Untitled - Town Square Publications

259 Pages·2006·2.38 MB·English

It is my pleasure to introduce the Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce’s latest Community Profile and
Membership Directory.
The Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce plays a vital role in the economic health of our community. The
Chamber’s involvement in activities and issues that affect business owners and employees has helped our
economy remain strong while growing in exciting, new directions. The Chamber’s commitment to enhancing the
commercial vitality of our community ensures job creation and a wide variety of quality goods and services
available to Aurora.
As Mayor of Aurora, I enjoy the opportunity to work closely with the Chamber’s leadership on a wide array of
issues. I look forward to continuing our productive and beneficial relationship. I applaud the staff, officers and
directors of the Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce for their leadership and for helping make Aurora and the
surrounding area a wonderful place to live, raise families and do business.
I encourage you to support our Chamber members listed in this directory or on-line at AuroraChamber.com.
Shopping locally for products and services continues to build a strong local economy.
Together with the Chamber and its members, we continue to make Aurora a city second to none.
Sincerely,
Thomas J. Weisner
Mayor
Anyone who knows Aurora will tell you that there’s no better place to live or do business than here in the greater
Aurora area. Steeped in tradition and conveniently located near major highways, Aurora offers a wealth of
entertainment options, natural beauty, and top-rated schools. Aurora is indeed a bright light on the Northern
Illinois landscape.
For more than 86 years, the Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce has provided the leadership necessary to
maintain a successful, proactive business environment for Aurora and the surrounding communities. We
proactively collaborate with our members, providing networking opportunities and a voice in business issues in
our community. Our role is to provide the leadership necessary to enhance the business environment, improve the
quality of life, and promote economic growth in the greater Aurora area.
We invite you to examine the following pages to learn more about our City of Lights. Limited by the number of
pages, we offer just a sampling of the “good life” and spectacular business opportunities offered in Aurora and its
neighboring communities. Preserving the past while planning the future, Aurora is indeed a great place to call
home.
Along the banks of the quiet Fox River that gracefully meanders through north central Illinois, you will find
Aurora — “the City of Lights” — a leader in commerce, education and entertainment. It has long been hailed as a
city of Illinois firsts: the first free school, the first YMCA building, and the community that witnessed the
launching of the Republican Party. In addition, Aurora was the first city in the world to illuminate all of its streets
with electric lights, giving birth to its current moniker, "The City of Lights."
Aurora is a pioneer in business and industry, with a robust commercial district and a rock-solid financial sector.
Company owners with an eye on increasing productivity, growing profits and keeping costs down will be hard
pressed to find a more attractive location with a more qualified labor pool.
Those who live, work, and play here know that Aurora is a fantastic community to raise a family; they are quick
to point out its many advantages. In fact, so many friends and families have discovered Aurora’s secrets that the
City of Lights is now the second largest city in the State, an impressive testimonial to its drawing power.
Within these pages, you will discover some of those secrets for yourself. You will find that the schools are
unequaled in educational quality, the moderate cost of living fits into any budget and the wealth of entertainment
available will leave enough memories to fill a lifetime.
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
Trends
1990
2000
2005
City
99,581
142,990
160,149
Chicago PMSA**
7,410,858
8,272,768
8,479,587
State of Illinois
11,430,602
12,419,293
12,708,663
*SOURCE: EASI Demographics, 2000
**The Chicago Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA)
consists of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall,
Lake, McHenry and Will counties.
Land Area (2000)
38.0 Square Miles
Population Density (2000)
3,762.9 Persons/Square Mile
Gender (2000)
Number
Percent
Female Population
73,068
51.1%
Male Population
69,932
48.9%
Age Distribution (2000)
Number
Percent
5 Years & Younger
12.0%
6-11 Years
17,201
10.3%
12-17 Years
14,721
9.0%
18-24 Years
12,845
9.8%
25-34 Years
14,044
17.3%
35-44 Years
24,666
15.8%
45-54 Years
22,580
11.4%
55-64 Years
16,325
5.7%
65-74 Years
8,120
4.3%
75 Years & Older
6,189
4.4%
Median Age
6,299
30.1%
• Aurora has more than doubled in size — from 15.68 square
miles in 1972 to 32.4 square miles in 1999.
