Aurora Illinois: Encyclopedia - Aurora Illinois

Aurora, Illinois

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. At the end of 2005 the population is now 166,614. 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 hails from Aurora, and is a graduate of West Aurora High School. 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, hailed from 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.

Aurora Illinois - 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 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, Sci-Tech Hands on 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.

Aurora Illinois - Geography

Aurora is located at 41°45'36" North, 88°17'55" West (41.759879, -88.298482)^GR1.

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 two cities in Illinois where the city limits actually cover parts of four counties: Kane, Kendall County, Illinois, Will County, Illinois and DuPage County, Illinois.

The city is the last stop of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Metra line, allowing regional rail service to Chicago.

Aurora Illinois - Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 142,990 people, 46,489 households, and 34,215 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,432.9/km² (3,711.5/mi²). There are 48,797 housing units at an average density of 489.0/km² (1,266.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $54,861, and the median income for a family is $61,113. Males have a median income of $41,429 versus $30,150 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,131. 8.5% of the population and 6.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. Education

Aurora Illinois - Schools

Aurora Illinois - East Aurora School District 131:

O.C. elementary school, C.M. Bardwell elementary school, Beaupre elementary school,Bradley elementary school,dieterich elementary school, Gates elementary school,Hermes elementary school,Johnson elementary school,Krug elementary school,Oak Park elementary school,O'donnell elementary school,Rollins elementary school

Aurora middle school academy,Cowherd middle school, Simmons middle school, Waldo middle school

East Aurora High School, East Aurora root street campus.

Aurora Illinois - West Aurora School District 129:

Tood elementary school, Smith Elementary school, Schneider elementary school, Nickolson elementary school, Mccleery elementary school, Lincoln Elementary school, Hill elementary school, Hall elementary school, Holy Angels, Greenman elementary school, Goodwin elementary school,Freeman elementary school, Fearn elementary school.

Jefferson middle school, Jewel middle school, Washington middle school.

West Aurora High School

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Aurora Illinois", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki