Editing Aurora, Colorado (section)

==History==
{{For timeline}}
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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Temprano |first1=Victor |title=Native Land |url=https://native-land.ca/ |website=Native Land Digital |date=2015}}</ref> These lands were [[Louisiana (New France)|claimed by France]] in 1682 and subsequently became part of the 1803 [[Louisiana Purchase]].<ref>In the 1980s, a subdivision named “Louisiana Purchase” was developed along Louisiana Avenue on the east side of the city.</ref>

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. He and his partners staked out {{convert|4|mi2|spell=in}} east of [[Denver]], but the town—and Colorado—struggled mightily after the [[Denver Depression of 1893|Silver Crash of 1893]]. The Town of Fletcher was incorporated on May 5, 1903.<ref name=MuniIncCO/> Fletcher skipped town, leaving the community with a huge water debt. Voters decided to rename Fletcher the Town of Aurora in 1907 after one of the subdivisions composing the town. The Aurora post office opened on January 15, 1908.<ref name=CPO>{{cite book|title=Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989|first1=William H.|last1=Bauer|first2=James L.|last2=Ozment|first3=John H.|last3=Willard|date=1990|publisher=[[Colorado Railroad Museum|Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation]]|location=[[Golden, Colorado]]|isbn=0-918654-42-4}}</ref>

By February 1928, the town of Aurora had reached a population of over 2,000 and it was reincorporated as a city on March 9.<ref>{{cite news |title=Census Shows Aurora is now a City |url=https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=AUD19280224-01 |work=The Aurora Democrat |volume=19 |issue=10 |page=1 |date=February 24, 1928}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Aurora Town Becomes a City Today |work=The Aurora Democrat |volume=19 |issue=11 |url=https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=AUD19280302-01 |page=1 |date=March 2, 1928}}</ref><ref name="City Incorporation"></ref> 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.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} Former mayor Dennis Champine once expressed the somewhat whimsical notion that eventually the area would be called the "Aurora/Denver Metropolitan Area". Indeed, since the 2000 Census Aurora has surpassed Denver in land area, and much of Aurora is undeveloped, while Denver is more fully built-out. However, such efforts are somewhat hampered by the lack of a large, historically important [[central business district]] in the city. Aurora is largely suburban in character, as evidenced by the city's modest number of multi-story buildings.

[[File:Aerial view of Fitzsimons Army Hospital, 1973.JPEG|thumb|left|1973 aerial view of Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Aurora, before closure]]
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 U.S. government expanding and upgrading the hospital facilities in 1941 just in time to care for the wounded servicemen of World War II. [[Lowry Air Force Base]] was opened in 1938, straddling the border of Aurora and Denver. It eventually closed in 1994, and has been redeveloped into a master-planned community featuring residential, commercial, business and educational facilities. In 1942, the Army Air Corps built Buckley Field, which has been renamed Naval Air Station, Buckley Air National Guard Base, Buckley Air Force Base, and finally [[Buckley Space Force Base]]. The base, home of the [[Buckley Garrison]] and the [[140th Wing]] Colorado Air National Guard, is Aurora's largest employer.

President [[Warren G. Harding]] visited [[Fitzsimons Army Medical Center|Fitzsimons Army Hospital]] in 1923, and President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] visited in 1936.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/print-edition/2016/03/25/ttimeline-development-of-the-anschutz-campus.html#g6|title=Timeline: Development of the Anschutz campus (Slideshow) - Denver Business Journal|website=Denver Business Journal|access-date=April 6, 2016}}</ref> In 1943, the hospital was the birthplace of 2004 Democratic presidential candidate [[John Kerry]]. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] recovered from a heart attack at Fitzsimons for seven weeks during the fall of 1955. Decommissioned in 1999, the facility is part of the [[Anschutz Medical Campus]] of the [[University of Colorado Denver]], and the [[Fitzsimons Life Science District]]. The Anschutz Medical Campus also includes the [[University of Colorado Hospital]], which moved to Aurora from Denver in 2007, and the [[Children's Hospital (Aurora, Colorado)|Children's Hospital]]. The first carbon-ion [[Particle therapy|radiotherapy research]] and treatment facility in the U.S. has been proposed at the site.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://source.colostate.edu/plan-presents-new-hope-for-us-cancer-patients/|title = CSU plan presents new hope for U.S. Cancer Patients|date = September 24, 2014|access-date = November 8, 2014|website = Colorado State University|last = Cornelius|first = Cornell}}</ref> These facilities will employ a workforce of 32,000 at build-out.

