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Aurora, Illinois

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. Will and Kendall County together only account for a few thousand of Aurora's total population. 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 the West Side. 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.)

As the city grew, many factories and jobs came to Aurora, along with many people. In 1856, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad located its railcar construction and repair shops in Aurora to become the town's largest employer until the 1960s. Many of the heavy industries were located on the East side which provided employment for four generations of European immigrants. Many immigrants flocked to the city, mainly from Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Luxembourg, Germany, France, and Italy.The professional and managerial workers more likely came from Yankee stock and settled across the river, making the West side more affluent. Aurora became main economic center of the Fox Valley area. The combination of these three factors—a highly industrialized town, a sizable river that divided it, and the Burlington's shops—account for much of the dynamics of Aurora's political, economic, and social history. 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.

Beginning in the boom period, the town was inclusive and tolerant, and welcomed a variety of immigrants and openly supporting abolitionism prior to the American Civil War. Mexican migrants began arriving after 1910. Socially, the town was progressive in its attitude toward education, religion, welfare, and women. The first free public school district in Illinois was established in 1851 and a high school for girls four years later. By 1887, 20 congregations (including two African American churches) representing nine denominations were established, and a YWCA started in 1893, still in operation today.

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, and unemployment soared to 16%. |- |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 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 68.07% White, 11.06% African American, 0.36% Native American, 3.06% Asian American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 14.52% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.56% 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.
John Barrowman, Scottish actor. Moved to Aurora at the age of 9

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.
Michael Bowden, MLB pitcher

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, a 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 helped revitalize Aurora after the industrial recession of the 1980s.

The 1986 film Let's Get Harry used some establishing shots of the New York Street Memorial Bridge.

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