Aurora, Illinois

City of Aurora, Illinois
Nicknames:  City of Lights
Location in the Chicago Metropolitan Area Location in the Chicago Metropolitan Area
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Counties	Kane, DuPage, Kendall and Will
Founded	1835
Government
• Mayor	Tom Weisner (D)
Area
• Total	39.4 sq mi (102.1 km2)
• Land	38.5 sq mi (99.8 km2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2)
Elevation	577 –735 ft (176 m - 224 (203) m)
Population  (2007)
• Total	175,952
• Density	3,711/sq mi (1,432.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Website	http://www.aurora-il.org/

The Paramount Theatre under renovation, downtown Aurora.

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.

History

Before white settlers arrived, there was a Native American village in what is today downtown Aurora. In 1834, the McCarty brothers arrived and initially owned land on both sides of the river, but sold their lands on the west side, living and operating their mill on the east side. Aurora was originally two villages: one on the East Side of the Fox River founded by the McCarty brothers and the West Side founded by the Lake brothers. A post office was established in 1837, officially creating Aurora. In 1857, Aurora (then what is now known as the East Side) joined with with the West Side, creating the city we now know. The Aurora Fire Department was established in 1856, and took ownership of its first fire engine that year. The two sides couldn’t agree on which side of the river should house the public buildings, so most public buildings were built on or around Stolp Island in the middle of the Fox River. A parking garage stands at the site of the original City Hall and Post Office. Both sides of Aurora still maintain a rivalry which is enacted through yearly high school football/basketball games. This is the oldest high school rivalry in the state of Illinois. As the city grew, many factories and jobs came to Aurora, along with many people. Many immigrants flocked to the city, mainly from Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Luxembourg, Germany, France, and Italy. Aurora became main economic center of the Fox Valley Area. The city was a manufacturing powerhouse until 1974, when the railroad shops began to close. Soon many other factories and industrial areas relocated or went out of business. By 1980, there were few operating industrial areas in the city. In 1993, a casino was built downtown, which brought redevelopment to the downtown area as well as to the areas around it. It also brought the building of several business and industrial parks on the outsides of the city. Today some of the old industrial districts have been reoccupied as warehouses. In the late 1990's, new development began in the rural areas outside of Aurora. Subdivisions sprouted up all around the city. These areas made Aurora's population soar. Today, approximatly 70,000 of the cities residents live in these areas of the city.

History of Entertainment

Aurora has a rich history of entertainment. There were several theaters in the downtown area and several large community parks with baseball stadiums, circus acts, and race tracks.

Aurora has had at least 20 theaters and playhouses in its existence. Some of the more popular were:

• Coulter Opera House

Opened-1874 Closed-1899 This was auroras first major Playhouse/Opera House/Theater. The building is still standing today as the 5/3 Bank, formerly Merchants Bank, in downtown.

• Evans Grand Opera House

Opened-1891 Closed-1915

• Bijou Theater/Star Theater

Opened-1900 Closed-1915

• Aurora Coliseum/Fox Theater

Opened-1901 Closed-1930 Changed Name to Fox Theater in 1910. Condemned by the city in 1930.

• The Strand Theater

Opened-1915 Closed-1929 Burned Down in 1929

• Sylvandell Dance Hall/Rialto Theater

Opened-1915 Closed-1928 Changed its name to the Rialto Theater in 1919. This was the most popular theater in Aurora at the time, but it unfortunately burned down in 1928. It was nicknamed the "Million Dollar Fire" because of the large amount of money the owners Frank Thielen and Jules J. Rubens spent converting the Dance hall to a top quality theater. It even had a bowling alley in the basement. Where the Rialto Theater formerly stood, there arose the most popular Aurora theater to date; the Paramount Arts Centre.

• Tivoli Theater

Opened-1928 Closed-1981 Demolished soon after closing. Was one of the more popular Aurora Theaters of all time and gave competition to the Paramount theater. But like many other Aurora Businesses in the 1980s, the Tivoli Closed. Also had a bowling alley.

• Paramount Arts Center

Opened-1931 The longest lived Aurora Theater. Was built on the site of the old Rialto Theater. Went under a complete renovation and was one of the only surviving downtown businesses during the 1980s.

• New Fox Theater

Opened-1935 Closed-1978 A third theater in Aurora for several decades. Is closed now, but the building still stands.

• Isle Theater

Opened-1938 Closed-1982 A smaller theater next to the Leland Hotel, was demolished in 1982 and now is a park.

• Coliseaum Theater

Opened-1923 Closed-1951 18 city blocks from the original Aurora Coliseum. Was converted into apartments and shops after 1951.

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, 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.

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 Arts Centre, 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

• Blues Alley

Stolp Ave. between Galena Blvd and Downer Pl.

