Centennial or Aurora? (Denver, Colorado Springs, Littleton: mortgage, townhome, neighborhood)

[FrAZToCO]

I understand in some areas they kind of run together they both share the same ZIP code and Cherry Creek Schools. It seems like to similar home across the road from each other one is in Centennial and another is Aurora. For example homes on realtor.com along Smokey Hill Road to the I470 some are centennial addresses and others Aurora but they have the same schools.
Is it better to buy a home with the Centennial address just because it doesn't say Aurora? Does it affect property value? Are city services any better? Are you really any safer? Should you stay away from these home or are they a good value as long as the schools and area seem o.k.?

[2bindenver]

Maybe I can help explain how Realtors put properties in MLS, and that my explanation will help assure you that "Aurora" could be unincorporated Arapahoe County, and some properties are not properly put in "Centennial" because of the old legal description.

When I add a listing to MLS, I have to find the county id #, and our MLS system auto-populates those known facts.

The legal description may read Aurora even if it is within Centennial's city boundary.

In the 1980's the city allowed itself to become overbuilt, especially in lower income and multifamily housing. Those entry level areas, closest to Denver, can be problematic.

Other newer areas may have the stigma of the "Aurora" city name, and there is some monetary compensation, but none of the problems.

Personally, I'd trade living with the Aurora city label for the CC SD any day. There is a reason that folks clamor for CC schools. It helps sell houses every day of the week. You only get one chance for a good education.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by FrAZToCO

I understand in some areas they kind of run together they both share the same ZIP code and Cherry Creek Schools. It seems like to similar home across the road from each other one is in Centennial and another is Aurora. For example homes on realtor.com along Smokey Hill Road to the I470 some are centennial addresses and others Aurora but they have the same schools.
Is it better to buy a home with the Centennial address just because it doesn't say Aurora? Does it affect property value? Are city services any better? Are you really any safer? Should you stay away from these home or are they a good value as long as the schools and area seem o.k.?

I generally agree with 2bindenver -- school district is more important than town name. But, on the other hand, Aurora has a stigma attached to it and that does matter to some buyers; and that could affect resale. But the difference is more one of psychology than reality, at least for the part of "Aurora" that you're looking into.

[JFletch]

Originally Posted by FrAZToCO

I understand in some areas they kind of run together they both share the same ZIP code and Cherry Creek Schools. It seems like to similar home across the road from each other one is in Centennial and another is Aurora. For example homes on realtor.com along Smokey Hill Road to the I470 some are centennial addresses and others Aurora but they have the same schools.
Is it better to buy a home with the Centennial address just because it doesn't say Aurora? Does it affect property value? Are city services any better? Are you really any safer? Should you stay away from these home or are they a good value as long as the schools and area seem o.k.?

The boundary between Centennial and Aurora is quite irregular and the eastern part of Centennial is actually surrounded by Aurora on three sides. Parts of both cities are in the ZIP codes 80015 and 80016, and the Cherry Creek School District covers both ZIP codes. The parts of 80015/16 that are in Aurora and those that are in Centennial are indistinguishable from one another.

That said, one must understand how mailing addresses work in this country - the USPS delivers mail based on ZIP codes, with city names playing a secondary role. Each ZIP code can have multiple city names assigned to it. Both "Aurora" and "Centennial" are assigned to 80015 and 80016, which means that any address in those ZIP codes can be written with either city name. Thus, the mailing address for a house lying within the Aurora city limits could be written "Centennial, CO 80015". By the same token, a house lying within the Centennial city limits can be written "Aurora, CO 80015" (and would have had to have been before 2001, when Centennial did not exist).

Thus, one cannot simply take for granted that a house with a "Centennial address" or an "Aurora address" is actually in the corresponding city. No doubt there are realtors who "spin" this postal loophole and indicate a house's address as "Centennial, CO 80016" when it is actually in Aurora; on the other hand, since "Aurora" is the postal service's default city name for both ZIP codes and predates the City of Centennial, many addresses that are actually in Centennial continue to be given as "Aurora, CO 80016".

Bottom line: ignore the city name. Again, southern Aurora and eastern Centennial are indistinguishable. Aurora is a large city of 300,000 and nearly 150 sq. miles. Portions of Aurora, many miles from 80015/16, have earned Aurora a bad reputation that is summarily applied to the entire city. It's unfair, as parts of Aurora in 80015/16 - like Tallyn's Reach - have million-dollar homes and zero crime. The City of Aurora is established (115 yrs. old) and has put significant investment into the 80015/16 area (new library, police and fire station), while the City of Centennial is 5 yrs. old and has no library, police force or fire department (these services are provided by the Arapahoe County government seated in distant Littleton).

[COflower]

Not that this helps much but when I lived in what is now known as Centennial, I had a Littleton address.

I lived just off Colorado and Orchard. It was a nice area and backed up against the greenbelt. I am not a fan or Aurora and that's why I choose the area I lived in including it was close to my employer when I moved there. It was a townhome complex with a pool, three or so blocks from the wealth that is in the Greenwood Village area and I could follow the greenbelt past some beautiful homes that had horses, barns and such.

There were a couple of owls (one with only one eye) that I would see during the summer. It was so cool to hear them communicate at night.

It was also close to all the shopping I could muster, all the restaurants (on Araphaho) I could indulge in and close enough to I-25 that I could easily be with my family in a short amount of time here in Colorado Springs.

I eventually started working for a mortgage company part time in the Darth Vader building that didn't take me long to get to if I cruised up University.

Granted this was from late 1995 to the latter part of 1998. Things change but it was a nice area and the area surrounding it. I never felt unsafe, had decent neighbors and nice areas to walk the dog.

[tigerwings]

Along Smoky Hill you can have Aurora, Centennial, and unincorporated Arapahoe County.

I've came out here in October from Michigan to get my career back. I've narrowed my search to 80015/811016 area, because of affordable housing (for me) and the Cherry Creek schools. Parkr is still in te running but not much of what i'm looking for under 260K (3 car garage/basement, perfer a ranch).

Is there an negitives about this area, other than my conmute to the I70/Brighton St. area?

[2bindenver]

I'd go with D'Evelyn High School in Jeffco. Highly ranked school and much easier commute to 1-70/Brighton Blvd (not Brighton the city, right?)

see http://www.csapscores.org/

[OhtoCo91]

Houses in the Cherry Creek School Dist (CCSD) are more expensive than Aurora, for a good reason. Mainly since I have school age children, I would not live in Aurora School Dist. boundaries. But I have no problem with the Aurora address, esp. if the area you choose is Unincorporated Arapahoe Co. (with Aurora address) because the taxes are much lower than Aurora or City of Centennial taxes, appr. 3.8% versus 6.85% for Centennial.

The comments about the different areas of Aurora are right on. I can't imagine that an Aurora address would affect house price, as even in our small neighborhood parts are Aurora and parts are Centennial. Boundaries here are drawn in the most bizarre fashion.

[KrisluvThreePrinces]

I don't understand this whole Centennial/Aurora thing.

If Aurora has a stigma to it, why doesn't Centennial? Because Centennial is, pretty much, just a part of Aurora. From what I understand, you can have a Centennial address but your neighbors across the street have an Aurora address.

Since those two houses are in the same neighborhood, why is the value of the Centennial house better?

I just don't understand it.

There are some homes in Aurora that I really like but we hesitate to buy them because they have an Aurora address and this is a home we'll have for about 5-6 years...so we're concerned about resale value. Would it really be so much better to have a Centennial address?

[BabyBoomers2]

Because of Aurora's reputation for crime, we think that is the main reason people want a Centennial address.