Southeast Aurora
Aurora is located in Arapahoe County, just east of Denver, and is Colorado's third-largest city. The quick commute to Buckley AFB and DIA make Aurora a popular choice for many people. Aurora is one of the fastest-growing communities in the country and its affordability, great schools, and development of many 55+ active adult communities make it a popular choice for families with young children who want to live close to their retirement-age parents. Aurora was developed as a military town, with the construction of the Fitzsimons Army Hospital and the later additions of Buckley and Lowry airfields. Today, this city leads the nation in redevelopment, with the creation of new housing and recreational and technical-business plazas in and around the former airfields.
Aurora is one of the most progressive municipalities in the nation. Following the closing of Stapleton Airport in 1995, the city's planners began developing a socio-centric plan that emphasized green open space above all else and 20 years later the results if the philosophy are coming to fruition.
Nicknamed the "Gateway to the Rockies," Aurora, CO, has long welcomed visitors and families who are relocating to Colorado. A thriving arts scene, including the Aurora Symphony Orchestra and Fox Arts Center, complement the city's vast array of ethnic restaurants and markets. The area also features multiple public reservoirs as well as a number of parks and open spaces. Aurora is also home to the University of Colorado Hospital's Anschutz Medical Campus, a world-class academic health center, with state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, and the Colorado Freedom Memorial, which honors the more than 6,000 Colorado veterans who have died serving in the armed services. It's also home to Southlands mall, featuring almost 2 million square feet of retail and dining, a movie theater and an outdoor splash pad turned ice skating rink in the winter months. The city of Aurora boasts some 100 parks and more than 5,000 acres of protected open space that encourage residents to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle. Aurora is home to six public golf courses, with a variety of layouts to choose from. It's also home to Aurora Reservoir which offers a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities including kayaking, sailing and many miles of trails as well as a "lakefront" lifestyle to its many residents.
Discover the community
Commuting from Aurora
There are 12.12 miles from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Aurora in southwest direction and 18 miles (28.97 kilometers) by car, following the Peña Boulevard route.
DEN Airport and Aurora are 25 minutes apart. This is the fastest route from DEN Airport to Aurora, CO.
The city has a number of transportation projects, plans, and studies that pertain to roads and bridges, bicycle and pedestrian facilities and RTD's R Line light rail and A-Line commuter rail. The expanded RTD FasTracks rail system through Aurora is transforming the city's landscape and future, providing economic development corridors and connecting major activity and employment centers. The city has developed plans to identify development sites and pedestrian and automobile connections and create a vision for the overall character of Aurora's rail station areas.
E-470, I-70, and I-225 all run through various parts of Aurora giving commuters easy access to the surrounding communities of Denver, Parker, Brighton, Stapleton, and Greenwood Village.
Aurora is home to hundreds of miles of trails. Click here for a trail map of where to bike in Aurora or check out Aurora's visitor site to explore the greatest places the city has for bicycle enthusiasts!
Working in Aurora
Businesses of all kinds are moving into the neighborhood and booming. Communities are thriving. It’s no surprise that Aurora has earned the reputation as a city where people want to live and developers want to build. From 11 walkable transit-oriented developments to a wealth of prime opportunities, there’s no better time than now to discover Aurora. The city of Aurora provides services and resources to businesses and development partners with the purpose of retaining, attracting, and expanding business and employment opportunities throughout our community. The city of Aurora is dedicated to providing the business climate, services, and public infrastructure essential to growing established and emerging companies within Aurora. And they are actively investing in the neighborhoods to create new places for a business to thrive. Looking for more information about Aurora's business development, click here to visit their site.
Schools in Aurora
Students in Aurora are served by both the Aurora Public School District and the Cherry Creek School District. According to an article in Movoto, the best public school system provided by any of the municipalities in the greater Denver Metro area are in Aurora, the Stapleton neighborhood specifically. Greatschools.org gave the school system a 10 out of a possible 10, five points higher than the average for schools in the Denver Area. The U.S. News & World Report awarded the district the Gold Medal Award and ranked it #192 nationally. What makes the district so impressive is that 88% of the students are reading proficient, 74% are proficient in math and 70% of the students who attend school in the Stapleton District are "college-ready." Even more remarkable is the fact that 72% of the students are Hispanic or black and 45% are "economically disadvantaged." A class of students that rank in the bottom quarter on national standardized tests when attending most other school districts dominates national standardized tests when attending schools in the Stapleton District.
