Aurora ( English Aurora ) - a city in the north of the United States , is the second largest city in Illinois .
| City | |
| Aurora | |
|---|---|
| Aurora | |
| A country |  USA |
| State | Illinois |
| Mayor | Tom weiner |
| History and geography | |
| Based | 1834 |
| City with | 1845 |
| Square | 102 km² |
| NUM height | 220 m |
| Timezone | UTC − 6 , in summer UTC − 5 |
| Population | |
| Population | ▼ 171,782 people ( 2008 ) |
| Density | 1,433 people / km² |
| Digital identifiers | |
| Zip Codes | 60502, 60503, 60504, 60505, 60506 |
| aurora-il.org (English) | |
In addition to the official name, Aurora also has a nickname - “City of Lights”. Officially, this nickname was adopted in 1908. It is directly related to the fact that in 1881 Aurora became the first city in the United States with a fully electrified street lighting system.
History
- 1834 - McCarthy brothers redeem a plot of land on the Fox River and build a house, a mill and a number of outbuildings.
- 1837 - a post office appears in the settlement. The name "Aurora" becomes official.
- 1856 - a fire department is organized in the city.
- 1857 - Aurora merges with the settlement on the neighboring (western) bank of the river. [one]
- 1860 - 1920 - rapid development of the city: schools and hospitals are opened, industrial enterprises appear, the city becomes a refuge for thousands of immigrants from all over the world.
- 1970 - 1974 - closure of a number of large enterprises, including those related to the railway industry (the actual basis of the economic existence of the city).
- 1980 - closure of most of the enterprises of the city. Unemployment reaches 16%.
- 1987 - 1990 - the emergence of several industrial zones and business centers .
- 1993 - opening of the first casino .
- 1995 - 2005 - development of industrial enterprises in the suburbs of Aurora, the formation of new industrial zones, active economic growth of the city.
Industry
Aurora historically, like the entire state of Illinois , has a developed industry, represented by a number of large enterprises:
- Lyon Workspace Products (hardware)
- The Aurora Silverplate Manufacturing Company (jewelry production and production of technical silver)
- Barber Greene Ltd. (industrial equipment)
- the Chicago Corset Company (textile production)
- the Aurora Brewing Company (breweries)
- Stephens-Adamson Company
- Caterpillar Inc.
- Allsteel Metals (metallurgy)
- National Metalwares (metallurgy)
- Western Wheeled Scraper Works (later transformed into Austin-Western Inc.)
Outstanding residents and natives
- Ed Clayton (writer, illustrator)
- Clive Kassler (writer, marine archeologist)
- Ruth VanSykl Ford (1897–1989), owner of the Academy of Arts of Chicago )
- Ken Griffin (1909–1956), actor and musician)
- Vernon Louis Parrington (1871–1929), writer, historian, Pulitzer Prize winner )
- Paul Scheuring (director, screenwriter)
- Tom Petranoff (former world javelin throw champion)
- Henry Gale (1874–1942), writer, astrophysicist)
- David Tilman (environmentalist)
- Nathaniel Popp (Orthodox Archbishop)
- Vasil Luis Pusas (Catholic Bishop)
- Alexander Ratiu (Greek Catholic priest, writer, former Romanian political prisoner)
- Ray Bradbury (eminent science fiction writer)
Notes
- ↑ Fun Aurora Facts-Aurora Historical Society (inaccessible link)
Links
- The official site of the city
- Aurora City in Chicago's Encyclopedia
- Fire Department of the city. Information on the 150th anniversary of the department (2006)
- city on city-data.com
- Information for tourists and business people
- Regional Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Aurora