Aurora, Ohio

Aurora is a city located 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. In 2005, population was estimated at 14,353.

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

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
- 3.1 Historic population figures
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Aurora is located at 41°19′9″N, 81°21′21″W (41.319254, -81.355859)^GR1. 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 62.4 km² (24.1 mi²). 60.1 km² (23.2 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.61% water.

[edit] History

From its start as pioneer town to a thriving suburb, Aurora has seen many changes in its 200 years. Before 1799, Aurora was merely a spot on the map of the Connecticut Western Reserve, a parcel of land drawn in a lottery by members of the Big Beaver Land Co. comprised of citizens of Suffield, Connecticut.

The new landowners contracted Capt. Ebenezer Sheldon, a former Revolutionary War soldier, to settle their land and act as their agent. Having suffered business reversals, Sheldon at age 45 looked to the Western Reserve for a fresh start.

Leaving his family behind, Sheldon traveled the south route to Ohio through Pittsburgh and had the distinction of being the first white man to enter the township for the purpose of settling.

The site of Sheldon's first log cabin, built with the help of Elias Harmon, lies east on Pioneer Trail near the edge of the township on prime property straddling the Chagrin River. After carving out a bit of civilization in the wilderness, Sheldon retrieved his family from Connecticut and they became the first family in Aurora.

For three years the Sheldon's nearest neighbors were in other townships. Eventually, more pioneers moved west, lured by stories that trickled east and told of rich soil, abundant game and powerful waterfalls to run mills.

They came by wagon and ox cart through Pittsburgh as Sheldon had done, or through New York and down rivers to Aurora, their dreams of a land of milk and honey packed with their precious few possessions.

Seventy-two people came in 1807 alone, beginning the exodus that would carve roads from forests and sprout cabins throughout the township.

Much of the township's settlement edged the three main roads of Aurora, the first being the Cleveland-Warren Road (Pioneer Trail and Route 43 north), constructed in 1802 by Ebenezer Sheldon.

The second was the Chillicothe Turnpike, which began at Lake Erie, splitting the small towns it passed through as it ran south until it reached Aurora, where it swerved southwest to Hudson and ended at the state capital of Chillicothe. The local segment is now called Aurora-Hudson Road.

The third was Bissell and David (Old Mill) roads. By opening up landlocked property for settlement through road construction, the Connecticut Land Co. encouraged purchasers of the land to actually settle and not just hold the property for speculation.

The Golden Age of Cheese between 1855 and 1910 was responsible for developing Aurora into a well-established town. In 1929, The village of Aurora was founded in the center of the former Aurora Township. By 1971, Aurora took on city status after growing to more than 6,000 residents in the 1970 U.S. Census.

Many of the gracious buildings and century homes built during the time when cheese was king still stand today, giving Aurora its historic character and reflecting life as it was in the Western Reserve.

Aurora remained a Western Reserve farming community until the early 1960s. About that time, interest grew in the potential for suburban residential development due to the community proximity to the major Cleveland and Akron, Ohio metropolitan areas. During the 90’s, the population has increased by over 60%, and it continues to experience substantial growth. Most housing development has been higher-priced, single-family homes and condominiums. Aurora’s desire to maintain its heritage has prompted community leaders to establish and maintain architectural standards to comply and be compatible with the Western Reserve architectural style.

Aurora is the location of Ohio's third largest amusement park, Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom which originated in 1888.

Aurora Historical Society

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are a 13,370 people, 5,047 households, and 3,901 families residing in the city. The population density is 225.4/km² (583.8/mi²). There are 5,361 housing units at an average density of 89.1/km² (230.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 0.58% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

In the city the population is 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 is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.9 males.

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

[edit] Historic population figures

1940--518
1950--571
1960--4,049
1970--6,549
1980--8,177
1990--9,192
2000--13,556
2003--14,270 (U.S. Census Estimate)
2004--14,357 (U.S. Census Estimate)
2005--14,353 (U.S. Census Estimate)

[edit] See also

Geauga Lake

[edit] References

^ http://factfinder.census.gov United States Census Bureau. American FactFinder. Retrieved 20 November 2006.

[edit] External links

Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 41.319254° -81.355859°
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

	Portage County, Ohio Ravenna, county seat
Municipalities	Aurora \| Brady Lake \| Garrettsville \| Hiram \| Kent \| Mantua \| Mogadore \| Ravenna \| Streetsboro \| Sugar Bush Knolls \| Tallmadge \| Windham
Townships	Atwater \| Brimfield \| Charlestown \| Deerfield \| Edinburg \| Franklin \| Freedom \| Hiram \| Mantua \| Nelson \| Palmyra \| Paris \| Randolph \| Ravenna \| Rootstown \| Shalersville \| Suffield \| Windham
Other localities	Diamond \| Wayland