Aurora is the city Buckley sits in — so if you want the shortest commute and the widest range of housing and price points, it's the obvious first look. It's Colorado's third-largest city, and it's big and varied: older, more affordable neighborhoods on the west and north sides; newer, pricier master-planned areas to the southeast toward Southlands.
What it's actually like, day one
Because the base is in east Aurora, the closest neighborhoods put you minutes from the gate. Aurora gives you every amenity — the Anschutz Medical Campus (UCHealth, Children's Colorado, the VA), malls, and quick access to Denver International Airport — without leaving town. It's a genuinely diverse city, and the experience varies a lot by area, so where in Aurora matters as much as choosing Aurora.
The tradeoff
Aurora spans multiple school districts — Aurora Public Schools across most of it, and the higher-rated Cherry Creek District 5 on the southeast side — so the school you get depends entirely on the address. Housing stock ranges from mid-century to brand-new, so tour the specific neighborhood. For proximity, options, and price, though, Aurora is hard to beat.
Verify before you sign
Pull the exact district + feeder school for the address (APS vs Cherry Creek is a big difference), drive the base commute at your report time, and — at ~5,400 feet — see the place in a couple of seasons if you can.
Neighborhoods
Aurora runs from Original Aurora (older, central) to East Aurora near the base and the newer Southeast Aurora toward Southlands and Cherry Creek schools. Each is a different market and often a different district — pin down the feeder before you commit.