Aurora is the second largest city in Illinois, with a population of 171,782 (2008 est.) and part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The city refers to itself as "The City of Lights" because it was one of the first cities in the United States to implement an all-electric street lighting system in 1881. Aurora officially adopted the nickname in 1908.
Before white settlers arrived, there was a Native American village in what is today downtown Aurora,...
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Aurora is the second largest city in Illinois, with a population of 171,782 (2008 est.) and part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The city refers to itself as "The City of Lights" because it was one of the first cities in the United States to implement an all-electric street lighting system in 1881. Aurora officially adopted the nickname in 1908.
Before white settlers arrived, there was a Native American village in what is today downtown Aurora, on the banks of the Fox River. In 1834, following the Black Hawk War, the McCarty brothers arrived and initially owned land on both sides of the river, but sold their lands on the west side. The Lake Brothers opened a mill on the opposite side of the river. The McCarty's lived and operated their mill on the east side. Aurora was originally two villages: one on the East Side of the Fox River A post office was established in 1837, officially creating Aurora. In 1857, Aurora (then what is now known as the East Side) joined with the West Side and...
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