely suburban in character, as evidenced by the city’s modest collection of tall buildings.

A large military presence has existed in Aurora since the early 20th century. In 1918, Army General Hospital #21 (later re-named Fitzsimons Army Hospital) opened, with the U.S. government expanding and upgrading the hospital facilities in 1941 just in time to care for the wounded servicemen of World War II.

Lowry Air Force Base was opened in 1938, straddling the border of Aurora and Denver. It eventually closed in 1994, and was redeveloped into a master-planned community featuring residential, commercial, business and educational facilities.

In 1942, the Army Air Corps built Buckley Field, which over the course of history has been renamed Naval Air Station, Buckley Air National Guard Base and finally Buckley Air Force Base. The base, home of the 460th Space Wing and the 140th Wing Colorado Air National Guard, is Aurora's largest employer.

World attention focused on Aurora for seven weeks during the fall of 1955, as President Dwight D. Eisenhower recovered from a heart attack at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. The hospital is also the 1943 birthplace of 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Decommissioned in 1999, the facility is part of the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado Denver, and the Fitzsimons Life Science District. The Anschutz Medical Campus also includes the University of Colorado Hospital, which moved to Aurora from Denver in 2007, and the Children's Hospital. These facilities will employ a workforce of 32,000 at build-out.

In 2004, Aurora was honored as the Sports Illustrated magazine's 50th Anniversary "Sportstown" for Colorado because of its exemplary involvement in facilitating and enhancing sports. The city attracts more than 30 regional and national sports tournaments annually to Aurora's fields, which include the 220 acre Aurora Sports Park opened in 2003. Aurora's active populace is also reflected in the variety of professional athletes hailing from the city (see Notable People from Aurora below). Aurora's first semi-professional sports franchise, the Aurora Cavalry in the International Basketball League, began play in 2006 but folded by seasons end due to budget mishaps.

Aurora is split among three counties and lies distant from the respective county seats. A consolidated city and county government was considered in the mid-1990s but failed to win approval by city voters. The issue was reconsidered in 2006. Colorado voters created the City and County of Denver in 1902 and the City and County of Broomfield in 2001. A consolidated city and county of Aurora would likely include areas not within the current city limits, but the new city-county boundaries would be set, restricting future expansion.

In 2008, Aurora was designated an All-America City by the National Civic League.

Geography
Aurora is located at 39.69583°N, -104.80806°W (39.695887, -104.808101). The city's official elevation, posted on signs at the city limits, is 5471 ft. However, the city spans a difference in elevation of nearly 1000 ft. The lowest elevation of 5285 ft is found at the point where Sand Creek crosses the city limit in the northwest corner of the city, while the highest elevation of 6229 ft is on the extreme southern border of the city in Douglas County, near the intersection of Inspiration and Gartrell roads.

As of the 2000 Census, the city had a total area of 142.7 sqmi, of which 142.5 sqmi was land and 0.2 sqmi, or 0.17%, was water. By 2009, the city had grown to 154.3 sqmi, nearly exactly the same size as Denver 154.9 sqmi.

Aurora experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification 'BSk').

Transportation
Aurora straddles Interstate 70, Interstate 225 and the E-470 beltway. The Regional Transportation District's light rail transit system was extended to serve the southwestern edge of Aurora on November 17, 2006. The H Line stops at Aurora's Dayton and Nine Mile Stations; a comprehensive network of feeder buses in southern Aurora serve the latter. An extension of light rail along I-225 through the city is planned to connect with a commuter rail line between downtown Denver and Denver International Airport (DIA), both scheduled for completion by 2017 (see FasTracks). Much of Aurora is more convenient to DIA than Denver itself. This proximity is a factor in the expected growth of the E-470 corridor directly south of DIA, projected to eventually accommodate 250,000 additional Aurora residents.

Education

 * Aurora Public Schools
 * Cherry Creek Public Schools
 * Douglas County School District (The Rocking Horse neighborhood is located within this district.)
 * Bennett Public Schools (Undeveloped land in Aurora that extends east of Monaghan Road, north of County Line Road and south of 72nd Avenue falls within this district.)
 * Brighton Public Schools (The Highpoint at DIA neighborhood is located in this district.)
 * University of Colorado Denver at the Anschutz Medical Campus
 * Community College of Aurora
 * Pickens Technical College
 * Anthem College
 * Columbia College
 * Concorde Career College
 * Platt College
 * Regis University
 * University of Phoenix

Government
The city of Aurora operates under a council/manager form of government, where the city manager runs the city's day-to-day operations with general guidance from the city council. The Aurora City Council is composed of a mayor and ten council members. Six members are elected from districts the other four are elected at large. The mayor is elected by the entire city. Aurora's mayor role is largely ceremonial, but the mayor does have direct impact on policy issues as the head of city council.

Neighborhoods
Aurora is composed of dozens of neighborhoods, districts and (current and former) military installations. Among them:
 * Aurora Heights
 * Aurora Highlands
 * Aurora Hills
 * Aurora Knolls
 * Beacon Point
 * Brookvale
 * Buckley Air Force Base
 * Carriage Place
 * Chaddsford Village
 * Chambers Heights
 * Chelsea
 * Conservatory
 * Corning
 * Crestridge
 * Cross Creek
 * The Dam East
 * Del Mar
 * The Dam West
 * Eastridge
 * Fitzsimons Campus
 * Fox Hill
 * Greenfield
 * Hallcraft's Village East
 * Hampton Hills
 * Havana Heights
 * Heather Ridge
 * Heritage at Eagle Bend
 * Highpoint
 * Hillside at Del Mar
 * Hoffman Heights
 * Hutchinson Heights
 * Jackson Farm
 * Kingsborough
 * Lowry Campus (formerly Lowry Air Force Base)
 * Meadowood
 * Mission Viejo
 * Morris Heights
 * Murphy Creek
 * Original Aurora (the Fletcher townsite, Aurora's "downtown")
 * Peoria Park
 * Pheasant Run
 * Piney Creek
 * Ptarmigan Park
 * Queensborough
 * Saddle Rock
 * Settler's Village
 * Serenity Ridge
 * Seven Hills
 * Shenandoah
 * Stapleton (a portion of the redevelopment of Denver's former airport lies in Aurora, directly north of Original Aurora)
 * Sienna
 * Smoky Hill 400
 * Smoky Ridge
 * Sterling Hills
 * Stricker's House
 * Summer Valley Ranch
 * Tallgrass
 * Tallyn's Reach
 * The Timbers
 * Tollgate Run at Kingsborough
 * Tollgate Village
 * Tuscany
 * Village East
 * Waters Edge
 * Wheatlands
 * Woodgate
 * Woodrim

Demographics
As of the 2000 Census, there were 276,393 people, 105,625 households, and 68,867 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,939.6 people per square mile (748.9/km²). There were 109,260 housing units at an average density of 766.7 per square mile (296.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.9% White, 14.5% African American, 0.8% Native American, 4.4% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 8.1% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.8% of the population.

There were 105,625 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $46,507, and the median income for a family was $52,551. Males had a median income of $35,963 versus $30,080 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,095. About 6.8% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
According to the Aurora Economic Development Council, the largest public employers in the city are: According to the Aurora Economic Development Council, the top 10 largest employers in the city are:

Other significant businesses include Mexicana de Aviación, and the Aurora Mental Health Center.

Attractions
The city of Aurora manages more than 1800 acre of developed park land, more than 6000 acre of open space and natural areas, and seven award-winning municipal golf courses (Aurora Hills, Centre Hills Par 3, Meadow Hills, Murphy Creek, Saddle Rock, Springhill and Fitzsimons). Aurora also is home to several privately owned golf courses including Blackstone Country Club, CommonGround Golf Course, Heather Ridge Country Club, Heritage Eagle Bend Golf and Country Club, John F. Kennedy Golf Course and Valley Country Club.

Star K Ranch, home to Aurora's Morrison Nature Center, provides important habitat for wildlife. It has several trails for nature exploration, including access to the Sand Creek Greenway Trail. Jewell Wetland, a 50 acre wooded wetland, features trails, boardwalk/deck access into the wetland and a butterfly garden. Aurora Reservoir and Quincy Reservoir offer plenty of opportunities for outdoor water pursuits.

DeLaney Farm, site of Aurora's famous historic round barn, has 130 acre of open space, trails with access to the High Line Canal, an organic garden, and two structures on the National Register of Historic Places. The Plains Conservation Center, with 1100 acre of native shortgrass prairie, hosts a variety of educational programs.

Twenty-two historic sites and landmarks are managed by the city of Aurora, including the Gully Homestead of 1870, the Victorian-style Centennial House of 1890, the privately owned American War Mothers National Memorial Home, the Art Deco-style KOA Building of 1934, the DeLaney Round Barn of 1902, and Lowry Building 800, the interim headquarters for the U.S. Air Force Academy from 1955 to 1958.

The Aurora Fox Arts Center, another historic landmark, is a 245-seat performing arts facility in Aurora's East End Arts District.

The Aurora History Museum is a community-based cultural center featuring a permanent exhibit on Aurora history and two changing exhibit galleries touching on topics related to history and decorative arts. The Aurora Symphony Orchestra, a community orchestra established more than 30 years ago, offers a full season of full orchestra concerts annually as well as smaller chamber ensemble performances.

Notable natives and residents
Dan Madsen - Fan Club Entrepreneur and actor
 * Tim Allen - Actor
 * William L. Armstrong - former U.S. Representative and Senator
 * Scott Bentley - professional football player
 * Michael D. Brown - former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director
 * Zachery Ty Bryan - television actor
 * Dwayne Carswell - professional football player
 * Larry Coyer - professional football coach
 * T.J. Cunningham - former professional football player
 * Danny Dietz - U.S. Navy SEAL
 * Fear Before the March of Flames - experimental rock band
 * Penny Flame - pornographic actress turned blogger
 * Maggie Flecknoe - radio personality and voice actress
 * Michael Garcia - former Colorado legislator
 * Eddie Gill - professional basketball player
 * Foolish Things - alternative rock band
 * Freddy Glick - former professional football player
 * John Grahame - professional hockey player
 * H*Wood - rapper
 * Bob Hagedorn - Colorado legislator
 * Michelle J. Howard - Rear admiral in the United States Navy
 * Matt Jordan - professional soccer player
 * Brian Kelly - professional football player
 * John Kerry - U.S. senator and U.S. presidential candidate
 * Daniel Kucera - retired bishop of the Roman Catholic Church
 * Nate Marquardt - professional mixed martial arts fighter
 * Aaron Moorehead - professional football player
 * Sean Moran - professional football player
 * Jane Norton - Former Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
 * Bill Owens - 40th Governor of Colorado
 * Frank Peña - U.S. Amateur featherweight champion and retired professional boxer
 * Aaron Pitchkolan - professional soccer player for FC Dallas of the Major League Soccer
 * Kayla Radomski - professional dancer
 * Bill Ritter - 41st Governor of Colorado
 * Brendan Schaub - UFC Fighter in the Heavyweight division
 * Senim Silla- Rapper
 * Paul Smith - former professional football player
 * Billy Thompson - professional football player
 * Tyler Toner - professional mixed martial arts fighter
 * Sean Tufts - professional football player
 * Tiffany Vise - professional ice skater
 * Frank Weddig - state politician
 * DaVarryl Williamson - former professional boxer
 * Louis Wright - professional football player
 * Brandon Quinn - Actor
 * Najibullah Zazi, convicted al-Qaeda member
 * Madhuri Dixit - Bollywood actress

Sister cities

 * 🇨🇷 Jaco, Costa Rica
 * 🇰🇷 Seongnam, South Korea
 * 🇵🇱 Zielona Góra, Poland

In addition, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (consisting of the city and 51 other local governments) has established a "sister city" relationship with the Baghdad Governorate, one of Iraq's eighteen provinces.