In 1965, mayor [[Norma O. Walker]] became the [[List of first female mayors|first woman]] to head a U.S. city with a population over 60,000.

In 1978, the cult coming-of-age film ''[[Over the Edge (film)|Over the Edge]]'' was filmed in Aurora; the crime drama has been named the "signature film" of Denver.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 10, 2020|title=The signature film of 76 cities around the world|url=https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/the_signature_film_of_76_cities_around_the_world/s1__29954069|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=Yardbarker|language=en}}</ref>

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]]''. However, due to legal problems the project was never completed. The script of the unmade film project, renamed ''[[Argo (2012 film)|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/4865 |title=World Youth Day memorial signs in need of repair |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927065853/http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/4865 |archive-date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref>

Aurora is split among three counties and lies distant from the respective county seats. A [[consolidated city-county|consolidated city and county government]] such as those found elsewhere in Colorado ([[Denver]] and [[Broomfield, Colorado|Broomfield]]) was considered in the mid-1990s but failed to win approval by city voters; the issue was reconsidered in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sentinelcolorado.com/|title=The Sentinel|date=May 4, 2023|website=Sentinel Colorado}}</ref>

Aurora Sports Park opened in 2003. In 2004, Aurora was honored as the ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' magazine's 50th-anniversary "Sportstown" for Colorado because of its exemplary involvement in facilitating and enhancing sports. The city attracts more than 30 regional and national sports tournaments annually to Aurora's fields. Aurora's active populace is also reflected in the variety of professional athletes [[#Climate|hailing from the city]]. Aurora's first semi-professional sports franchise, the [[Aurora Cavalry]] in the [[International Basketball League (2005-)|International Basketball League]], began play in 2006 but folded by season's end due to budget mishaps.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}

In 2008, Aurora was designated an [[All-America City]] by the National Civic League.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncl.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130&Itemid=186 |title=AAC Winners by State and City |publisher=Ncl.org |access-date=July 25, 2012}}</ref>

Aurora pioneered the use of [[bank filtration]] in the United States, becoming one of the first U.S. cities to reap the benefits of siphoning water from beneath a riverbed upon completion of the Prairie Waters Project in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Levy |first=Max |date=January 10, 2023 |title=Aurora poised to double capacity of Prairie Waters riverbank filtration project with federal grant |url=https://sentinelcolorado.com/orecent-headlines/aurora-poised-to-double-capacity-of-prairie-waters-riverbank-filtration-project-with-federal-grant/ |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=Sentinel Colorado |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Prairie Waters |url=https://www.auroragov.org/residents/water/water_system/water_sources/prairie_waters |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=auroragov.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2017, the [[El Salvador|Republic of El Salvador]] opened a consulate in Aurora, serving Colorado, [[Kansas]], [[Nebraska]], and [[Wyoming]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://consuladoaurora.rree.gob.sv/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118105939/http://consuladoaurora.rree.gob.sv/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 18, 2018|title=Consulado de el Salvador en Aurora, Colorado - Inicio}}</ref> In 2024, the [[Honduras|Republic of Honduras]] opened the city's second diplomatic post.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aurora welcomes new Consulate General of Honduras, the second diplomatic post in the city |url=https://www.auroragov.org/news/whats_new/aurora_welcomes_new_consulate_general_of_honduras |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=www.auroragov.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Aurora theater shooting===
{{Main|2012 Aurora theater shooting}}
On July 20, 2012, Aurora was the site of the deadliest shooting by a lone shooter in Colorado (and the state's overall second deadliest, after the 1999 [[Columbine High School massacre]]).<ref name="70 victims in mass shooting">{{cite news | title = Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: 70 Victims The Largest Mass Shooting | url = http://gma.yahoo.com/colorado-batman-movie-shooting-suspect-phd-student-085940589--abc-news-topstories.html | access-date = July 21, 2012 | publisher = Good morning America | date = July 20, 2012 | archive-date = July 21, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120721004136/http://gma.yahoo.com/colorado-batman-movie-shooting-suspect-phd-student-085940589--abc-news-topstories.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> The shooting occurred just after midnight, when [[James Holmes (mass murderer)|James Holmes]] opened fire during the [[Midnight movie#Midnight releases|midnight premiere]] of ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' in a [[Century Theatres|Century]] [[movie theater]], killing 12 people and injuring 70 others.<ref name="complete list">{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/officials-release-complete-list-of-injured-victims-in-aurora-massacre/ |title=Officials release complete list of injured victims in Aurora massacre |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=January 10, 2013 |access-date=July 4, 2013}}</ref> Holmes was arrested and was eventually sentenced to 12 life sentences in prison with an additional required 3,318 years. The shooting drew an international response from world leaders. U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] visited victims, as well as local and state officials, and addressed the nation in a televised address from Aurora on July 22. Actor [[Christian Bale]], who plays [[Batman]] in the film, also visited some victims in hospitals. The events marked a turning point in recognition and public perception of the city; rather than referring to the site as being in "Denver" or "suburban Denver", as would have been typical before the event, virtually all media accounts of the incident unequivocally named "Aurora" as its location.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.westword.com/news/aurora-is-finally-a-household-namefor-the-wrong-reason-5822506 |title= Aurora is Finally a Household Name...For the Wrong Reason |website= westword.com |access-date= March 20, 2015 |quote= Most of the headlines name-check Aurora as the site of the massacre, rather than tying it to a Denver suburb. |date= July 20, 2012 }}</ref>

