Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is a city in Kane, DuPage, Will and Kendall counties in Illinois. The city population is estimated to be over 158,000, making it the second-largest city in Illinois (behind Chicago and just ahead of Rockford). The vast majority of the city's residents reside in Kane County, and a lesser amount (42,000) live in DuPage County, and then Will and Kendall Counties. The median household income is estimated at $54,861, and the median family income for city residents is estimated at $61,113.
Aurora Illinois refers to itself as "The City of Lights" because it was one of the first communities to adopt all-electric street lighting in 1881. The city is home to the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) and Aurora University. The city includes a major Hindu temple and an Islamic mosque. Prominent shopping areas include The Fox Valley Mall (now known as Westfield Shoppingtown Fox Valley), and the "Chicago Premium Outlets".
Downtown Aurora is home to the Paramount Arts Centre, a large live performance theater on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hollywood Casino, and four museums - the Aurora Historical Society, Aurora Regional Fire Museum, the Aurora Public Arts Commission, and SciTech Interactive Science Museum. Downtown Alive, a festival that includes live music and a variety of food booths, is held every Friday night in the summer downtown and attended roughly by 8,000-10,000 people. Downtown Aurora also hosts the annual Midwest Literary Festival during the second weekend in September. Popular city locations also include Phillips Park, the Geneva Hotel, and the Riverfront Playhouse. Downtown Aurora also includes a branch campus of Waubonsee Community College.
Aurora has a long tradition of manufacturing that has established it as a separate industrial center independent of Chicago. Prominent manufacturers include or have included: Caterpillar Incorporated, the Aurora Brewing Company, Lyon Workspace Products, The Aurora Silver Plate Manufacturing Company, Barber Greene Ltd., the Chicago Corset Company, Stephens-Adamson Company, and Western Wheeled Scraper Works (later Austin-Western Inc.). The most prominent employer and industry was the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad (later Burlington Northern) which was headquartered in Aurora. The CB&Q Roundhouse is still standing, and is now the popular restaurant Walter Payton's Roundhouse. The city is home of the fictitious "Wayne's World" characters from Saturday Night Live, Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar.
