Aurora, Minnesota Explained

Aurora, Minnesota should not be confused with Minnesota Aurora FC.

Official Name:Aurora
Settlement Type:City
Motto:"Star City of the North"[1] [2]
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Minnesota
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Saint Louis
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Doug Gregor
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[3]
Area Total Km2:10.13
Area Land Km2:9.57
Area Water Km2:0.56
Area Total Sq Mi:3.91
Area Land Sq Mi:3.70
Area Water Sq Mi:0.21
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:1678
Population Density Km2:175.27
Population Density Sq Mi:453.88
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:−6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:−5
Elevation Ft:1470
Postal Code Type:ZIP Code
Postal Code:55705
Area Code:218
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:27-02872
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0660700
Website:City of Aurora

Aurora is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,678 at the 2020 census.[4]

Saint Louis County Highways 100 and 110 and Minnesota State Highway 135 are three of the main routes in Aurora.

History

Aurora was laid out in 1898.[5] A post office has been in operation at Aurora since 1903.[6] The city was incorporated in 1903.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.86sqmi; 3.74sqmi is land and 0.12sqmi is water.[7] Aurora is surrounded by mixed coniferous/deciduous forest and is near many lakes.

Economy

Aurora is on northeastern Minnesota's Mesabi Range. This area produced a large quantity of the nation's iron and taconite ore.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

The Northern Lights Music Festival is presented each summer and includes music concerts.[1] The festival is one of Minnesota's largest and presents professional opera, chamber music and symphonic concerts, in addition to student performances. It takes place in the first three weeks of July in six Iron Range cities.

Parks and recreation

Aurora is on the edge of the Superior National Forest, two miles (3 km) from Giants Ridge Golf and Ski Resort. Popular recreational activities include hunting, fishing, boating, four-wheeling, skiing, and snowboarding. There are many ATV and snowmobile trails on Aurora's outskirts, some of which extend all the way to Lake Superior.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census[8] of 2010, there were 1,682 people, 777 households, and 438 families living in the city. The population density was 449.7PD/sqmi. There were 887 housing units at an average density of 237.2/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.2% White, 0.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Asian, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.5% of the population.

There were 777 households, of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.6% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.70.

The median age in the city was 48.4 years. 19.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.5% were from 45 to 64; and 24.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,850 people, 812 households, and 495 families living in the city. The population density was 487.4sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 893 housing units at an average density of 235.3sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 98.38% White, 0.05% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population. 17.4% were of Finnish, 13.2% German, 10.5% Norwegian, 9.1% Slovene, 7.3% Swedish, 6.6% Italian and 5.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 812 households, out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,094, and the median income for a family was $43,095. Males had a median income of $41,413 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,442. About 8.5% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.0% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Transportation

State Highway 135 (MN 135), County Highway 100, and County Highway 110 are three of the main routes in Aurora.

Notable people

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: City of Aurora Minnesota. City of Aurora Minnesota. October 16, 2012.
  2. Web site: Aurora Chamber of Commerce . Aurora Chamber of Commerce . October 14, 2012.
  3. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. July 24, 2022.
  4. Web site: Aurora city; Minnesota - Census Profile. 22 May 2023.
  5. Book: Upham, Warren . Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance . Minnesota Historical Society . 1920 . 477.
  6. Web site: St. Louis County . Jim Forte Postal History . 7 August 2015.
  7. Web site: US Gazetteer files 2010 . . 2012-11-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt . 2012-01-25 .
  8. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2012-11-13.