Aurora, Colorado

Aurora is probably the most diverse suburb of Denver, proving that it is more than just a bedroom community. Though nearly 60 percent white, Aurora is almost 20 percent Hispanic and more than 13 percent African-American. Aurora does tend to be three parts: urban/poor; middle class and upper middle class. Much of its black population lives in the corridor east of Yosemite at the western boundary with Denver and in the poorer neighborhoods near Colfax. That same corridor stretching east past Interstate 225 is also heavily Hispanic. The farther south and southeast you go the more upscale the neighborhoods become, stretching to golf course communities such as Saddlerock, Murphy Creek and the senior residential area Heritage Eagle Bend.

Chain restaurants and bars are the norm especially in the higher traffic areas around the Aurora Towne Center (formerly the Aurora Mall) and south of I-225 on Parker Road. There are several small, locally-owned independent restaurants and taverns along Colfax, Alameda, Peoria and Havana streets. Minus a true downtown area, Aurora relies on pockets of shopping centers that have sports bars, cafes and other restaurants that draw a local crowd.

The spite of foreclosures and lackluster home sales has dropped the average home price to $183,000 in November, according to Yahoo.com. The median rental price is $617, nearly $150 more than the U.S. average. Still, the cost of living in Aurora is fairly low because of the access to many amenities and availability of homes and rental properties.

The Regional Transportation District’s southeast light rail stops at Nine Mile station at Parker Road and I-225, RTD’s most-used light-rail facility, mainly for its ease of access. Light rail, through a large expansion project called FasTracks, is expected to increase service all the way to I-70 along I-225. It will allow riders to reach Denver International Airport and various points between Aurora and downtown Denver. Major highways like I-225, I-70 and I-25 are three of the extensive ways Aurorans traverse the city, while Alameda, Colfax, Sixth Avenue and Iliff are four major arteries that go east and west.

The massive size of Aurora makes it impossible to traverse in a single day looking at apartments, condos or townhomes. Use a broker who knows the area well. Get to know the area via the Web, but be aware the city has a definite seamy side from I-70 south to Sixth Avenue and east past I-225.

Aurora has five regulation public courses, par-3 Centre Hills and executive course, Springhill. All offer various challenges and the older courses – Meadow Hills, Fitzsimons and Aurora Hills – are cheaper and easy to walk. The city also one of the state’s best July Fourth celebrations that can be seen from various parts of the city. Movie theaters abound in every part of the city. It’s also a 10-15-minute drive to downtown Denver for other entertainment and cultural options. The Aurora Fox Theatre offers plays, musical and other productions in the heart of Old Aurora. The Aurora History Museum is located behind the new city government building on Alameda Avenue east of I-225.

Some of the coolest areas are the Southlands mall, where you can park your car and walk from store to store. There are several large stores, like JC Penney, and interesting restaurants and boutiques along the way. The Aurora Marketplace across from the Aurora Towne Center has a similar feel as will the new Buckingham Square space when it is completed. Also nearby are the Lowry, Stapleton and Northfield shopping centers.

Grocery stores, banks, fitness centers, dry cleaners, laundromats and other businesses, especially the big-box retailers (Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, Best Buy, etc.), are easy to find scattered in just about every neighborhood.

The largest employers for Aurorans are the airlines and peripheral jobs at the airport, along with many of the warehousing and trucking firms along I-70. Military and city government accounts for a lot of jobs as well. The new University of Colorado Hospital and the planned Veterans Hospital in the old Fitzsimons location has brought thousands of jobs to Aurora.

Residents are served by the Aurora and Cherry Creek School districts. Cherry Creek has a better reputation and stretches into some of Denver’s higher-end areas. Aurora’s school district has more of an urban reputation, some of it deserved and some not.

Aurora still has some new construction; its biggest project perhaps is at the old Buckingham Square, where new shops, stores, restaurants and apartments are being built for a pedestrian-style community. Also new, are the Southland area and the still-growing townhomes and residential community at Murphy Creek Golf Course.

Aurora, like Denver and the entire Front Range, gets 300 days a year of sunshine. Winter snows and rain storms can be heavy particularly in the eastern areas where this is little in its path.