Aurora, Texas

Aurora, Texas
City
Location of Aurora, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Wise
Area
• Total	3.2 sq mi (8.4 km2)
• Land	3.2 sq mi (8.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	817 ft (249 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	853
• Density	264.2/sq mi (102.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	76078
Area code	817
FIPS code	48-04672Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1329842Template:GR
Website	http://www.auroratexas.gov

Aurora is a city in Wise County, Texas, United States. The population was 853 at the 2000 census.

Aurora was also a town in Jefferson County, Texas, near the mouth of Taylor Bayou on Sabine Lake. The present-day city of Port Arthur has occupied this site since about 1895, when Aurora became a ghost town.

Geography

Aurora is located at 33°3′30″N 97°30′58″W (33.058295, -97.516220).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 853 people, 312 households, and 245 families residing in the town. The population density was 264.2 people per square mile (102.0/km²). There were 332 housing units at an average density of 102.8/sq mi (39.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.49% White, 0.23% African American, 1.99% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 1.52% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.99% of the population.

There were 312 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,656, and the median income for a family was $36,731. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $22,361 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,876. About 12.0% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Town of Aurora is served by the Northwest Independent School District.

• K-5
  • Seven Hills Elementary
    • -Principal, Mary Dunlevy
    • -asst.Principal, Linda Miller

• 6-8
  • Chisholm Trail Middle school
    • -Principal, Robert Thornell
    • -asst.Principal, Gwen McCormick
    • -asst.Principal, Barbara Barnes

• 9-12
  • Northwest High School

[1]

Possible UFO Crash site

Main article: Aurora Texas UFO Incident

Aurora is best known for a purported UFO crash in April 1897, and the ongoing legend that the UFO's pilot is supposedly buried in the local cemetery. Although the town has embraced the legend to a point (the city's website mentions the legend, and even features an alien on the initial page), the cemetery association has refused all requests to exhume the alien's purported gravesite.

References

• Robert Wooster: Aurora, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online

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Further reading

• Reed, S. G. (1941) A History of the Texas Railroads, St. Clair, Houston; rpt. (1981) Arno, New York
• WPA Federal Writers' Project (1939) Port Arthur, Anson Jones Press, Houston
• DNAlien, A novel by Jim West (2007).

External links

• Historical UFO Tour of Aurora
• UFO Crashes in early morning hours April, 1897.
• Aurora UFO crash of 1897
• Synopsis of The History Channel's "UFO Files" Episode on the Aurora airship