===Elijah McClain===
{{main|Killing of Elijah McClain}}
On August 30, 2019, [[Elijah McClain]] died six days after an unprovoked detention by two Aurora police officers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://auroragov.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_1881137/File/News%20Items/Investigation%20Report%20and%20Recommendations%20(FINAL).pdf|title=Investigation Report and Recommendations|author=Independent Review Panel|publisher=City of Aurora|date=February 22, 2021|access-date=April 23, 2021}}</ref> On June 27, 2020, Aurora Police in riot gear dispersed thousands of protestors at a [[Elijah McClain#Violin Protest|violin concert]] held in his honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/13/arts/music/elijah-mcclain-violin-vigil.html|title=Violin Vigils Honor the Memory of Elijah McClain|first=Giulia|last=Heyward|work=[[New York Times]]|date=July 13, 2020|access-date=April 23, 2021}}</ref> On October 12, 2023, one of the officers involved in McClain's death was found guilty on charges of assault and [[negligent homicide]], while another officer was acquitted on all charges against him, which included assault and reckless manslaughter.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Babineau |first1=Andi |last2=Levenson |first2=Eric |last3=Tucker |first3=Emma |name-list-style=and |date=October 12, 2023 |title=One officer who arrested Elijah McClain convicted of criminally negligent homicide; second officer acquitted |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/us/elijah-mcclain-police-trial-thursday/index.html |access-date=October 20, 2023 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

=== 2024 U.S. Presidential Election ===
Aurora was thrust into national media coverage during the run-up to the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 U.S. presidential election]]. In September 2024, statements made by mayor Mike Coffman and city council member Danielle Jurinsky, both Republicans, fueled a rumor 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." The rumor spread across right-wing media before the two officials backpedaled from their original assertions. 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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Alvarez |first1=Alayna |title=Aurora leaders backtrack on "overstated" claims of Venezuelan gang activity |url=https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2024/09/11/aurora-venezuelan-gang-arrests-mike-coffman-danielle-jurinsky |work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |date=September 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Acevedo |first1=Nicole |title=What led to rumors Trump shared about Venezuelan gangs taking over a Colorado building? |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-debate-venezuelan-gangs-colorado-rcna170255 |publisher=NBC News |date=September 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-26 |title=Police identify three more people from viral video of armed men inside Aurora apartment complex |url=https://www.denver7.com/news/front-range/aurora/police-identify-three-more-people-from-viral-video-of-armed-men-inside-aurora-apartment-complex |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH) |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mason |first=Tori |date=2024-08-30 |title=Venezuelan gang activity confirmed by Aurora officials after release of Colorado woman's surveillance video - CBS Colorado |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-venezuelan-gang-activity-aurora-crime-woman-moves-video-guns/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Mayor Coffman then pushed back against Trump's claims that the city was overrun by Venezuelan gangs.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-10 |title=Trump seizes on one block of a Colorado city to warn of migrant crime threat, even as crime dips |url=https://www.fox16.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-trump-seizes-on-one-block-of-a-colorado-city-to-warn-of-migrant-crime-threat-even-as-crime-dips/ |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=KLRT - FOX16.com |language=en-US}}</ref> At the October 11 rally at Aurora's Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric and proposed an "Operation Aurora" to remove undocumented immigrants connected to gangs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waddick |first=Karissa |title=Trump proposes 'Operation Aurora,' escalates migrant rhetoric at Colo. rally: 3 takeaways |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/10/11/trump-operation-aurora-colorado/75617416007/ |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> At a press conference held the same day at Aurora's [[Stanley Marketplace]] to denounce Trump's rally, Colorado Governor [[Jared Polis]] said, "We welcome the eyes of the nation on a true Colorado gem, the great city of Aurora."<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Birkeland |first1=Bente |last2=DeMare · |first2=Kiara |date=2024-10-11 |title=In a long but cheerful line, Trump supporters await their candidate in Aurora |url=https://www.cpr.org/2024/10/11/donald-trump-aurora-colorado-visit/ |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=Colorado Public Radio |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Writer |first=Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff |date=2024-10-11 |title=Colorado Dems skewer Trump in Aurora ahead of campaign rally at Gaylord |url=https://sentinelcolorado.com/metro/colorado-dems-skewer-trump-in-aurora-ahead-of-campaign-rally-at-gaylord/ |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=Sentinel Colorado |language=en-US}}</ref>
Following Trump's inauguration, [[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]] conducted raids targeting suspected Tren de Aragua gang members in Aurora and Denver.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/ice-raid-aurora-arrests-venezuelan-gang/story?id=118483334 |title=ICE carries out raid in Colorado, 100 members of Venezuelan gang targeted for arrest: Officials |first1=Nadine |last1=El-Bawab |first2=Jeffrey |last2=Cook |first3=Luke |last3=Barr |website=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/02/05/colorado-ice-raid-targets-immigrant-gang-members/78248926007/|title=Trump's promised immigration raids hit Colorado cities|first=Trevor Hughes and Rick|last=Jervis|website=USA TODAY}}</ref> In an address to Congress on March 4, 2025, Trump picked up his narrative again, claiming that immigrants have “destroyed” Aurora and that the city has “buckled under the weight of migrant occupation.”<ref>{{cite web | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/14/us/aurora-colorado-apartments-closing-gang-activity/index.html | title=Colorado apartment complex where armed gang members were seen on video will be closed | date=January 14, 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Zeke |last2=Price |first2=Michelle L. |date=2025-03-05 |title=Trump falsely says Aurora 'buckled,' 'destroyed' by immigrants, gangs; promises unrelenting action' for US change |url=https://sentinelcolorado.com/metro/trump-says-aurora-buckled-destroyed-by-immigrants-gangs-promises-to-keep-unrelenting-action-for-massive-change/ |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=[[Sentinel Colorado]] |language=en-US |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://denvergazette.com/aurora/aurora-tren-de-aragua-venezuelan-gang-police-todd-chamberlain/article_87f18a91-831c-411a-b89d-43a63e6d28d7.html | title=Aurora's new police chief confronts Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua | date=March 22, 2025 }}</ref> Coffman expressed disappointment and characterized the remarks as "undeserved".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pearce |first=Kyla |date=2025-03-06 |title=Trump claimed Aurora is a 'beautiful town destroyed' by illegal immigration |url=https://denvergazette.com/aurora/aurora-tda-gang-donald-trump-crime-congressional-address/article_0531e0be-f9f8-11ef-8255-87183d29fc0f.html |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=[[Denver Gazette]] |language=en}}</ref>