New Census Data Shows Aurora, Colo., Boasts 2nd Largest Net Population Gain of Any American Suburb

AURORA, Colo., June 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the newest U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Aurora, Colo., just east of Denver, saw the second-largest net population gain of any American suburb.

At a time when communities across the country are vying to attract skilled professionals and a national debate rages about the state and economic health of America's suburbs, the census statistics reveal that U.S. suburbs – particularly the country's largest close-in communities like Aurora – continue to attract large numbers of people and grow at a rapid pace.

The newest population estimates, released May 23, show that Aurora is the nation's fifth largest suburb by population and that the city has added more residents than any other U.S. suburb except Irvine, Calif. Aurora's population jumped from 325,078 in the 2010 census to an estimated 339,030 residents as of July 2012, a net gain of 13,952 people. This increase of nearly 14,000 people puts Aurora ahead of several other major suburbs, including Phoenix suburbs Mesa, Ariz., and Gilbert, Ariz., and Dallas-Fort Worth suburb Plano, Texas.

The new census data also reveals that Aurora is among the nation's fastest-growing large suburbs – those with a population greater than 200,000 – ranking fourth among these cities, with an increase of 4.29 percent from the 2010 census figures to the 2012 population estimates. 

Aurora's expansion is due in part to major investments in the community over the past several years by numerous companies and developers across a wide variety of industries, including bioscience, aerospace and defense, renewable energy and transportation and logistics, with each of these sectors creating hundreds of jobs and opportunities for the suburb's residents and beyond. In addition, with its attractive home prices, affordable cost of living and superior quality of life, Aurora has attracted a diverse group of new residents, including highly skilled professionals from across the country and around the world.

One of the major drivers of Aurora's growth is the redevelopment of the former Fitzsimons Army Base into one of the largest bioscience redevelopments in the United States. The Anschutz Medical Campus and Fitzsimons Life Science District is undergoing a $5.2 billion transformation in one square mile. This thriving campus has some of the top medical centers in the nation all in one place including University of Colorado Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dental, Pharmacy and Public Health; the University of Colorado Hospital; Children's Hospital Colorado; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital that is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2015.  The campus serves more than 500,000 patients annually and employs more than 21,000 people. At full build out, the campus will employ nearly 45,000 people, which will continue to help propel the city's future population growth.

In the coming years, Aurora will also be even more well-connected to the larger metro Denver region as the Regional Transportation District's FasTracks project is completed, including a new 10.5-mile light rail line running along the major corridor of I-225, providing easy access for commuters and residents to Aurora's Anschutz Medical Campus and Life Science District, the Medical Center of Aurora, the Aurora Municipal Center, and routes to the Denver Tech Center and Denver International Airport.

Another sector fueling Aurora's development is the city's aerospace and defense industry. Aurora's Buckley Air Force Base has an economic impact on the region of more than $1 billion annually. Buckley continues to be the fastest growing Air Force base in the nation. Aurora also has a large concentration of aerospace and defense employees at companies including Raytheon Company, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and The Boeing Company. All of these aerospace and defense companies have major operations in Aurora. In fact, Raytheon is the city's second largest private employer with more than 2,200 employees (Northrop has 920, Lockheed has 810, and Boeing has 300 – all in Aurora's top 25 largest private employers).

The city is also home to the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC), the nation's largest solar technology testing facility, which opened in June 2011, garnering investment from countries and companies around the world, including Spain, Turkey and Japan. In addition, Front Range Airport, just outside Aurora in Adams County, is vying to become one of only six test sites in the country for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  Front Range Airport is also planning to be a designated spaceport, Spaceport Colorado, which will allow the site be a hub for suborbital flights.

In the past year alone, the city has experienced a substantial amount of economic development deals and announcements, including Advanced Circuits, North America's third-largest circuit board fabricator, which spent $8.4 million to expand its corporate headquarters in Aurora, and plans to add 50 jobs. United Natural Foods, Inc., the leading distributor of organic, natural foods, will open its 535,000-square-foot, $67 million regional distribution hub facility in Aurora this summer, starting with 475 workers and planning to employ up to 550 people within three years. Steven Roberts Original Desserts – a manufacturer of cheesecakes, layer cakes, pies, tarts, cookies and other dessert items for 25,000 restaurants, theaters and hotels, and the nation's 27th largest job creator – will move to a 386,000-square-foot facility in Aurora later this year and could bring more than 800 jobs over the next three years.

"Companies are selecting Aurora to develop, invest and put down roots, which equates to more jobs and residents," said Wendy Mitchell, president and CEO of the Aurora Economic Development Council. "With its location on the eastern perimeter of the metro area, Aurora features numerous master planned developments that can accommodate office, commercial and industrial growth. Companies prefer to locate to areas like Aurora because of the easy access to the transportation network, land availability, surrounding amenities and a quality workforce."

Aurora is also seeing investment in its budding craft beer scene, giving residents a taste of microbreweries in a state that is famous for its brews. The much-loved and locally owned Dry Dock Brewing Company, which opened in Aurora in 2005 and was named Best Small Brewing Company of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival in 2009, expanded this year with a six-acre, $4.5 million, 30,000-square-foot distribution warehouse that puts it on track to become Colorado's second-largest brewery. In addition, Aurora has lured Mu Brewery, which will open this fall in a former hardware store and tailor shop in the Aurora Cultural Arts District, an area of the city that is being revitalized. The city has also become known as a melting pot of cultures and cuisines, including a wide-ranging restaurant scene, captured in Aurora's Yum guide, which lists more than 150 ethnic, locally owned dining establishments, many of them started by entrepreneurs originally hailing from foreign countries.

"With our diversity and array of cultural amenities, thriving companies, available land for businesses looking to invest and low commute times, our city is a very attractive place to live, work, and invest – something that is reflected in the latest census numbers," said Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan. "People are flocking to Aurora, because we have jobs, opportunity, and are an open and welcoming community. There's a palpable excitement with so much momentum for our city."

According to the new Census estimates, as of July 2012, the top five U.S. suburbs by net population gain from 2010 to 2012 are:

1. Irvine, Calif. (17,610 population gain)
2. Aurora, Colo. (13,952 population gain)
3. Mesa, Ariz. (13,043 population gain)
4. Gilbert, Ariz. (12,687 population gain)
5. Plano, Texas (12,227 population gain)

Aurora ranks fifth on the list of top five U.S. suburbs by population, according to the new Census estimates, as of July 2012.

1. Mesa, Ariz. (452,084)
2. Virginia Beach, Va. (447,021)
3. Arlington, Texas (375,600)
4. Anaheim, Calif. (343,248)
5. Aurora, Colo. (339,030)

In addition, Aurora ranks fourth when comparing 2012 population estimates to the 2010 census, looking at the fastest growing large American suburbs with a population greater than 200,000.

1. Irvine, Calif. (8.29%)
2. Gilbert, Ariz. (6.09%)
3. Plano, Texas (4.71%)
4. Aurora, Colo. (4.29%)
5. Irving, Texas (4.22%)

About the City of Aurora, Colo.
Situated on prairie grasslands, rolling hills and the Black Forest's northern tip, Aurora offers something for every lifestyle, from convenient urban living to master-planned communities.  Aurora is a close-knit community with excellent services and amenities. Aurora is also a diverse global community. People from around the world live, work and have businesses throughout our community, creating a culturally rich environment and one of our greatest assets.

Long known as the Gateway to the Rockies, this All-America City lies on the eastern edge of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area. The city boasts spectacular views of the Front Range spanning from Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs to Longs Peak in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  And, if you need to travel locally or abroad, Aurora's proximity to three major highways, imminent light rail line and Denver International Airport makes it not only accessible, but the shortest commute to the world. 

More than 335,000 residents and 10,000 businesses choose to call Aurora home, making it the third largest city in Colorado and the 56th largest in the United States. It's also the eighth safest city of its size in the nation. The city covers 154 square miles, and is located within three counties, Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas. Aurora is a home-rule city, and has a Council/City Manager form of government with a mayor, six ward members and four at-large members. For more information on the city of Aurora, go to www.auroragov.org.

About the Aurora Economic Development Council
A partnership between business and government for more than three decades, the Aurora Economic Development Council champions Colorado's most promising growth industries including aerospace and defense, bioscience, transportation logistics and energy, positioning Aurora and Colorado to win new jobs in an intensely competitive market. We create new primary jobs through innovative deal creation, strategic partnerships, and by advocating for economically sustainable public policy. The Aurora Economic Development Council is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(6) corporation comprised of the leading 100 companies in the Aurora/Denver metro area, the city of Aurora, and Adams and Arapahoe Counties. A-List, Colorado's premier business event of the metro area that brings together 2,000 regional business, political and civic leaders to celebrate the economic successes of the region, is produced by the Aurora Economic Development Council. Accelerate Colorado, the only statewide advocacy partnership between business and local governments that works with the U.S. Congress and key federal leadership on issues critical to the state's economic development, top industries and business community and conducts an annual business mission to Washington, D.C., is an affiliate of the Aurora Economic Development Council.  For more information on the Aurora Economic Development Council, visit www.auroraedc.com.

CONTACT: Rachel Deloffre, Development Counsellors Int'l, 1-303-455-9425, rachel.deloffre(at)aboutdci.com

SOURCE Aurora Economic Development Council; City of Aurora, Colo.