AURORA, IN

Aurora is a city in Center Township, Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 3,750 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Aurora is located at (39.058551, -84.906351).

According to the 2010 census, Aurora has a total area of , of which (or 89.41%) is land and (or 10.59%) is water.

History

Aurora was platted in 1819. It was named for Aurora, the goddess of dawn in Roman mythology. Aurora was incorporated in 1848.

Aurora is known for its historic downtown area and the ornate Hillforest mansion built for Thomas Gaff who earned his fortune shipping goods on the Ohio River by steamboat. The mansion was designed by architect Isaiah Rogers and was completed in 1855 in the Italian Renaissance style. The design is symmetrical. Details include deep overhangs, arched windows and balconies and porches. Hillforest was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992.

In addition to Hillforest, the Aurora City Hall, Aurora Methodist Episcopal Church, Aurora Public Library, Downtown Aurora Historic District, First Evangelical United Church of Christ, First Presbyterian Church, George Street Bridge, Lewis Hurlbert, Sr. House, Leive, Parks and Stapp Opera House, Levi Stevens House, and George Sutton Medical Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,750 people, 1,472 households, and 936 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,647 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.5% White, 0.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.

There were 1,472 households, of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.4% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.11.

The median age in the city was 36.2 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 3,965 people, 1,592 households, and 1,022 families living in the city. The population density was 1,428.2 people per square mile (550.7/km²). There were 1,716 housing units at an average density of 618.1 per square mile (238.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.59% White, 0.10% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population.

thumb|left|250px|Aurora from the air, looking northeast.

There were 1,592 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $39,331. Males had a median income of $32,058 versus $24,671 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,587. About 9.4% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor is elected in citywide vote. The city council consists of five members. Four are elected from individual districts. One is elected at-large.

Current elected officials

Timeline of 19th-century mayors

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20

PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50

Alignbars = justify

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy

Period = from:01/01/1848 till:31/12/1880

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors =

id:may value:red legend:Mayor

ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1848

PlotData=

width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)

bar:John D Haynes from:start till:31/12/1850 color:may

bar:Solomon P Tumy from:01/01/1851 till:31/12/1855 color:may

bar:Washington Stark from:01/01/1856 till:31/12/1856 color:may

bar:Solomon P Tumy from:01/01/1857 till:31/12/1858 color:may

bar:John Gaff from:01/01/1859 till:31/12/1860 color:may

bar:Frederick Slater from:01/01/1861 till:31/12/1862 color:may

bar:Dr George Sutton from:01/01/1863 till:31/12/1866 color:may

bar:R Criswell from:01/01/1867 till:31/12/1868 color:may

bar:Frederick Huckery from:01/01/1869 till:31/12/1870 color:may

bar:J A Emrie from:01/01/1871 till:31/12/1872 color:may

bar:Dr. Frederick Rectanus from:01/01/1873 till:31/12/1876 color:may

bar:Edward Green from:01/01/1877 till:31/12/1880 color:may

Education

The town has a free lending library, the Aurora Public Library District.

Notable people