Aurora

Aurora is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States. The city's population was 386,261 at the 2020 United States Census with 47,720 residing in Adams County, and 2,506 residing in Douglas County. Aurora is the third most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 51st most populous City in the United States, and is a principal city of the Denver/Lakewood Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1978, the film Over the Edge was filmed in Aurora; the crime drama has been named a signature park of the city. Aurora was the location for the papal mass of 8th Day of the World, attended by Pope John Paul II with an estimated 500,000 people. It was also used as cover for the "Canadian Caper of the exfiltration of six diplomatic staff trapped by the Iranian hostage crisis" in 1993. The first carbon-ion radiotherapy research and treatment facility in the U.S. has been proposed at the site. These facilities will employ a workforce of 32,000 at build-out. Aurora has surpassed Denver in land area, and much of Aurora is undeveloped, while Denver is more fully built-out, and Aurora is largely suburban in character, as evidenced by the city's modest number of multi-story buildings. A large military presence has existed in Aurora since the early 20th century. In 1918, Army General Hospital #21 (later renamed Fitzsimons Army Hospital) opened, with the government expanding and upgrading the hospital facilities in 1941 just in time for the wounded servicemen of World War II.

History

Aurora is the primary city name, but also Buckley AFB, Buckley Air Force Base are acceptable city names or spellings, Buckley Air Natl Guard Base, Buckley Ang on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. Aurora originated in the 1880s as the town of Fletcher, taking its name from Denver businessman Donald Fletcher who saw it as a real estate opportunity. Aurora slowly began to grow in Denver's shadow becoming the fastest-growing city in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Since the 2000 Census Aurora has surpassed Denver in land area, and much of Aurora is undeveloped, while Denver is more fully built-out. The city attracts more than 30 regional and national sports tournaments annually. Aurora was honored as the Sports Illustrated's 50th Anniversary "Sportstown" for its exemplary involvement in facilitating and enhancing sports events. In 1993, Cherry Creek State Park on the southwestern edge of Aurora was the papal mass of the 8th World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II. In 1978, the cult coming-of-age film Over the Edge was filmed in Aurora; the crime drama has been named the signature film of Denver. In 2003, Aurora opened Aurora Sports Park, which has 220-acre (0.2 km²) fields. Aurora is home to the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado Denver, and the Fitzsimons Life Science District. The first carbon-ion radiotherapy research and treatment facility in the U.S. has been proposed at the site. It is expected to employ a workforce of 32,000 at build-out, and will be open by 2015. Aurora's largest employer is the Buckley Air Force Base, home of the 140th Wing Colorado Air National Guard.

Geography

Aurora's official elevation, posted on signs at the city limits, is 5,471 feet (1,668 m) The city spans a difference in elevation of nearly 1,000 feet (300 m) At the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total area of 102,851 acres (416.223 km²) including 368 acres (1.489km²) of water. The city is about 5 percent more extensive than neighboring Denver and ranks as the 56th largest U.S. city in land area. Aurora experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk), with four distinct seasons and modest precipitation year-round. Summer temperatures range from mild to hot, with generally low humidity and frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Aurora also averages about one dozen tornado warnings throughout tornado season, running from April to July. All of Aurora is located east of I-25, where tornado alley begins. Hailstorms, at times 12'+ deep happen on occasion, and typical hailstorms are very common throughout these months. December is the coldest month of the year, with an average high of 43 °F (6 °C) and an average low of 17 °C. The average first snowfall in the Aurora area occurs in late October and the average final snowfall occurs inLate April, although snow has fallen as early as September 4 and as late as June 5. Generally, deciduous trees in the area are bare from mid October to late April.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 325,078 people, 121,191 households, and 73,036 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 61.1% White, 15.7% African American, 4.9% Asian, 1.0% Native American, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 11.6% from other races, and 5.2% from two or more races. The city is a center of Colorado's refugee population. There are about 30,000 Ethiopians and Eritreans living in the DenverAurora area. There is also a sizable population of Nepalese refugees. The median income for a household in theCity was $46,507, and the median income. for a family was $52,551. The per capita income was $21,095. About 6.8% of families and 8.9%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0 per cent of those under age 18 and 6.1 percent of those age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.2. The population was spread out, with 27.3 per cent under the age of 18, 6. 8% from 18 to 24, 37.6 per cent from 25 to 44, 16.8 per cent between the ages of 45 and 64, and 8% who were 65 years of age or older. There were 131,040 housing units at an average density of 766.7 per square mile (296.0/km²).

Economy

Other notable employers in the city include Lockheed Martin Corporation, Staples Inc., United Natural Foods, Aurora Mental Health Center, G45 Secure Solutions, Graebel Relocation, Core-Mark, and Nelnet, Inc. German cleaning technology manufacturer Kärcher opened its North American headquarters in Aurora, on a new street named KäRcher Way. According to the Aurora Economic Development Council, the largest private employers in Aurora are: Lockheed Martin, Staples, and United natural Foods. The largest public employers are: Aurora City Council, Aurora Police Department, Aurora Fire Department, and Aurora Fire and Rescue Department. The city's largest private employer is: Aurora City Council and Aurora Fire &  Rescue Department. Aurora's largest public employer is Aurora Community Health Sciences Council, and the city's largest private employers are Aurora City Government and Aurora Mental Health Center. Aurora is home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is based in Aurora. It is also the home of the Colorado Army National Guard, which has a base in Aurora and a training facility in the nearby town of Elkhart. Aurora has a population of about 2,000. It has a GDP of about $1.2 billion. It also has an unemployment rate of 0.7%. The city has a high school graduation rate of 8.2%. It has an average population of 2,816.

Attractions

The city of Aurora manages more than 100 parks, more than 6,000 acres (24 km²) of open space and natural areas. Aurora also is home to several privately owned golf courses including CommonGround Golf Course, Heather Ridge Country Club, Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club and Valley Country Club. The Aurora History Museum is a community-based cultural center featuring a permanent exhibit on Aurora history and two changing exhibit galleries. Aurora Symphony Orchestra, a community orchestra established in 1978, offers a full season of full orchestra concerts annually as well as smaller chamber ensemble performances. Aurora Public Library serves its population, providing four main branches, four PC centers, and a variety of events throughout the year to its population. Town Center at Aurora is the city's main shopping mall. Other shopping centers in Aurora include The Gardens on Havana (formerly Buckingham Square) and Southlands. The city owns the former Guiraud Ranch in Park County. Now the Buffalo Peaks Ranch, it is located on Colorado State Highway 9 near the ghost town of Garo between Fairplay and Hartsel. 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, Lowry Building 800, the interim headquarters for the U.S. Air Force Academy from 1955 to 1958, and Stanley Marketplace, which opened at the former site of Stanley Aviation in 2016. The Plains Conservation Center, with 1,100 acres of native shortgrass prairie, hosts a range of educational programs.

Government

Aurora has 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. Northern and Central Aurora, due to an extremely racially and culturally diverse voter base and high density for a suburban city, are some of the most Democratic areas in Colorado. Aurora anchors Colorado's 6th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Jason Crow (D-Centennial). State representation is listed in the tables below (areas implied to be in Arapahoe County unless noted: not all districts are fully in Aurora) Aurora is home to the University of Colorado at Boulder, which is a member of the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. Aurora's mayor role is largely ceremonial, but the mayor does have direct impact on policy issues as the head of cityCouncil. The council is nonpartisan; however, parties of members have been listed below for reference. In national elections, Aurora leans to the left and the Democratic Party, though not as much as neighboring Denver but more than other suburbs in the Denver metro area. Aurora is one of only 10 law enforcement agencies in Colorado to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Aurora Municipal Courts handles a wide variety of offense violations, and the Aurora Detention Center is a 72-hour adult holding facility. Aurora has a Public Safety Communications dispatch call center, which handles a range of calls.

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 city is planning an aerotropolis along the airport's southern flank. In 2017, Aurora became the first city in Colorado to host a dockless bike sharing program. The easternmost portions of Aurora adjoin the Colorado Air and Space Port. The A Line provides service between Union Station in downtown Denver and Denver International Airport (DIA) Much of Aurora is more convenient to DIA than Denver itself, and the city is Planning an aerOTropolis along its southern flank to accommodate 250,000 additional Aurora residents. The E- 470 corridor directly south of DIA is projected to eventually accommodate 25,000 more Aurora residents, making the city an ideal location for a new airport. The H Line stops at Aurora's Dayton and Nine Mile Stations; a comprehensive network of feeder buses in southern Aurora serve the latter. On February 24, 2017, the line was extended as the R Line to Peoria Station in the city's northwest, where riders may transfer to the A Line providing service to and from downtown Denver. The R Line was also extended to provide service to downtown Denver's Union Station, where it stops at Union Station's A Line station and the Union Station station in downtown Aurora's downtown area. In 2013, the city was the first in the state to offer a bike-share program.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Aurora, Adams County, Colorado = 65.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 87. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Aurora = 5.2 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 386,261 individuals with a median age of 34.3 age the population grows by 16.08% in Aurora, Adams County, Colorado population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,412 residents per square mile of area (931/km²). There are average 2.6 people per household in the 122,473 households with an average household income of $51,271 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is of the available work force and has dropped -4.90% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 22.00%. The number of physicians in Aurora per 100,000 population = 257.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Aurora = 16.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 52.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 72. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 243. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 15.3 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 57, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Aurora, Adams County, Colorado which are owned by the occupant = 60.99%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 26 years with median home cost = $135,330 and home appreciation of -1.90%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.52 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,365 per student. There are 22.8 students for each teacher in the school, 2773 students for each Librarian and 454 students for each Counselor. 8.00% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 18.20% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.77% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).