Historical Tidbits About Aurora, Colorado
Aurora, Colorado originated in the 1880’s as the town of Fletcher, named after a Denver businessman Donald Fletcher who saw it as a real estate opportunity. He and his partners staked out four square miles east of Denver, but the town struggled after the silver crash of 1893 and Donald Fletcher left town, leaving the town of Fletcher with a huge water debt. The remaining inhabitants decided to rename their town Aurora in 1907, and it slowly began to grow becoming the fastest growing city in the United States during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. As of the 2000 Census, there were 276,303 people, 105,625 households and 68,867 families residing in the city. Out of the 105,625 households, 35.5% had children under the age of 18, 46.9% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families.
Fitzsimons Army Hospital was erected in 1921 and Buckley Field was built in 1942. Aurora is currently the home to the University of Colorado Hospital and Health Services Center and Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building and Colorado Bioscience Park Aurora.
