COLORADO’S THIRD-LARGEST CITY, AND ONE OF ITS MOST DIVERSE
Aurora
Nearly 400,000 people across three counties, more than 160 languages in the public schools, and a housing stock that runs from 1950s brick ranches off Colfax to new construction still going up along E-470.
Aurora started in 1890 as Fletcher, a real estate venture founded by Donald Fletcher just east of Denver. The town incorporated in 1903, and after Fletcher’s own finances ran into trouble, residents voted in 1907 to rename it Aurora, moving on from his name along with his debts. What grew from that shaky start is now Colorado’s third-largest city, spread across parts of Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties.
The most useful thing I can tell you about Aurora is that there isn’t one Aurora. A 1950s ranch near Colfax and a 2020s two-story off E-470 share a city name and a mayor, and very little else: different school districts, different tax bills, different commutes and prices that can be hundreds of thousands of dollars apart. So I treat it the way I treat Denver, area by area.
Buckley Space Force Base and the Anschutz Medical Campus
Two institutions anchor Aurora’s economy beyond retail and housing. Buckley Space Force Base, renamed from Buckley Air Force Base when the Space Force stood up, is a major military employer on the city’s east side. The Anschutz Medical Campus, built on the site of the former Fitzsimons Army base, is one of the largest academic medical and research campuses in the country, home to UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado and a growing biotech corridor. Both bring steady, well-paid jobs that support neighborhoods at nearly every price point in the city.
Aurora highlights
- Colorado’s third-largest city
Spanning Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties - 160+ languages
Spoken by students in Aurora Public Schools, who come from more than 130 countries - Havana Street
About four miles of restaurants from more than a dozen countries - Housing from 1950 to now
Postwar ranches, 1970s and 80s suburbs, 2000s master plans and active new construction - Several school districts
Aurora Public Schools, Cherry Creek, Douglas County and 27J all serve parts of the city
More than 160 languages in one school district
Aurora is one of the most international cities in the country, and the clearest measure of that is in the classrooms. Aurora Public Schools reports students speaking more than 160 languages and coming from more than 130 countries. Spanish is by far the most common second language, but walk Colfax or Havana and you’ll see storefront signs in Amharic, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic and Nepali within a few blocks of each other.
Much of that comes from decades of immigrant and refugee resettlement, and it shapes daily life here: international grocery stores next to the chain supermarkets, churches, mosques and temples within the same few miles, and a school district that opened its first dual-language magnet school this fall. If you’re moving from another country, or you want your kids growing up around classmates from everywhere, Aurora is one of the first places in the metro I’d show you.
Where to eat your way around the world
That mix of languages shows up on the menu. South Havana Street is the best-known stretch: roughly four miles and close to 50 restaurants serving food from more than a dozen countries. In one afternoon you can get Korean barbecue, Ethiopian injera, Yemeni lamb, Uzbek plov, Salvadoran pupusas, Colombian bandeja paisa and hand-pulled Chinese noodles, then finish with bubble tea. East Colfax adds more Ethiopian and Eritrean kitchens, Mexican taquerias and Middle Eastern bakeries.
Farther out, the food gets more familiar. Stanley Marketplace near the Denver line has a food hall and local restaurants in a former aviation plant, and Southlands in southeast Aurora is where the national chains and the movie theater are. If food is a big part of how you pick a neighborhood, the older center of the city is where Aurora is at its best.
From $9,250 ranches to new construction
Few cities in the metro have a wider span of housing. Aurora grew outward from Colfax in rings, so the age of the house usually tells you roughly where you are, and the price usually follows.
1950s and 60s
Postwar ranches
North and central Aurora near Colfax and I-225. Hoffman Heights went up from 1950 to 1953 as about 1,700 houses for returning veterans, and the smallest model sold for $9,250. These are the most affordable detached houses in the city today, and many have been updated.
1970s to 90s
Classic suburban
Central and south-central Aurora: bi-levels, tri-levels and two-stories on established lots, plus townhome and condo complexes and the Heather Gardens 55+ community. A common middle ground on price.
2000s and 2010s
Master-planned southeast
Southeast Aurora communities like Tallyn’s Reach and Whispering Pines, with pools, clubhouses, trails and Cherry Creek schools. Larger houses, often with basements and walkouts, and HOA dues to go with the amenities.
Building now
New construction
Along E-470 and near DIA, in large planned developments like Aurora Highlands and Painted Prairie. Brand-new houses from several builders, from entry-level to high-end, most carrying metro district taxes on top of the base property tax.
