Aurora, Colorado’s third largest city, has long sought to break out of the shadow of Denver, its wealthier, more prominent neighbor to its west.

In the last several months, this city finally did — but not in the way officials had hoped.

A recent headline from an international magazine encapsulated the perception the city is now desperately trying to counter: “Colorado Town Being ‘Overrun’ By Venezuelan Gangs.” To the outside world, Aurora has taken on the persona of a dangerous, crime-swept and gang-ridden Colorado town.

And that word “town” connotes a small, frontier-like municipality in the Western U.S. 

In fact, residents maintained, Aurora is a city of roughly 400,000 souls that boasts of high-tech companies, a sprawling world-class research university, a military base, easy access to one of America’s biggest airports, and the gateway to the Rockies and all of the outdoor activities the region offers. 

And while it has its share of crime and gang activity — familiar problems in a big urban center — they added that Aurora is thriving.

More importantly, they emphasized, it is poised for growth because it has room to grow.

Literally. Aurora has roughly 30 square miles of undeveloped land.

The national image

Aurora’s image repeatedly took a hit following reports that a notorious and violent gang that originated in the prisons of Venezuela had taken over several apartment complexes.

Last August, the city had evicted 300 people from the Aspen Grove apartments, with officials claiming it was for the safety of the residents. Mountains of trash had overflowed into the parking lot, which brought rodents. Residents had also complained of heat issues, water leaks, broken windows and burned-out kitchens.

The city boarded up and fenced off the complex. 

Initially, local officials dismissed the assertion by the property management company that the presence of gang members precluded it from doing its work at complex and that it feared for the safety of its staffers and residents. The city called it an “alternative narrative” to the numerous code violations and the poor condition of the building.

Officials eventually walked back their statements after a video of armed men barging into apartment units surfaced and a cache of letters from a law firm representing the property management — written a month before the federal government acknowledged TdA had extended its tentacles into Denver — became public. More information gathered by The Denver Gazette showed the city, in fact, knew about the presence of TdA at the apartment complexes for much longer than originally disclosed.

By the time Aurora’s officials went into a damage control mode, the city had attracted the attention of Donald Trump, whose campaign described the city as a “war zone” suffering from an influx of violent gang members and blaming the Biden-Harris administration for that predicament. In September, Trump opened his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris with that image.  

Local officials, notably Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, a former Republican congressman, disputed that characterization, insisting the Venezuelan gang’s influence had been “grossly exaggerated.” Other local officials, including Gov. Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, also downplayed the gang’s activities. 

Aurora is home

What used to be a frontier town of farmers and ranchers is now Colorado’s third largest city with a population of roughly 400,000 people residing over 164 square miles.

Aurora is spread over three different counties: Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas. It sits right next to Denver International Airport. It has more than 450 neighborhoods, 300 days of sunshine each year, five golf courses, more than 100 parks, and 5,000-plus acres of open space and trails, according to city literature.

The city adds about 5,000 people each year. 

Rick Eriksen, who was born in Aurora and has spent all but three years of his life in the city, always found himself coming back to the Colorado city. 

Eriksen has traveled to many places and he said he wouldn’t mind living in any of them, but his heart belongs in Aurora, where he met his wife 46 years ago.

As a child, Eriksen recalls learning to drive on dirt and sand roads.

“When we used to go to Cherry Creek as kids, we took this long, curvy road down Chambers, then Chambers would curve around and eventually we’d end up in Cherry Creek,” he said. “It was all dirt, farms and open fields.”

Eriksen, who works in property management in Aurora, said he would’ve been shocked as a kid if the city grew to a population of 50,000. 

He thinks it’s ironic that Aurora is perceived as a city with a lot of crime — he never went into Denver growing up because of safety concerns there, he said.

According to RoadSnacks.net, an organization that provides information about regional living, Aurora is the sixth most dangerous Colorado city — behind Sheridan, Pueblo, Denver, Englewood and Lakewood. The list is based on an analysis of the most recent FBI crime data on the number of violent and property crime incidents compared to the number of people in the city, according to the website.

Even today, Eriksen sees no reason to go to Denver because, he said, Aurora has it all.

“Aurora has always consistently had something to offer,” he said. “I ride my bicycle and there are bike paths all over the city, miles upon miles of them.”

“We have over 50 parks and we’ve got, in my opinion, probably the best maintained city golf courses in the metro area,” he said. 

The recent national media attention has given the city a black eye, but the reality is much different, he said.

“Our city is not perfect, there’s no way,” he said. “Every city, I don’t care how big or small, has good people and has bad people. Our city has done a better job of trying to control the problems than other cities.” 

Notably, he said, Aurora has a vibrant culinary scene.

Some 250 of those restaurants are locally owned ethnic establishments, according to Visit Aurora. Some have won prestigious awards, such as Annette, a 2022 James Beard Foundation Award winning eatery founded by Caroline Glover. 

To Eriksen, Aurora is home.

“I go to church in Aurora, I shop in Aurora, I go to restaurants in Aurora,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

The ‘American spirit thrives’ in Aurora 

Aurora is among Colorado’s most diverse cities.

About 33% of the population speaks a language other than English at home. About 20% speak Spanish. Demographics from 2022 show that 52% of the city’s more than 400,000 residents are White, almost 17% are Black, and about 13% are two or more races. About 30% of Aurora’s residents are Hispanic or Latino.

The city highlights its diverse population as one of its shining traits, holding annual events like Global Fest.

Nebiyu Asfaw, a leader in Aurora’s Ethiopian community for more than 20 years, said the Ethiopian community is the city’s second largest immigrant group. Asfaw is also the vice president of East Colfax Community Collective, an advocacy organization in Aurora.

Aurora has undergone “remarkable” transformation in the time Asfaw has been there.

He said the city lives up to its name — “The All American City.”

“The growth of Aurora is not just in the numbers of people, but in the resilience and unity of our Aurora community, welcoming new residents, new business and experiences that make it feel like the American Dream is still alive,” Asfaw said. “Aurora’s growth has really proved that diversity is a strength.”

“It’s a city that celebrates differences while embracing the values that unite us as Americans,” he said. “Rich or poor, you can find your space here and pursue your dream. It’s a city full of potential. There’s a real sense of possibility here.”

He added: “The narrative right now is very narrow and untrue and just doesn’t do (the city) justice. I think people need to know that if you take a visit to Aurora, you’ll see that it is a place where the American spirit thrives.” 

30 square miles of untouched land — so there’s plenty of room to grow  

Naomi Colwell, who has lived in the city since 1991, when she moved there from Colorado Springs, said she was initially drawn to Aurora because it was a good place to be for a young college student.

It remains a good place to be into her adulthood, she said.

And she, too, has watched the city grow. 

Today, Colwell serves as the president and CEO of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce.

Aurora has about 200,000 jobs in a wide range of industries, with the top being education and health care, employing almost 20% of the city’s population. Following just behind are professional, scientific, management, administrative and waste management service jobs, employing about 16% of the population, according to statistics from the city’s website.

The city also has a rich military history that supports the community and economy, Colwell noted. About 40,000 veterans live in Aurora, over half of whom call the Buckley Space Force Base home. The base employs roughly 3,100 active duty members, some 4,000 National Guard personnel and reservists, another 2,400 civilians, and about 2,500 contractors. All told, estimates put Buckley’s contribution to the local economy at $1 billion a year. 

The city’s defense and aerospace industry is expanding — and booming in Aurora, she said.

Some 30 square miles of land in Aurora remain untouched, and the city is one of the only ones in the area with plenty of room to keep growing, the Colwell said.

“It’s just booming,” she said. “South of DIA in the warehouse industry, I think you’re going to see AEDC really kicking into gear and bringing businesses to this community.”

The Aurora Economic Development Council has a big hand in the city’s growth, Colwell said.

‘Easy’ to get started in Aurora 

David Levesque owns Launch Pad Brewery, a lively microbrewery in central Aurora with space and rocket-themed décor.

Levesque’s vision for the brewery, which has been around since 2015, came from his time with the Air Force, which originally brought him to Aurora in 2007.

After being stationed at Buckley Air Force Base, which became Buckley Space Force Base in 2021, and then spending several years as an engineer with Lockheed Martin, Levesque opened the brewery.

His business has been growing, he said.

The brewery won a gold medal and national recognition for one of its ales at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival.

“A lot of the stuff going around about Aurora, all of this negative talk and publicity, it’s tough because it’s not really there,” he said. “It’s a big city, and it has its issues, but all the news is saying Aurora is full of crime and it’s not any more than Denver, Boulder or Colorado Springs.”

Levesque said he thinks more businesses would be attracted to the city if there isn’t a negative stigma.

As the city grows, business opportunities will only get better, he said.

“Denver and Boulder are kind of maxed out on space, but we still have plenty of land to grow and bring in more people to the city,” Levesque said. “You’ve got so many more people coming into the city, and that’s just more customers, right?”

“I think Aurora is great. We love Aurora. My family loves Aurora. My two kids were born here,” Levesque said. “We’re just excited, and business has been good and luckily we have the city behind us.”