Auraria, from the Latin for gold, was the original 1858 settlement in what became Denver. Originally bordered by the South Platte River on the south, Cherry Creek on the north and east, and Colfax Avenue on the south, it was annexed by Denver in 1860. The name was resurrected for the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) housing the Community College of Denver, the Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado Denver.
- Courtesy Tom "Dr. Colorado" Noel