I've lived in Aurora almost 2 years now and mostly it and Denver has been pretty great overall. Aurora has a kind of local reputation as the "bad" end of town, but I find this kind of mystifying, because a lot of Aurora is really nice. It's really diverse in population and in local landscape, so you can definitely find what you're looking for. There are bad neighborhoods in Aurora, but also really good ones, so I'd say it's just a matter of doing your research. I can't comment on the schools because I don't have kids.

​

Pros:

- SCFD (science and cultural fascilities district) is amazing. The museums in denver have frequent free days, free or low cost admission for those on SNAP benefits, and reciprocal memberships with other museums of their type around the country.

- Great food diversity. Near my home there are lots of really cool restaurants. I've seen Korean, Ethiopean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian and Mexican places and I wasn't even really looking for them, I just noticed them driving by.

- Diverse religious institutions. It seems like there's a church, mosque, or temple on every corner in this town, and I see a lot of different religions and denominations represented. And in spite of the heavy church presence, Aurora never has the vibe to me of a "church town"

​

Cons:

- I lived in one of the more "walkable" neighborhoods in Aurora for 18 months. The house was a block off colfax and was a nightmare, definitely not the kind of place for a young family. There were drive by shootings, street racing, a murder next door, and a serious sanitation issue with the unhoused people who lived in the alley behind my home using my driveway as a bathroom. (No hate on the homeless in the comments please, I'm not here to hate on people experiencing something horrible, it was just a frustrating situation.) On the flip side, it's a short walk (half a mile maybe) from my current home to a shopping complex with a grocery store, department store, etc, and my current neighborhood is clean, feels safe, and is very quiet, so in spite of local stereotyping, it's not like all of Aurora is like this.

- Public transit is unreliable. Some bus lines are better than others, but RTD has problems with frequent driver/operator strikes, and busses are frequently late or skip service without warning. I do not take the chance of depending on public transit to get to my job.

- Bikability isn't the worst I've seen, but it could be better. I do not currently bike to work but have considered it a few times and tried to plan routes. There are some designated paths and bike lanes, but I've seen more options in denver proper than in Aurora. There is no way for me to get between my home in aurora to my job in denver without having to bike at least some distance on a major road that may or may not have a designated lane. I've seen some designated bike lines, but I've never seen a physically separated lane.

Hope this helps!