Aurora, Ohio

Aurora, Ohio
—  City  —
Aurora's city hall
Location in Ohio
Location within Portage County.
Coordinates: 41°19′9″N 81°21′21″W
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Portage
Founded by George Washington	1799
Government
• Mayor	Lynn E. McGill
Area
• Total	24.1 sq mi (62.4 km2)
• Land	23.2 sq mi (60.1 km2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2)
Elevation	1,132 ft (345 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	13,556
• Density	583.8/sq mi (225.4/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	44202
Area code(s)	330, 234
FIPS code	39-03086
GNIS feature ID	1064359
Website	www.auroraoh.com

Aurora is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is co-extant with, and formed from, the former township of Aurora, which was formed from the Connecticut Western Reserve. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 13,556. It is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Aurora was designated a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Geography

Aurora is located at 41°19′9″N 81°21′21″W (41.319254, -81.355859). It borders or touches the following other townships and municipalities:

• The city of Streetsboro, on the south
• The city of Hudson, on the southwest (touches, but does not border)
• Twinsburg Township, Summit County, on the west
• The village of Reminderville, on the north-northwest
• The city of Solon, on the northwest (touches, but does not border)
• Bainbridge Township, Geauga County, on the north
• Auburn Township, Geauga County, on the northeast (touches, but does not border)
• Mantua Township, on the east
• Shalersville Township, on the southeast (touches, but does not border)

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.1 square miles (62 km²), of which, 23.2 square miles (60 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it (3.61%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,556 people, 5,047 households, and 3,901 families residing in the city. The population density is 583.8 people per square mile (225.4/km²). There are 5,361 housing units at an average density of 230.9 per square mile (89.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.67% White, 2.16% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.58% of the population.

There were 5,047 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.9% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $70,998, and the median income for a family was $78,876. Males had a median income of $61,298 versus $35,655 for females. The per capita income for the city was $35,537. About 2.6% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older.

Historic population figures

• 1940 — 518
• 1950 — 571
• 1960 — 4,049
• 1970 — 6,549
• 1980 — 8,177
• 1990 — 9,192
• 2000 — 13,556

Culture, recreation and sports

The Church in Aurora, part of Aurora's historic district

Parts of central Aurora have been designated the Aurora Center Historic District. The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Various amusement parks and other recreational facilities have operated on the site of Giles Pond, known presently as Geauga Lake, continuously since before 1887. The Big Dipper roller coaster operated for 82 years at the site.

Aurora historically was the second location for the SeaWorld chain of marine mammal parks, which opened in 1970 and operated in the Geauga lake area on the northern edge of the city and was home to the killer whale (Orca) known as Shamu. In 2001, the park was purchased by Six Flags, along with adjacent Geauga Lake, and combined to form Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. Cedar Fair purchased the combined property in 2004, and most of the former SeaWorld Ohio park was closed. Cedar Fair now operates the property as a waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom.

Aurora Farms Premium Outlets were opened in the early 1970s to serve tourists to the Aurora area. The Aurora Farms are operated today by Chelsea Premium Outlets (a subsidiary of the Simon Property Group), and are home to 70 outlet stores.

Notable residents

• Anne Heche - actress

External links

• Aurora Historical Society
• City website
• Aurora Chamber of Commerce website