Auraria was a gold mining camp established in 1858 in the Kansas Territory of the United States.

[7] On, April 15, 1859, ten delegates from six communities in the Pike's Peak Country met in convention at Dick Wooton’s store in Auraria to pass resolutions to organize a Provisional State of Jefferson.

Auraria ceased to exist as a separate town on December 3, 1859, when the Jefferson Territory granted a charter to the consolidated City of Denver, Auraria, and Highland, which would come to be known as just Denver City, the territorial capital and seat of Arrappahoe County.

[10] In 1965, parts of Auraria were again heavily damaged by flooding, leading city leaders to describe the neighborhood as blighted and in need of urban renewal.

[11] In 1969 Denver citizens approved a bond issue to purchase approximately half of Auraria's land area to form an educational campus.

Plans have been proposed that suggest changes to these areas and have moved through some of the approval processes, but no firm date has been set for redevelopment.

[15] In 2018, the City and County of Denver approved rezoning and development agreements for The "River Mile", 58 acres currently occupied by Elitch Gardens.

[16] To make room for this mixed use development, Elitch Gardens will move, but no date has been set.

[17] In 2024, the City and County of Denver approved rezoning and development agreements for 64 acres of Auraria centered around the Ball Arena (which will remain).