Aurora is a city located in Kane, DuPage, Will and Kendall counties in Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 142,990; in 2003, a special census found the city's population to be 157,267, making it the second-largest city in Illinois, behind Chicago and just ahead of Rockford. About 110,000 of the city's residents reside in Kane County, while about 42,000 live in DuPage County. Only a few thousand Aurorians are in Will and Kendall Counties.

The city refers to itself as "The City of Lights" because it was one of the first communities to adopt all-electric street lighting (in 1881 - the nickname was adopted in 1908).

Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling and his younger brother, indicted Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, graduated from West Aurora High School, although they had been born in Pittsburgh. The late legendary Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn was an Aurora native. The characters of Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar (portrayed by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, respectively), who first appeared on Saturday Night Live and then in two Wayne's World movies, lived in Aurora; most of their adventures were centered there. (The movies, however, were shot elsewhere.) The city is referenced in an Alkaline Trio song, which refers to an automobile accident that took place in the City of Lights.

Landmarks

The city is the location of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) and Aurora University. A major Hindu temple and an Islamic mosque are located near IMSA. There are two shopping malls within Aurora city limits: The Fox Valley Mall (which opened in the 1970s and is now known as Westfield Shoppingtown Fox Valley), itself a large indoor mall with four anchor tenants, is also surrounded by many shopping and dining complexes (most commonly a series of "strip malls"), along Illinois State Route 59 in the DuPage County portion of the city, near Naperville. The second is the "Chicago Premium Outlets Mall," (opened in 2004) which, despite the name, is accessible from the Farnsworth Road (North) exit off of Interstate 88, and lies fully within Aurora city limits.

Downtown Aurora is home to the Paramount Arts Centre, a large live performance theater on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hollywood Casino, SciTech Interactive Science Museum, 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.

There are three independent school districts with headquarters in Aurora, and students living in Aurora also attend schools of the Batavia, Illinois and Oswego, Illinois school districts. Further information can be found in the Aurora, Illinois Public School Systems article.

Geography

Aurora is located at 41°45'36" North, 88°17'55" West (41.759879, -88.298482).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 102.1 km² (39.4 mi²). 99.8 km² (38.5 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.26% 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, andWill.

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 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.

The city is the final stop of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line of the Metra commuter rail system, allowing rail service into Chicago. In addition, Aurora manages the southern parking lot of the Metra station at Illinois Route 59. The northern lot is managed by neighboring Naperville.

History

Aurora was originally two towns: McCarty Mills on the East side and Hartford on the West side of the Fox River. McCarty Mills was named for founders Samuel and Joseph McCarty. The McCarty brothers 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. The two towns incorporated as one in 1837, taking the name of Aurora from the hometown (Aurora, New York) of an early resident. The two sides couldn’t agree on which side of the River should house the public buildings, so these buildings and eventually all of downtown were built on Stolp Island in the middle of the River. The two towns leave a legacy of rivalry between the East and West which is mostly enacted through a high school football/basketball rivalry. This is the oldest high school rivalry in the state.

Aurora has a long tradition of manufacturing, making it an industrial center that could stand alone, separate from Chicago. Prominent manufacturers included: The Aurora Silver Plate Manufacturing Company, Barber Greene Ltd., the Chicago Corset Company, the Aurora Brewing Company, Stevens-Adamson Company, Caterpillar Incorporated, and Western Wheeled Scraper Works (later Austin-Western Inc.). 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.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 142,990 people, 46,489 households, and 34,215 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,432.9/km² (3,711.5/mi²). There were 48,797 housing units at an average density of 489.0/km² (1,266.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.07% White, 11.06% African American, 0.36% Native American, 3.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 14.52% from other races, and 2.90% from two or more races. 32.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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. 8.5% of the population and 6.2% of families were below the poverty line. 10.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.