Aurora Overview

Aurora is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 175,952 (2007 est.). Aurora lies within four counties: Kane, Dupage, Kendall, and Will. About 110,000 of the city’s residents reside in Kane County, while about 42,000 live in DuPage County. Only a few thousand Aurorans are in Will and Kendall Counties. The city refers to itself as “The City of Lights” because it was one of the first cities in Illinois to implement an all-electric street lighting system in 1881. Aurora officially adopted the nickname in 1908.

Economy

Aurora is on the edge of the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor. The city has a long tradition of manufacturing, making it an industrial center that could stand alone, separate from Chicago. Prominent manufacturers, past and present, included: Lyon Workspace Products, The Aurora Silver Plate Manufacturing Company, Barber Greene Ltd., the Chicago Corset Company, the Aurora Brewing Company, Stephens-Adamson Company, Caterpillar Incorporated, Allsteel Metals, National Metalwares, and Western Wheeled Scraper Works (later Austin-Western Inc.). Olsson Roofing Company, Inc. was started in 1914 and is one of the oldest companies in the city. The most prominent employer and industry was the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad (later Burlington Northern) which was headquartered in Aurora. The CB&Q Roundhouse is still standing, and is now the popular restaurant Walter Payton’s Roundhouse.

Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

Formed in 1987, the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (AACVB) is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to aggressively promoting and marketing the area as a premier overnight destination. The goal of the AACVB is to enhance the economic and environmental well-being of our region comprised of nine communities: Aurora, Batavia, Big Rock, Montgomery, North Aurora, Plano, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Yorkville. The AACVB has four primary responsibilities: To encourage groups to hold meetings, conventions, tradeshows, sporting events and group travel in the nine communities we serve; To assist these groups with meeting preparations in advance of their arrival and also while their meeting or event is in progress; and To encourage individual recreational travelers to visit and enjoy the historic, cultural, retail, dining and recreational opportunities this destination offers; To court travel writers and all members of the media to experience the fruits of the scenic Fox River Valley—one of Illinois’ most vibrant regions—and to share this knowledge with a large circulation of readers.

Education

According to the United States Census, of Aurora’s population over the age of twenty-five, 26% hold a bachelor’s degree.

Two main school systems have served the Kane County, Illinois core location of Aurora, Illinois since the 1860s, one on either side of the Fox River which physically divides the city. In addition, the far eastern portion of Aurora, within DuPage County, Illinois, has been served by Indian Prairie School District (IPSD) 204 since that district’s formation in 1972. All three of these districts (Aurora Public Schools: West Side (District 129), Aurora Public Schools: East Side (District 131) and IPSD) have their headquarters and administrative offices within the Aurora city limits. As of 2005 there will be no less than forty public schools within Aurora city limits, serving residents of Aurora and neighboring communities.

Due to the sheer size of the city of Aurora, these are not the only three school systems serving residents – some students in the far north end of the city (north of I88 in Kane County) attend Batavia, Illinois public schools, some on the far southwest side attend the Kaneland School district (headquartered in Maple Park, Illinois), and some students in the far south end of the city (Kendall and Will County portions) attend Oswego, Illinois public schools. 4 schools of Oswego School District #308, are located within Aurora’s city limits.

Aurora is also home to the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), a state-funded residential magnet school for grades 10 to 12. While IMSA operates under public funds (and uses the site originally designated West Aurora High School North Campus), it is managed wholly independently of the other public schools in the city of Aurora. Any Illinois student who meets admission requirements may apply to attend IMSA.

Aurora is also home to a few other private schools. Within Aurora are three Roman Catholics schools- Aurora Central, Rosary, and Marmion. Along with these three schools is Aurora Christian.

The above-named districts have forty-six public schools within the city limits of Aurora (seventeen for District #131, thirteen for District #129, eleven for District #204, four for Oswego District #308 and the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy). Aurora is also home to twenty-two private schools, 2 branches of the Waubonsee Community College, and the main campus of Aurora University.

Landmarks

The city is the location of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) and Aurora University. A non-profit organization Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple of Greater Chicago which is a major Hindu temple located near IMSA. Aurora also has its own zoo, Phillips Park Zoo. Aurora’s downtown is full of architectural landmarks and historic places.

The Phillips Park ‘Sunken Garden’.

Museums

• Aurora Historical Society

• Aurora Regional Fire Museum

• The Aurora Public Arts Commission

• Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall

• Phillips Park Zoo

• David L. Pierce Art and History Center

• SciTech Interactive Science Museum.

Downtown Aurora

Downtown Aurora is home to the Paramount Theatre, a large live performance theater on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Hollywood Casino. There is also the Leland Tower, a former hotel which was the tallest building in Illinois outside the Chicago city limits. It is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Also located downtown is the main building of Aurora Public Library and a branch campus of Waubonsee Community College. Downtown Alive, a festival that includes live music and a variety of food booths, is held every Friday night in the summer. Roughly 8,000-10,000 people attend every Friday night. Downtown Aurora also hosts the annual Midwest Literary Festival during the second weekend in September. The Riverfront Playhouse is a not-for-profit theater that has held a storefront location in downtown Aurora since 1978.

Commemorative Street Names

Street Name	Location
Blues Alley	Stolp Avenue between Galena Boulevard and Downer Place
Dr. William Bonner Avenue	Pond Avenue changed to Bonner Avenue
D. Lloyd A. Hall Avenue	Beach Street between Claim Street and Delius Street
Vernon Louis Parrington Drive	White Avenue between Hartford Avenue and Terry Avenue
Reverent Oliver Shackleford Jr. Way	Sumner Avenue between New York Street and Grand Boulevard
Reverend Rovert Wesby Avenue	SLincoln Avenue between New York Street and Galena Boulevard
Marie Wilkinson Boulevard	View Street between Illinois Avenue and Plum Street

Climate

The annual precipitation for Aurora is about 40 inches. The record high for Aurora is 111 °F (44 °C), on July 14, 1936. The record low is −26 °F (−32.2 °C), on January 20, 1985. The average high temperature for Aurora in July is 84 °F (29 °C), the average January low is 10 °F (−12 °C).

On July 17-18, 1996, a major flood struck Aurora, with 16.9 inches (430 mm) of rain in a 24 hour period, which is an Illinois state record, and the second highest ever nationally. Flooding occurred in almost every low lying area, and in the Fox river valley. The flooding was just as bad in Blackberry creek, on Aurora’s far west side.

Aurora has not been struck by any major tornadoes in recent history, although they occur in the area annually. The city can still receive heavy snowfall and experiences blizzards periodically.

Aurora was hit with one of the strongest earthquakes ever to strike Illinois on May 26,1909. It put cracks through chimneys and could be felt 500,000 square miles (1,300,000km²) around.

In 1906 a tornado went through the Aurora Driving Park, a large recreation/amusement park and race track located where riddle highlands now stands. The tornado hit during the afternoon performance of the Ringling Brothers “Greatest Show on Earth” circus, when the park was crowded . It killed 2 people and injured 22, but the grandstand was still filled for the evening performance.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Aurora Transportation Center	Aurora Municipal Airport

The city is the final stop of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line of the Metra commuter rail system, allowing rail service into Chicago. The city uses pace bus for public busing. Along with Metra trains and pace buses, Greyhound buses also stop at the Aurora Transportation Center. Aurora does not currently have a stop for Amtrak trains, as the old station where they did stop closed in the 1980s. Aurora City Lines, the old city bus lines, was closed in the late 1980’s, in favor of regional bus service. Aurora also used to have an extensive streetcar system that served most neighborhoods. The Aurora Municipal Airport is a general aviation airport located in Sugar Grove, IL just outside of Aurora, Illinois. Although the airport is located within Sugar Grove, it is operated by the City of Aurora. The Aurora Airport is designed as a reliever airport for Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway Airports, and also handles a lot of international cargo. It is capable of landing boeing 757 aircraft.

Healthcare

Rush-Copley Medical Center

Aurora currently has two hospitals, one on the west side, Mercy Center for Healthcare Services, and one in Fox Valley, Rush-Copley Medical Center. Aurora at one point had three hospitals, St. Joseph Hospital, on the west side, St. Charles hospital, in uptown, and Copley Memorial Hospital, on the east side. St Joseph and St, Charles hospitals have been converted into living centers, and the old Copley hospital, which was one of the largest hospitals in the area, sits vacant. The city of Aurora recently demolished the old smokestacks from the hospital, as they were starting to crumble and fall down. Dreyer Medical also has several clinics in the city.

Media

Many of Aurora’s former television and radio stations were closed as stations from Chicago were favored among residents.

Television

• Telefutera Channel 60 WXFT Aurora

• Channel 24 W24AJ Aurora

• Channel 54 W54EB Waubonsee Community College

• Channel 6 ACTV Aurora

• TLN Total Living Network

Radio

• AM 1280 WBIG Aurora

• FM 95.9 WERV Aurora

• FM 107.9 WLEY Aurora

Newspaper

The Beacon News has been Aurora’s Daily Newspaper since 1846. The Chicago Sun Times Newsgroup now operates the company. The Beacon prints 3 different editions: The Aurora edition, the Kendall county edition, and the Kane county edition. The paper has been recognized by the Associated press, the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association, the Illinois Press Association, and the Chicago Headline Club as one of the best daily newspapers in the state of Illinois.

Crime

Aurora has developed a reputation of being a crime ridden city, although crime has declined since a recent high in 2002. Gang presence is very strong in some Aurora neighborhoods. There are also several developing gangs in certain neighborhoods. Gang violence reached a high in the 1990’s, with the city averaging nearly 30 murders per year. In July 2007, the Aurora Police Department and the FBI conducted a sweep and arrested 31 alleged gang members suspected of 22 murders dating back to the mid 1990s. There have been several recent, successful programs adopted by the city and the police department to reduce gang violence and prevent youths from joining gangs. Crime has dropped every year since 2002.

Source: , Year: 2005 number of crimes per 100,000

Crime	Aurora	Chicago	Naperville, Illinois
murder	10.1	15.6	2.9
rape	44.2	56.5	32.1
robbery	197.6	557.6	17.8
assault	385.7	626.6	207.0
burglary	2540.9	2908.0	1504.6
auto theft	389.1	785.8	52.8

Demographics

City of Aurora Population by year
850	1,200
1870	11,162
1890	20,000
1900	24,147
1910	29,800
1920	36,300
1930	46,589
1940	47,200
1950	50,600
1960	63,715
1970	74,200
1980	81,293
1990	100,279
2000	142,990
2007	175,952 (est.)

As of the census of 2000, there were 142,990 people, 46,489 households, and 34,215 families residing in the city. The average number of residents to one household is 3.6 residents. The population density was 3,711.5 people per square mile (1,432.9/km²). There were 48,797 housing units at an average density of 1,266.6/sq mi (489.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 40.01% White, 20.56% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.52% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 45.86% of the population.

There were 46,489 households out of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.7% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 35.9% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $54,861, and the median income for a family was $61,113. Males had a median income of $41,429 versus $30,150 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,131. About 6.2% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Aurora in popular culture

• Wayne’s World (1992) was about two men, Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers), and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) who lived in Aurora. The characters emerged from the television show Saturday Night Live; one of the original authors of the skit was from neighboring Naperville, Illinois, and thought Aurora had the appropriate blue collar feel desired for the characters. This underlined a long rivalry between tony Naperville and the more modest Aurora. Though most of the movie was filmed elsewhere, there are at least one or two bits that were filmed on location in Aurora, most notably the scene in which a White Castle is shown.

• Prison Break The hit FOX Network TV show has several references about Aurora, sometimes multiple times in an episode, as the show is filmed in the area.

• Recently, former Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher used Aurora in an anti-casino ad in his unsuccessful re-election campaign. Governor Fletcher referred to Aurora as a good town gone bad, because of the casino. Contrary to the ad, the casino is one thing that helped save Aurora during its industrial recession of the 1980s.

• The 2002 Film Children on Their Birthdays was filmed in a large Victorian-era home on Aurora’s west side, although the story is supposed to have taken place in Alabama.

President George W. Bush visited Aurora, Illinois on July 7, 2006, as the second president to ever visit Aurora. The first was Theodore Roosevelt in 1904.

Jonny Depp filming his latest movie “Public Enemy” at Aurora’s downtown Paramount Theater.

Source: Aurora, Illinois in Wikipedia