| The town now known as Aurora, Colorado began as | | | | restored in 2000 to commemorate the time that |
| the town of Fletcher, incorporated on April 30th, | | | | Eisenhower spent there. The hospital was |
| 1891. It was originally staked out as a | | | | decommissioned in 1999; the facility is now home to |
| four-square-mile plot of prairie land to the east of | | | | the University of Colorado Denver's Anschutz Medical |
| Denver. The original plot reached from Yosemite | | | | Campus and the Colorado Bioscience Park Aurora. It |
| Street to Peoria and 6th Avenue to 26th Avenue | | | | currently employs some 32,000 people. |
| and included just 39 residents. There were 14 brick | | | | The year 1928 saw Aurora reach official city status |
| houses with indoor plumbing and the foundations for | | | | with 2,000 people. Just 10 years later, Lowry Air |
| a water system. It was founded by real estate | | | | Force Base opened close to the new city. Prosperity |
| tycoon Donald Fletcher who named it in his own | | | | followed the base and the expanding of facilities like |
| honor. Fletcher and his partners viewed the town as | | | | Fitzsimons Hospital and by 1940, the population had |
| a real estate development opportunity to capitalize | | | | increased to 3,000. By 1950, it had expanded to |
| on the silver rush in the area. At the time, silver was | | | | some 10,000 people. Heavy government investment |
| a very valuable metal, being used in U.S. currency as | | | | brought Buckley Air National Guard Base and in time, |
| the silver dollar. However, vast quantities of gold | | | | Buckley Air Force Base brought more jobs, more |
| from California led to the U.S. government terminating | | | | residents and booming prosperity. |
| the use of silver coins as the country moved to the | | | | In 2004, Sports Illustrated paid homage to Aurora in |
| gold standard. That, unfortunately for Mr. Fletcher, led | | | | its 50th Anniversary "Sportstown" edition for |
| to repealing of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. | | | | Colorado. This honored the city's exceptional |
| That, in turn, led to the silver crash of 1893. This | | | | facilitation and encouragement of sports. The city's |
| coupled with a drought that hit the area during the | | | | commitment to sporting prowess is evidenced by the |
| same time, left Mr. Fletcher with a struggling | | | | sheer number of professional athletes that come |
| community with no income and large debts, run up | | | | from there. |
| by Fletcher to purchase water. Fletcher fled the | | | | From 1907 forward, Aurora grew slowly, finally |
| town, leaving it deeply in debt from bond payments | | | | emerging in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the |
| for non-existent water. | | | | fastest growing city in the United States. Although |
| The town was renamed Aurora in 1907 by local | | | | sometimes seen as one of Denver's suburbs, its |
| residents as it began to be overshadowed by its | | | | recent growth has led to calls for equal recognition |
| neighbor, Denver. | | | | with its neighbor. However, the lack of a defined |
| During World War I, due to Denver's reputation for | | | | business district makes this difficult to achieve. |
| the treatment of tuberculosis, Aurora was chosen as | | | | Currently, Aurora is reconsidering a consolidated city |
| the site of a new medical facility, Army Hospital 21. | | | | and county government. This failed to pass in the |
| The hospital was built to treat casualties of chemical | | | | mid-1990s. The impact of such a consolidation would |
| weapons being used in Europe. The site was | | | | be to set new boundaries which would in turn restrict |
| dedicated in the autumn of 1918. The town, at that | | | | any future growth for the city. |
| time, had a population of less than 1,000 inhabitants. | | | | From its humble beginnings of four square miles, |
| The site was quickly renamed Fitzsimons Army | | | | Aurora has grown to over 142 square miles and sits |
| Hospital in 1920, in honor of the first American | | | | on I-70, I-225 and the E-470 beltway. It is the 58th |
| medical officer killed in the war, Lt. William T | | | | most populous city in America and the third largest in |
| Fitzsimons. In 1941, the addition of a new building, | | | | Colorado, with dozens of neighborhoods and districts. |
| Building 500, gave Aurora a short-lived claim to fame | | | | It is a flourishing city of almost 320,000 people. What |
| as the site of the largest structure in the state. In | | | | a mighty oak from that little acorn grew!At you will |
| September 1955, the town became the focus of | | | | find everything you need to plan your trip, whether |
| world attention when President Dwight D. Eisenhower | | | | you need a place to sleep, a reliable rental car, or an |
| recovered at the facility from a heart attack. In fact, | | | | affordable flight or hotel reservations. We provide |
| Eisenhower was treated here for his heart condition | | | | great discounted prices for comfortable places to |
| three times during his presidency. On December 11, | | | | stay during your vacation or business trip. You can |
| 1943, U.S. Senator and 2004 Presidential Candidate | | | | search for Aurora Hotels along with many other cities |
| John Kerry was born here while his father underwent | | | | around the world and select many amenities or |
| tuberculosis treatment. A suite of rooms was | | | | preferences in our search engine. Visit online today. |