• Dr. William Bonner Avenue

Pond Ave. changed to Bonner Ave.

• D. Lloyd A. Hall Avenue

Beach St. between Claim St. and Delius St.

• Venon Louis Parrington Drive

Highland Ave. between Kensington Pl. and Galena Blvd.

• Rich Eby Avenue

White Ave. between Hartford Ave. and Terry Ave.

• Reverent Oliver Shackleford Jr. Way

Sumner Ave. between New York St. and Grand Blvd.

• Reverend Rovert Wesby Avenue

Lincoln Ave. between New York St. and Galena Blvd.

• Marie Wilkinson Boulevard

View St. between Illinois Ave. and Plum St.

Sports

Aurora was once home to the Aurora Islanders/Blues/Foxes, a minor league baseball franchise that played from 1910-1915 in the Illinois-Wisconsin League. Their most famous player was Casey Stengel, who played one season with the team before being bought by the Brooklyn Dodgers. Stengel Batted .352 and was the batting champion of the league for 1911, and also led the league with 50 stolen bases and had 27 outfield assists. The team played in a stadium on the west side in the former riverview park.

Waubonsie Valley High School (IPSD - District 204) Soccer has won the Northern Illinois regional championship, in this highly competitive region, for both boys and girls, almost every year since 1987. In 2007, the Waubonsie Valley High School girls team won the state championship and went on to achieve the #1 ranking of all high school girl's soccer teams in the United States, finishing with an undefeated season. Aurora has numerous youth soccer clubs, most of which have teams represented in the top five percent of the Northern Illinois Soccer League. Numerous youth soccer players from Aurora have been awarded college scholarships to, and are starting players for, major college soccer programs throughout the U.S. In addition to this legacy of success in soccer, Aurora maintains numerous developmental advantages for soccer enthusiasts. Three high quality indoor soccer venues allow for year-round soccer training and competition for children and adults alike. Additionally, several area travelling soccer clubs, as well as high schools, boast coaches and/or trainers who have played soccer professionally and/or who have been starting players for national teams from various countries, some of whom played for teams that won the World Cup. Supplementing the local soccer training regimen are professional soccer trainers from England, Brazil, Holland, Scotland, and numerous other countries. Several of these trainers played in the English Premier League, for the Brazil National Team, and for the Argentine National Team.

Fastpitch softball has been in Aurora since World War II and gained popularity in 1950 when the Aurora Sealmasters finished fifth in the nation. The Sealmasters went on to win National Championships in 1959, 1961, 1965 and 1967 and World Championships in 1966 and 1968. There were many different and competitive mens leagues in Aurora from the 1960's through the mid 1990's. There are still a few leagues and teams playing to this day.

Stonebridge Country Club, on Auroras far northeast side was home to the LPGA Keebler-Kellogg classic from 2002-2004. Stonebridge was also a course in the 1991-1995 Men's Senior PGA tour.

Aurora University has Men's and Women's Basketball, Golf, Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country. It also has a men's football and baseball team, as well as women's softball and volleyball teams. Aurora University athletics are division III.

High school athletics are a major event in the city, as East and West Aurora High Schools have been rivals in all sports for over 100 years.

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 °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 (1,300,000 km²) 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.

Geography

Aurora is located at 41°45′36″N 88°17′55″W (41.759879, -88.298482).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 39.4 square miles (102.1 km²), of which, 38.5 square miles (99.8 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it (2.26%) is water.

While the city has traditionally been considered as being in Kane County, Illinois (and in fact its downtown is still entirely in that county), Aurora is one of only three cities in Illinois where the city limits actually cover parts of four counties (the others are Barrington Hills & Centralia, Illinois): Kane, DuPage, Kendall, and Will.

Regions of Aurora

Aurora is generally divided into three regions, though politically the city is divided into several wards.

• The West Side is all of Aurora west of the Fox River
• The East Side,is the city east of the river excluding the DuPage County part.
• Fox Valley, also referred to as the Far East Side is the DuPage County part of the city. This is kind of a misnomer due to the fact that this region is not on the Fox. In fact, some parts lie in the DuPage watershed instead of the Fox watershed. It is actually nicknamed as such due to the proximity of the area to Fox Valley Mall; one of the first housing developments to be constructed simultaneously with the mall in Aurora is the "Fox Valley Villages".

Infrastructure

Transportation

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

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 televison 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.

Neighborhoods

• Near East Side (East Side): One of the oldest neighborhood of Aurora. This neighborhood is located between Downtown and Uptown. There are several large older homes, some dating back to the 1870s.

• Near West Side (West Side): A neighborhoods on the west side of downtown. It has similar architecture and age to the near east side.