The part buyers miss is the tax bill. Two houses at the same price can have very different annual costs once you add metro district mill levies and HOA dues, and that’s more common in the newer areas. I pull both for any Aurora house before you write an offer.
“Aurora is too big to describe in one sentence. Ask me about the specific block, not the whole city.”
East Suburbs
Aurora by area
A quick orientation to the main parts of the city. I’ll keep adding detail here as I spend more time in each one. For anything not covered yet, ask me and I’ll pull current sales for that area.
Original and northwest Aurora
Colfax, Anschutz and the Aurora Cultural Arts District
The oldest part of the city, next to the Denver line. Small older houses, the Anschutz Medical Campus, Stanley Marketplace and the Aurora Fox Arts Center. Some of the lowest prices in the metro for a detached house, with a short commute to Anschutz or downtown.
Central Aurora
Hoffman Heights, Del Mar and Havana Street
Postwar and 1960s neighborhoods along I-225, Havana Street’s restaurants, Del Mar Park and the Aurora Town Center area. Mostly Aurora Public Schools. A practical choice for buyers who want a yard and a garage without a new-construction price.
South-central Aurora
Near Cherry Creek State Park
1970s through 90s subdivisions, townhome complexes and Heather Gardens, a large 55+ community with its own golf course, between I-225 and Parker Road. Close to the state park and the Tech Center, with parts of it in Cherry Creek schools.
Southeast Aurora
Tallyn’s Reach, Whispering Pines and Southlands
Master-planned communities from the 2000s and 2010s along E-470, most in Cherry Creek School District, with pools, clubhouses, tennis courts and trails through the ponderosa pines. Southlands is the shopping center for the area. Higher prices than the rest of Aurora, and HOA dues to budget for.
Northeast Aurora
Near DIA and the Gaylord Rockies
The newest part of the city and the most active for new construction, including Aurora Highlands and Painted Prairie. The Gaylord Rockies resort opened here in 2018. Short trips to the airport, longer ones to everywhere else, and metro district taxes on most of it.
Far east Aurora
Aurora Reservoir and the E-470 edge
Newer communities around Aurora Reservoir and east of E-470, some still selling new lots. More space and open views for the money, in exchange for a longer drive to Denver and fewer restaurants close by.
Aurora, photographed
Shot around town by Marla
Discover Aurora
Local spots worth knowing
Havana Street
Close to 50 restaurants from more than a dozen countries along one corridor. The best reason to visit Aurora if you don’t live here.
Stanley Marketplace
A former aviation manufacturing building turned into shops, restaurants and a food hall.
Southlands
An open-air, main-street-style shopping center at E-470 and Smoky Hill Road, with an AMC theater, restaurants and summer concerts.
Aurora Reservoir
Boating, a swim beach and a trail loop around the water on the city’s southeast edge.
Gaylord Rockies
A resort and convention center near DIA, best known locally for its ICE! holiday exhibit.
Anschutz Medical Campus
A major hospital, research and employment hub on the former Fitzsimons base.
Buckley Space Force Base
A major military installation and employer on the east side.
Aurora Fox Arts Center
A community theater in a converted 1946 movie house on Colfax.
Red-tailed Hawk Park
A 35-acre southeast Aurora park with sand volleyball, open space and playgrounds.
Who buys in Aurora
Aurora is large enough to draw very different kinds of buyers depending on which part of the city they land in.
First-time buyers
Buyers who want a detached house with a yard at one of the lowest price points in the metro, usually in the older neighborhoods of north and central Aurora.
International and multilingual families
Buyers who want their language, their grocery store and their food close to home, and schools where kids from everywhere is the norm.
Cherry Creek school families
Buyers targeting southeast Aurora for Cherry Creek schools, community pools and trails, at a lower price than Centennial or Greenwood Village.
New-construction buyers
Buyers drawn to planned communities near DIA and along E-470, often at a lower price than closer-in suburbs.
Buckley and Anschutz employees
Buyers who want a short commute to the base or the medical campus.
New construction in Aurora
Aurora has some of the most active new-construction supply in the metro, concentrated near DIA in communities like Aurora Highlands and Painted Prairie and along the E-470 corridor to the southeast. The person in the sales office works for the builder. Register me as your agent before your first model-home visit, and I’ll compare pricing, incentives, lot premiums and metro district taxes across builders for you.
Buying in Aurora for the first time?
My Denver Home Buyer’s Guide walks through the whole process in ten steps, from getting pre-approved to closing day.
Interested in Aurora?
Tell me your budget and what matters most, whether that’s schools, commute, a newer house or being close to Havana Street, and I’ll tell you which part of Aurora fits and pull the numbers for that block.