First settled in 1834, Aurora IL grew rapidly. Harnessing the power of the Fox River, Aurora became an important center of milling commerce, with grist mills and saw mills driving economic growth.
Like many Chicago-area cities, Aurora’s growth was fueled by the railroads. More rail companies established routes to Aurora, facilitating its growth of heavy industry. The burgeoning manufacturing climate provided employment for generations of European immigrants. Aurora was the first city in Illinois with a free public school district.
Now teeming with over 180,000 residents, Aurora is the second-largest city in Illinois. Aurora is called the “City of Lights” not only as an homage to the phenomenon from which it was named, but also because of it’s other claim to fame, namely, the first US city to light the entire town with electric street lights.
Aurora’s zip codes are 60502, 60503, 60504, 60505, 60506, 60507, 60568, 60569, 60572, and 60598.