Aurora (/əˈroʊrə/, /əˈrɔːrə/) is a home rule city located in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States.

Before European settlement, the land that now makes up Aurora was the territory of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute), and Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux) tribes.

[12][13][5] 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.

Aurora, composed of hundreds of subdivisions, thus carries the name of one of the original development plats from which it sprang.

Aurora's growing population in recent decades has led to efforts for co-equal recognition with its larger neighbor.

It eventually closed in 1994, and has been redeveloped into a master-planned community featuring residential, commercial, business and educational facilities.

The base, home of the Buckley Garrison and the 140th Wing Colorado Air National Guard, is Aurora's largest employer.

Decommissioned in 1999, the facility is part of the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado Denver, and the Fitzsimons Life Science District.

[16] In 1979, it was announced that a science fiction theme park would be built in Aurora using the sets of a $50 million film based on the fantasy novel Lord of Light.

The script of the unmade film project, renamed Argo, was used as cover for the "Canadian Caper": the exfiltration of six U.S. diplomatic staff trapped by the Iranian hostage crisis.

In 1993, Cherry Creek State Park on the southwestern edge of Aurora was the location for the papal mass of the 8th World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II, attended by an estimated 500,000 people.

[20][21] In 2017, the Republic of El Salvador opened a consulate in Aurora, serving Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

[27] On June 27, 2020, Aurora Police in riot gear dispersed thousands of protestors at a violin concert held in his honor.

In September 2024, mayor Mike Coffman and city council member Danielle Jurinsky, both Republicans, claimed that the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang had taken control of an Aurora apartment complex and was extorting residents for their rent money.

Jurinsky appeared on Fox News to assert that others questioning her claims were engaged in "a huge cover-up" and this "isn't just an Aurora issue."

Presidential candidate Donald Trump became aware of the rumor and repeated it multiple times during his September 10 debate with Kamala Harris, and subsequently scheduled a campaign rally in Aurora.

"[36][37] Following Trump's inauguration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted raids targeting suspected Tren de Aragua gang members in Aurora and Denver.

The racial makeup of the city was 61.1% White, 15.7% African American, 4.9% Asian (1.1% Korean, 0.8% Vietnamese, 0.5% Filipino, 0.5% Chinese, 0.5% Indian, 0.2% Japanese, 0.1% Thai, 0.1% Cambodian, 0.1% Burmese, 0.1% Nepalese, 0.1% Pakistani, 0.1% Indonesian), 1.0% Native American, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 11.6% from other races, and 5.2% from two or more races.

Star K Ranch, home to Aurora's Morrison Nature Center, provides important habitat for wildlife.

[55] DeLaney Farm, site of Aurora's famous historic round barn, has 130 acres (0.53 km2) of open space, trails with access to the High Line Canal, an organic garden managed by Denver Urban Gardens, and two structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Plains Conservation Center, with 1,100 acres (4.5 km2) of native shortgrass prairie, hosts a variety of educational programs.

[55] Twenty-seven historic sites and landmarks are managed by the city of Aurora, including 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.

In that same area, The People's Building is a performing arts venue with flexible space, including 191 retractable seats and a gallery.

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 and vote similarly to Denver and Boulder; southern Aurora, similar to neighboring Centennial, used to lean Republican but has swung Democratic entering the 2020s.

State representation is listed in the tables below (areas implied to be in Arapahoe County unless noted: not all districts are fully in Aurora).

The Regional Transportation District's light rail transit system was extended to serve the southwestern edge of Aurora on November 17, 2006.

[80] This proximity is a factor in the expected growth of the E-470 corridor directly south of Denver International Airport, projected to eventually accommodate 250,000 additional Aurora residents.

In 2017, Aurora became the first city in Colorado to host a dockless bike sharing program, but operations have been suspended since August 2022.

The WC was the 35th Women's and 44th Men's Open Powerlifting Championships, and it was held on the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast.