Aurora was first called Fletcher

Aurora’s name has a backstory that many residents never hear. The city did not start out as Aurora. It began as the town of Fletcher.

A Denver developer named Donald Fletcher and his partners laid out land east of Denver, and the town was incorporated as Fletcher on April 30, 1891, named for Fletcher himself. Then the silver crash of 1893 hit hard, money dried up, and the town was left carrying debt. Fletcher left, and the community needed a fresh start. It took time to recover. Years later, in the early 1900s, voters chose to drop his name and rename the town Aurora. The city grew from there into one of the largest in the metro area.

Why a newcomer might care: Aurora is a big city that spreads across more than one county, and parts of its early street and subdivision names still trace back to this period. Knowing that the city changed its name, and why, makes some of the old maps and records easier to read. It also explains why you may see “Fletcher” attached to early history.

The Aurora History Museum, run by the City of Aurora, keeps a permanent exhibit on the city’s story. For the founding and the name change, start there.