The City of Lights, about 35 miles west of the Chicago Loop, with a historic downtown on Stolp Island in the Fox River.
01 — At a Glance
Aurora began as two villages on either side of the Fox River and joined as one city in 1857. The 2020 census counted 180,542 residents, second only to Chicago in Illinois. In 1881 it was among the first cities in the country to light its streets entirely with electricity, and in 1908 it took the name City of Lights. Downtown sits on Stolp Island, right in the middle of the river.
02 — History
Aurora has been a mill town, a railroad town and a factory town, and it was one of the first places in America to light its streets with electricity. A few chapters from the city’s past.
1834
After the Black Hawk War, the McCarty brothers settled on both sides of the Fox River. They sold the west bank to the Lake brothers, who opened a mill, while the McCartys ran their own mill on the east side.
Source: Wikipedia: Aurora, Illinois
1857
East Aurora and West Aurora joined as the city of Aurora. Both sides wanted the public buildings, so most of them went up on Stolp Island, in the middle of the river.
Source: Wikipedia: Aurora, Illinois
1881
Aurora became one of the first cities in the United States to use an all-electric street lighting system. In 1908 it adopted the nickname City of Lights.
Source: Wikipedia: Aurora, Illinois
1981
The Near Eastside Historic District, the city’s first, was designated in 1981. The Tanner Historic District followed in 1998, named for the 1857 William A. Tanner House.
Source: Wikipedia: Aurora, Illinois
03 — Education
Three public school systems are headquartered in Aurora, along with Aurora University and two campuses of Waubonsee Community College.
Boundaries follow the address. Confirm school assignment for each address with the district before you buy.
Search HomesPublic · K–12
The two historic systems on either side of the Fox River.
Public · K–12
Formed in 1972 to serve the far eastern part of Aurora in DuPage County.
Independent
Aurora has a deep bench of private and college options.
Source: Wikipedia: Aurora, Illinois
04 — Lifestyle
Downtown Aurora has the theaters and the river. Out on the edges, the city opens up into parks and golf.
A large live performance theater downtown, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A community storefront theater that has called downtown home since 1978.
Work by Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Bruce Goff and George Grant Elmslie, plus over 50 Sears Catalog Homes.
The city’s own zoo, inside Phillips Park.
On the far northeast side, a past host of LPGA and Senior PGA Tour events.
The river runs through the center of the city and around Stolp Island.
Two commuter stops connect Aurora to Chicago Union Station.
The main roads east toward Chicago and north and south through the suburbs.
Regional bus service, plus a growing bicycle network.
Source: Wikipedia: Aurora, Illinois
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