• Pigeon Hill (East Side): The former neighborhood where Romanian and other eastern European immigrants once flocked to in the late 1800s. This neighborhood is located just east of the Fox River, north of Indian creek.

• Frontenac (Far East Side)

• Exposition View (Northwest Side)

• Riddle Highlands (West Side): is located on the West Side, off of North Lake Street and West Illinois Ave. It’s a very charming section of the city, with large, older homes dating back to the early 1900s. The historic Northgate shopping center is located on its eastern boundary.

• Scraper-Moecherville (South East Side)

• Newport Hill (Far East Side)

• Marywood (North East Side)

• Southpark (South East Side)

• Sans Souci (Far West Side): An upscale neighborhod built primarily in the 1960s and 70s. It has long winding streets. Many affluent residents on the West Side live here. Many of the original residents later moved to the even tonier neighborhoods in Sugar Grove, Illinois. It is found northeast of Orchard Road and Prairie Road.

• Copleyville (East Side): The neighborhood surrounding the now vacant Copley Memorial Hospital. The neighborhood is east of Dutchtown and South of the Near East side. This neighborhood is one of the most densly populated in the city.

• Dutchtown (East Side): The neighborhood once predominatly populated by German immagrants during the first half of the 20th century. The neighborhood is east of Copleyville and south of Uptown.

• Little Italy (West Side): Neighborhood once mainly populated by Italian Immigrants south of downtown on the westside, near South Lake Street and West Jericho Road. The neighborhood was once home to many manufacturing jobs.

• Lakeside Sans Souci (Far West Side): A continuation of Sans Souci. It was built in the 1980s and 90s. Some homes are early McMansions. West of Orchard Road. This community suffered heavy damage in the 1996 flood.

• Cherry Hill (Far West Side): An upper middle class neighborhood south of Galena Boulevard, near Blackberry Historical Farm. Cherry Hill was badly damaged in the 1996 flood, but has since recovered. A tornado related to the 1990 Plainfield Tornado storm also came close to this neighborhood, but with mostly roof and siding damage.

• Hometown (South East Side)

• Downtown: Historic downtown is the heart of Aurora and is home to a number of large historic buildings dating back to the early 1900s. Downtown is located 3 miles (4.8 km) South of Interstate 88. Much of downtown Aurora was developed in the lates 1800s and houses several pieces of impressive architecture. Downtown Aurora's declined began in the late 1970s but of late is the home of several new developments including the River Street Plaza Condo development and Downer Place Lofts. Many new businesses have opened with success, along with the Hollywood Casino. A major hotel and high rise condos are planned for the East Bank on the east side of downtown. Today still, many areas just outside downtown remain vacant due to the industrial recession of the 1980's. Downtown Aurora is the home of the famous LeLand Hotel, a 22 story building built in 1921, which housed the Sky Club, a former Blues recording studio. The building once was the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago. Today its used as apartments.

• Uptown (East Side) :The center of Aurora's strong Hispanic culture. The area was an area just east of downtown, booming with large homes and bustling shops in the first half of the 20th century. Today, some old store fronts are still there.

• White Eagle (Far East Side): is a subdivision that is partially located in incorporated Aurora and partially in incorporated Naperville (the easiest way to tell the difference is to look at the fire hydrants: if they are orange, that denotes Naperville; if they are red, that denotes Aurora.) When it was being marketed it was advertised as "Naperville," so the mayor at that time cut off all city services to prove his point, that the White Eagle subdivision included sections that were in the City of Aurora. White Eagle is a very wealthy and upscale area. Some homes are valued at well over a million dollars.

• Oakhurst (Far East Side)

• Pheasant Creek (Far East Side)

• Pine Meadows (Far East Side)

• Georgetown (Far East Side)

• Ginger Woods (Far East Side)

• Green Hills (Far East Side)

• Lake Wood (Far East Side)

• Patersonville (East Side): Located near New York St. and Ohio St.

• Westwood (West Side): A predominantly African American neighborhood on the west side. The majority of this neighborhood is in and around the Aurora Housing Authority housing development Jericho Circle.

• Huntington (West Side)

• Stonebridge (Far East Side): is the most wealthy area of Aurora. Its located along Indian Trail Rd and Eola Rd on the city's Far East Side. This is also one of the newest sections of the city. With homes well over a million dollars, its residents have an average household income of $ 112,800 and an average household net worth of $ 165,112.00. The Stonebridge area is also home to the Stonebridge Golf Course, which was the home of a PGA tournament for several years in a row.

• Orchard Valley (Far West Side): A newer neighborhood northwest of Orchard Road and Galena Boulevard. The homes are upscale, and a golf course is wound throughout the neighborhood. To the east is the formerly named Orchard Green, consisting of primarily middle class single family homes built in the 1960s and 70s, with later additions in the 1980s.

• Foxcroft (Far Northwest Side): Foxcroft is a middle class neighborhood with moderate single family homes and townhomes. It was primarily built in the 1970s and was expected to be an epicenter of growth, which did not materialize for several decades. The West Aurora School district built a high school (commonly called North Campus) in 1978 to serve the population. After only a few years, the school was sold and it eventually became the Illinois Math and Science Academy state magnet school. Foxcroft is located west of Edgelawn and north of Indian Trail Rd.

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, successfull programs adopted by the city and the police deparment to reduce gang violence and prevent youths from joining gangs. Crime has dropped every year since 2002.

Source: [2], 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 [3]</ref>
1850	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 censusTemplate:GR 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.

Notable residents

Arts

• Ruth VanSickle Ford, Artist.
• Clive Cussler, author.
• Henry Gale, author.
• M. Miriam Herrera, author and poet.
• Elizabeth Linington, author.
• Thom Jones, Author.
• Phillip E. Johnson, Author.

Entertainment

• Francis Laity, rock guitarist and song writer ( Beowulf, metal truck, strange brew).
• Kimberly Donley, adult model and actress.
• Andrea Evans, actress.
• Gene Greene, former ragtime entertainer.
• Dave Johnston, banjoist and singer for the bluegrass group Yonder Mountain String Band.
• Randy Shilts, author and journalist.
• Carl Thomas, R&B singer.
• Josh Gilbert, screenplay writer and actor.
• Maud Powell, violinist.
• Vernon Parrington, Pulitzer Prize winning author and former college football coach.
• Nicole Narain, adult model
• Bruce Newton, creator of children's television show character Garfield Goose.
• Paul Scheuring, Screenwriter and Director.
• Phillip Edward Van Lear, Actor.
• Bobby Z, Monster Truck Driver.

Politics and Law

• Frank R. Reid, U.S. Representative from Illinois.
• Scott Palmer, former Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Dennis Hastert.
• Charles Henry Dietrich, former governor of Nebraska.
• Linda Chapa LaVia, member of the Illinois House of Representatives.
• Chris Lauzen, member of the Illinois State Senate.
• Roy Solfisburg, former Illinois Chief Justice.
• Dennis Hastert, Former Speaker of the House.
• Ira Clifton Copley, former United States statesman and newspaper publisher.
• Lewis M. Long, Former Member of the U.S. House of representatives from Illinois.
• Patricia Reid Lindner, member of the Illinois House of Representatives.
• Robert W. Pritchard, member of the Illinois House of Representatives.
• Tim Mahoney, Member of the U.S. House of representatives from Florida.

Other

• James Compton, former president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League.
• G. David Tilman, ecologist.
• Nathaniel Popp, the current archbishop of the Orthodox Church in America's Romanian Episcopate.
• Edna Murray, Depression-era outlaw.
• Dean O'Banion, mobster.
• James F. Phillips, Environmental Activist.
• Jeffrey Skilling, former CEO of Enron Corporation.
• Tom Skilling, Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV meteorologist
• John Drury, longtime anchor of the Chicago 'Eyewitness News' on the Chicago ABC affiliate.
• Walter E. Truemper, American war hero.
• Lester W. Weber, American war hero.
• Jim McGuinn, Former Radio program director.
• James H. Monroe, Recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Sports

• Chick Hearn, former sportscaster.
• Kurt Becker, former NFL player.
• Brad Childress, current NFL coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
• Rich Becker, former MLB player.
• Kenny Battle, former NBA player.
• Don Beebe, former NFL wide receiver.
• Joe Krakoski, former NFL linebacker.
• Mark Catlin, former College Football Coach.
• Jim Platt, College Basketball Coach.
• Bob Kipper, former MLB reliever.
• Chris Ziemann, NFL player.
• Mike Small, PGA golfer.
• Quavas Kirk, Major League Soccer player.
• Zachary Taylor Davis, architect of Old Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field.
• Josh Harmony, professional skateboarder.
• Jenny Jaquez, SIUE Track and Field school record holder
• Randy Melvin, defensive line coach of the Cleveland Browns.
• Steve Thompson, former NFL player.
• Tom Petranoff, former olympic record holder.
• Bob Johnson, former MLB pitcher.
• Mario Ramos, MLB pitcher.
• Roy Horstmann, former NFL player.
• Marger Apsit, former NFL player.
• Keith Terceira, Boxing Coach.
• Billy Taylor, Head Coach, Ball State University.

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.

References

• Aurora, Illinois in the Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago
• Aurora Fire Department history honoring its 150th anniversary, in 2006.
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External links

• Official Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau website
• Official City of Aurora website
• Official Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce website