Possibly moving to AURORA, CO!! Please respond :)

U.S.A. Colorado

Published

Hi everyone!!! I'm in SC right now, but we might make the move over to Aurora (I see that's near Denver) in 6months to a year from now. I have some questions if anyone could answer :) I'm a newer nurse, started a job in September 2010.

What is the Aurora area like (if you live there, been there)?

Is it crowded?

How is the job market?

What is the pay like? (starting out at my hospital is just less than $19/hr).

I do NOT like beside nursing and would like a school nurse, clinic, or other job in a hospital that is more m-f 8 hours. What are the options there as far as hospitals, clinics, etc?

What are some good neighborhoods in the area?

What are the housing prices like?

Where do you work and why do you like it or dislike it?

Any other input would be great!!! :)

I live in Aurora and it has been perfectly fine. I moved here 2 years ago and had no idea where a "good" or "bad" area to live would be. I love my town-home, I have great neighbors and I feel safe. I think it is very diverse here and there are areas that are better than others. I work at The Medical Center of Aurora South for 1.5 years and I enjoy it very much. They are looking for nurses on my floor right now too! Need anymore information, I will gladly help you.

Yay, someone who lives there :) lol!

Do you know what areas of Aurora are better? I'm looking for something a reasonable distance to the base and close to shopping centers, malls, schools, etc. What neighborhood are you in? You don't have to post here if you don't want to, or you could message me. Do you have children?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Long Term Care,Cardiac Care,Pediatric..

I actually live 10 minutes from the base! lol I can see it from my kitchen! No, I don't have children. I heard that that the southern part of Aurora is better for living and there is shopping everywhere over there too. It's called Southlands mall...an outdoor kind of shopping area. Everyone at work sends their children to the Cherry Creek district for schooling because it is really good I guess. A lot of people I work with live in Aurora and have families and seem to enjoy their home and job...so it must not be that bad! I would look more "South" in Aurora. You will be just fine! :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ya, Aurora gets a bad rap, but there are some nice pockets. I'm not a nurse yet, but I recently worked at Denver Health (we moved, that's why I don't work there anymore) and I'd highly recommend you check out their website for school-based clinics or community/primary clinics. They have a great program and their main office is pretty much in Aurora and some of the schools border with Aurora as well. DH nurses start at $24/hr+.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I actually live 10 minutes from the base! lol I can see it from my kitchen! No, I don't have children. I heard that that the southern part of Aurora is better for living and there is shopping everywhere over there too. It's called Southlands mall...an outdoor kind of shopping area. Everyone at work sends their children to the Cherry Creek district for schooling because it is really good I guess. A lot of people I work with live in Aurora and have families and seem to enjoy their home and job...so it must not be that bad! I would look more "South" in Aurora. You will be just fine! :D

Well that's pretty close :) I'm sure my husband would appreciate it if we could live 20 minutes or less from the base. Right now he's driving about 45-50 minutes to get to work, because the city the base is in is a big dump and is a tiny city. Anyway, I'll check into the shopping area you mentioned. I saw the Cherry Creek district on the map, and it doesn't look like it's too far. i wonder what's wrong with the Aurora district :p

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Long Term Care,Cardiac Care,Pediatric..
Well that's pretty close :) I'm sure my husband would appreciate it if we could live 20 minutes or less from the base. Right now he's driving about 45-50 minutes to get to work, because the city the base is in is a big dump and is a tiny city. Anyway, I'll check into the shopping area you mentioned. I saw the Cherry Creek district on the map, and it doesn't look like it's too far. i wonder what's wrong with the Aurora district :p

I think its because it's not a "rich" district. They don't put a lot of money into the schools in Aurora I guess. People say they don't care much about education and if you want your child to get a decent education to go to Cherry Creek. It's not too bad of a drive, many do it. I hope this all helps you! :D Good luck with everything!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Ya, Aurora gets a bad rap, but there are some nice pockets. I'm not a nurse yet, but I recently worked at Denver Health (we moved, that's why I don't work there anymore) and I'd highly recommend you check out their website for school-based clinics or community/primary clinics. They have a great program and their main office is pretty much in Aurora and some of the schools border with Aurora as well. DH nurses start at $24/hr+.

Thank you! I'm going to look right now to see what they are about. Did you move out of CO?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

Not sure what grades your kids are in but I know Smokey Hill is a good school.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Not sure what grades your kids are in but I know Smokey Hill is a good school.

It'll be a few years before my son attends school (he'll be one soon), but my daughter will be in 2nd grade. Where is Smokey Hill?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospital - Internal Med, Onc.

I live 5 minutes south of Buckely. My kids went to Rangeview HS, Columbia MS and Vassar Elem - all part of Aurora schools. We live in a nice neighborhood and it is culturally diverse. Aurora, as with any city, has it's good and bad areas. If you drive another 10 minutes south, that starts Cherry Creek schools. While it is a larger district and is well known for their academics, sports, etc., they are facing big budget cuts. Centennial is south of the base - 10-15 minutes. Just be aware that not all school districts fund each school equally, meaning, even though it's in a particular district, the same resources are not available at all schools and the test scores may reflect that. There are good schools in Aurora ISD so dont' mark it off of your list. Good luck with your move and getting the family settled!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I live 5 minutes south of Buckely. My kids went to Rangeview HS, Columbia MS and Vassar Elem - all part of Aurora schools. We live in a nice neighborhood and it is culturally diverse. Aurora, as with any city, has it's good and bad areas. If you drive another 10 minutes south, that starts Cherry Creek schools. While it is a larger district and is well known for their academics, sports, etc., they are facing big budget cuts. Centennial is south of the base - 10-15 minutes. Just be aware that not all school districts fund each school equally, meaning, even though it's in a particular district, the same resources are not available at all schools and the test scores may reflect that. There are good schools in Aurora ISD so dont' mark it off of your list. Good luck with your move and getting the family settled!

Thank you! Would you mind telling me what neighborhood you're in, if not then what are you near as far as stores and shopping. I'm weird about having a grocery store nearby :p also, I'm trying to find homes in our budget, and I'm finding some homes in aurora. I'm wanting to stay in the 150-160k range. We could do more, but I want to budget better this time around. Is your area expensive? I see there is a southlands mall in aurora, is that far from you?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I am not sure, my Cousin lives in Centennial and she did school of choice for her kids to send them to Smokey, Her daughter graduated from there and was a start Basketball player and her Son now attends there. It's a high school and not sure what the feeder middle school is but it sounds like you have a long way before than.

When I moved to CO I stayed with my cousin for a few weeks. I really liked Centennial area and it seemed cleaner with nicer parks. Aurora just seemed more dirty to me. I love diversity, that is the biggest complaint about my area where I am (Fort Collins) it's the whitest place I have ever lived, really nice parks every few blocks, splash parks, bike trails, rec centers, it's a wonderful place to raise my kids with good schools to boot. Aurora didn't seem well taken care of at all. I have lived all over the United States and the city I live in Currently is the nicest place I have ever lived. You can just see the city puts it's money back into itself. It has so much to offer and is so nice so I might be a little biased. LOL The great thing though is the base is centrally locates with many cities around it within easy commute. I would suggest flying out if you can and exploring that area. That is what my husband did. We had never been to CO before and we narrowed it down between Greeley, Ft. Collins and Loveland. We had the flexibility to chose wherever we wanted because he owns his own business. We came from WA (one of the many many places I have lived.) Anyway, he flew out and got a hotel in Fort Collins and explored the cities and decided on Fort Collins. We secured a place from Craigslist before we moved. LOL

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I am not sure, my Cousin lives in Centennial and she did school of choice for her kids to send them to Smokey, Her daughter graduated from there and was a start Basketball player and her Son now attends there. It's a high school and not sure what the feeder middle school is but it sounds like you have a long way before than.

When I moved to CO I stayed with my cousin for a few weeks. I really liked Centennial area and it seemed cleaner with nicer parks. Aurora just seemed more dirty to me. I love diversity, that is the biggest complaint about my area where I am (Fort Collins) it's the whitest place I have ever lived, really nice parks every few blocks, splash parks, bike trails, rec centers, it's a wonderful place to raise my kids with good schools to boot. Aurora didn't seem well taken care of at all. I have lived all over the United States and the city I live in Currently is the nicest place I have ever lived. You can just see the city puts it's money back into itself. It has so much to offer and is so nice so I might be a little biased. LOL The great thing though is the base is centrally locates with many cities around it within easy commute. I would suggest flying out if you can and exploring that area. That is what my husband did. We had never been to CO before and we narrowed it down between Greeley, Ft. Collins and Loveland. We had the flexibility to chose wherever we wanted because he owns his own business. We came from WA (one of the many many places I have lived.) Anyway, he flew out and got a hotel in Fort Collins and explored the cities and decided on Fort Collins. We secured a place from Craigslist before we moved. LOL

Wow, that sounds like a nice place you live in :) Hopefully I'll be able to go out there before we move (if we definitely move) to check out the areas. We are definitely staying near the base, so we probably will live in Aurora.. but Centennial doesn't look too far away either.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment