East Aurora, New York

East Aurora, New York
Village
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Erie
Area
• Total	2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2)
• Land	2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	919 ft (280 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	6,673
• Density	2,653.8/sq mi (1,024.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	14052
Area code(s)	716, 585
FIPS code	36-21589
GNIS feature ID	0948967

Position within Erie County.

East Aurora is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 6,673 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Village of East Aurora lies in the eastern half of the Town of Aurora. It is southeast of Buffalo. The current mayor is Clark W. Crook. He will be succeeded by Allan Kasprzak.

History

The village was founded in 1804, and incorporated in 1874.

Former President of the United States Millard Fillmore lived in East Aurora with his wife Abigail from 1826 to 1830. The house he built there while practicing law in the beginning of his political career is currently maintained by the Aurora Historical Society. The 1825 structure is restored to that period and features some original Fillmore furniture of the era, as well as items from Fillmore’s presidential years.

The founder of the Roycroft Movement, Elbert Hubbard, also lived there during the turn of the nineteenth century. Hubbard and his wife died onboard the RMS Lusitania in 1915. One of the town's most famous landmarks, The Roycroft Inn was opened in 1905 to accommodate the influx of famous visitors attracted by Hubbard’s ideas as well as the books, Mission-style furniture and metalware produced by the 500 Roycroft artisans. The Roycroft Inn was granted National Landmark Status in 1986 and re-opened in June 1995 through the support of the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation. The Roycroft Inn was completely restored and is open to the public for dining and accommodations. The Elbert Hubbard Museum on Oakwood Avenue features an extensive collection of Roycroft books and Arts & Crafts pieces.

East Aurora is also the birthplace of and home to the Corporate Headquarters for Fisher-Price. From 1987 through 2007 the village and the Toy Town Museum (an independent non profit organization located on the Fisher-Price campus) held the Toyfest Festival, which included the Toyfest parade featuring giant replicas of classic Fisher-Price toys. The three day event was usually held at Hamlin Park and included an amusement park, circus-like attractions and a Fisher-Price play area where young children could play with a variety of toys. The museum still exhibits toys from the early 1900s through the present and tours are available upon request.

The town was the home of the inaugural owner of the NHL Franchise Buffalo Sabres, Seymour H. Knox. The Knox Estates, now known as Knox Farm, is a 633 acre New York State park. It is located on the north-west edge of the village.

Contemporary issues

East Aurora was one of the first communities to successfully block a Wal-Mart store, in 1995 and again in 1999. The act was led by a community group in an attempt to preserve the small town values, and help support privately owned businesses.

In February, 2008, local officials rejected the urging of local politician Kevin Gaughan to merge village functions with the Town of Aurora, citing recent disputes with the town.

Another ongoing controversy involves a proposed twin ice rink facility to be constructed on a vacant Riley Street lot in the Village downtown area. A parent led group known as the Aurora Ice Association (AIA) has submitted plans for the facility, but is being met with resistance from a group of residents claiming a lack of demand, lack of parking, and the potential for catastrophic train derailments from the adjacent railroad tracks. On September 15, 2008, the Village Board voted to accept a Negative Declaration on the State Environmental Quality Review for the proposed rink, which eliminates the need for further exhaustive site environmental impact studies. As a temporary measure, the AIA purchased the ice rink structure that was used in the 2008 NHL Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. With a substantial amount of assistance from the local business community and area residents, the outdoor rink was erected, and held its grand opening on November 1, 2008. The village has recently approved an open air rink that has a roof that will be placed permanently on the site.

Geography

East Aurora is located at 42°46′1″N 78°37′2″W (42.766809, -78.617121)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), all of it land.

Main Street in the village is US Route 20A.

Points of interest

A walk down East Aurora's bustling Main Street will show you, in some ways, a step back in time with a variety of specialty shops, restaurants, churches, municipal buildings and carefully preserved homes. Main Street is home to various local businesses and attractions, including Toy Loft (a local toy store), Vidlers (an old-fashioned five and dime store), the East End Tap Room, and the Aurora Theatre, a 650-seat, big-screen cinema theatre with a classic, old-fashioned neon marquee.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 6,673 people, 2,596 households, and 1,728 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,653.8 people per square mile (1,026.5/km²). There were 2,729 housing units at an average density of 1,085.3/sq mi (419.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.80% White, 0.19% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 2,596 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the village the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $49,028, and the median income for a family was $59,250. Males had a median income of $42,969 versus $32,111 for females. The per capita income for the village was $22,753. About 1.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Children living in the town or village of East Aurora attend Parkdale Elementary which is now grades K-4 after the 2009 district reconstruction project. East Aurora Middle School now houses grades 5-8, and East Aurora High School; grades 9-12. Main Street Elementary no longer exists. Almost all of the locals recognize the public school system in East Aurora as fabulous, and unusually wonderful. Immaculate Conception School, a Catholic institution, also offers education from grades K-8. Moreover in 2008 ICS was recognized as the number #1 private elementary school and the number #1 parochial elementary school in all of Western New York. However, this was unofficial, as ICS was not officially named #1, it just happened to be the highest private school. Throughout the school year, many families complained about a banner hung from the side of the school bragging of its false ranking, as it made fun of the local public schools..

The Roycroft style influenced the design of a new addition at Parkdale Elementary School, and Roycroft-type furniture can be found in other school buildings as well.

External links

• East Aurora, New York
• East Aurora Newspaper
• Village of East Aurora
• East Aurora Chamber of Commerce
• East Aurora Union Free Schools
• Vidler's 5 & 10