Aurora, Nebraska

Aurora, Nebraska
City
Hamilton County courthouse in Aurora
Location of Aurora, Nebraska
Coordinates: 40°51′53″N98°00′27″W / 40.86472°N 98.00750°W / 40.86472; -98.00750
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
County	Hamilton
Incorporated	July 3, 1877
Government
• Type	Council/Mayor
• Mayor	Marlin Seeman
Area [1]
• Total	3.31 sq mi (8.58 km2)
• Land	3.28 sq mi (8.49 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,795 ft (547 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,678
• Density	1,427.09/sq mi (550.93/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	68818
Area code	402
FIPS code	31-02690
GNIS feature ID	2394036 [2]
Website	http://www.cityofaurora.org/

Aurora is a city in Hamilton County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,479 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Hamilton County. ^[3]

History

In 1861, David Millspaw became the first permanent settler in the area of what was to become Aurora. Hamilton County was formed in 1870. ^[4]

Aurora was laid out as a town in 1871 by David Stone who named it after his former hometown of Aurora, Illinois. ^{[5] [6]} The county seat was transferred from Orville City (an extinct town) to Aurora in 1876. ^[5]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.91 square miles (7.54 km²), of which 2.90 square miles (7.51 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) is water. ^[7] The average precipitation per year in Hamilton County during the years 1971 to 2000 was between 26 and 30 inches (660 and 760 mm). ^[8]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	1,862		—
1900	1,921		3.2%
1910	2,630		36.9%
1920	2,962		12.6%
1930	2,715		−8.3%
1940	2,419		−10.9%
1950	2,455		1.5%
1960	2,576		4.9%
1970	3,180		23.4%
1980	3,717		16.9%
1990	3,810		2.5%
2000	4,225		10.9%
2010	4,479		6.0%
2020	4,678		4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 2012 Estimate [10]

2010 census

At the 2010 census, ^[11] there were 4,479 people, 1,781 households and 1,199 families in the city. The population density was 1,544.5 inhabitants per square mile (596.3/km²). There were 1,939 housing units at an average density of 668.6 per square mile (258.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.7% White, 0.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 1,781 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.7% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.

The median age in the city was 40.4 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 18.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 4,225 people, 1,662 households and 1,163 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,243.0 inhabitants per square mile (866.0/km²). There were 1,798 housing units at an average density of 954.5 per square mile (368.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.92% White, 0.19% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.57% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.56% of the population.

There were 1,662 households, of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98.

27.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

The median household income was $37,690 and the median family income was $43,884. Males had a median income of $29,162 compared with $20,484 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,309. About 6.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools

Aurora is served by Aurora Public Schools

• Aurora High School (grades 9 though 12) ^[12]
• Aurora Middle School (grades 6 through 8)
• Aurora Elementary School (grades PreK through 5)

Media

Radio

• KRGY 97.3FM

Newspaper

• Aurora News-Register

Notable people

• Silas Reynolds Barton — U.S. Representative from Nebraska
• Harold Eugene Edgerton — inventor of the strobe light
• Eugene Jerome Hainer — U.S. Representative from Nebraska
• Bob Kremer — Nebraska state senator
• Tom Kropp - Professional basketball player
• Clarence Mitchell — Major League Baseball player ^{[13] [14]}
• Terese Nielsen — freelance fantasy artist
• Ron Spencer — artist for Magic: The Gathering
• Harry Scott Smith - entomologist and educator
• William Ledyard Stark — populist politician
• Marion Van Berg - thoroughbred trainer in Racing Hall of Fame

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Aurora, Nebraska
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
4. Nebraska State Historical Society (June 4, 2004). "The Hamilton County Courthouse". Archived from the original on August 20, 2004. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
5. "Aurora, Hamilton County". Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies. University of Nebraska. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
6. Fitzpatrick, Lillian L. (1960). Nebraska Place-Names. University of Nebraska Press. p. 71. ISBN   0-8032-5060-6.
7. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
8. PRISM Group and Oregon Climate Service, Oregon State University (2006). "Average Annual Precipitation, 1971–2000, Nebraska". Archived from the original on June 23, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
9. United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing" . Retrieved October 18, 2013.
10. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 24, 2012.
12. "Aurora High School". Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
13. "Clarence Mitchell Baseball Field Aurora, Nebraska" . Retrieved October 16, 2010.
14. "Clarence Mitchell Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved September 15, 2009.

External links

• City of Aurora, Nebraska
• Aurora News-Register