• Median household income has increased 103% — from
$24,279 in 1986 to $49,321 in 2000.
• Assessed valuation has increased 250% — from $533 million in
1987 to $1.87 billion in 1999.
• The City’s property tax rate has declined 14.5% — from $9.24
per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 1984 to $7.90 per $1,000
in 1999 (Kane County portion).
• Employment has increased 89% — from 34,898 in 1982 to
65,951 in 2000.
Aurora is the center of the Greater Aurora-Naperville Area, one of the fastest growing, most progressive and
prosperous regions in the country. Less than 40 miles west of Chicago, the area encompasses Aurora, Naperville,
the tri-cities of Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles, and the fast-growing Kendall and Kane County communities of
Oswego, Yorkville, Montgomery, Sugar Grove, Plainfield, North Aurora and Newark. Throughout the area, an
efficient transportation network has been designed to ensure maximum mobility while preserving each
community’s individuality.
Interstate 88 (Illinois’ Research and Development Corridor) leads to Chicago and neighboring suburbs while
offering connections to Indiana and Wisconsin. This broad, clean artery runs east and west through Aurora and
connects to the vastly improved Illinois highway and tollway system.
Metra’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway line transports commuters from Aurora to Chicago and points in
between. The carrier operates 47 daily commuter trains from the downtown Aurora Transportation Center at
affordable rates. Other public transportation options that serve every need include a local Pace suburban bus
service that operates more than a dozen routes, Greyhound bus service for longer trips, and a half dozen taxicab
companies.
Air transportation is available through O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Chicago Midway Airport
(MDW), both within 45 minutes of downtown. Combined, the two airports offer hundreds of daily flights with
thousands of connections to destinations around the globe. Additionally, more and more travelers are discovering
the advantages of flying out of local airports. They are quick, efficient and convenient. Aurora Municipal Airport
(ARR) is no exception — it’s a full-service reliever airport and corporate aircraft facility just eight miles west of
downtown. Owned and operated by the City, AMA handles an average of 450 flights daily and operates around
the clock.
However, if you’re looking for an alternative to air travel and want to see the country in a whole new way, then
you can climb aboard an Amtrak train right here in Aurora.
Aurora’s pioneering spirit can be traced back to its original settlers. Settlers came to the area in the early 1830s
attracted by the fertile Fox Valley’s abundant resources. There was ample fresh water, game for food and
clothing, broad farmland with rich, dark soil, lumber for building, and a growing local trade. In 1834, Joseph and
Samuel McCarty, millers from New York, settled McCarty’s Mills here. The name was subsequently changed to
Aurora, meaning “luminous bands of light.” By the 1840s, two newspapers were spreading the word and Aurora
was here to stay. Aurora had opened its first bank by the middle of the 1850s; the fire department had been
created; and the City had elected its first mayor.
Aurora became an important railroad center, employing more than 1,000 rail workers and establishing numerous
facilities for building and maintaining locomotives. Much of the City’s railroad heritage can be seen today in the
restored Roundhouse that is now included in the National Register of Historical Places.
City government had a permanent home when City Hall was erected in 1864. The public library opened to bring
the world of information to residents in 1881. That same year, Aurora gained world recognition as the first city in
the world to operate streetlights powered by electricity. It truly had become the “City of Lights” and a model
Illinois community.
By the time The Aurora Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1907 and incorporated in 1920, the City had
earned its reputation as a hard-working, fun-loving community that catered to the needs of residents and
businesses alike. Over the years, as its prosperity has grown, Aurora has attracted the attention of hundreds of
companies from around the world while still maintaining its sense of traditional, local roots.