The Aurora area has some significant architecture, including structures by Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Bruce Goff and George Grant Elmslie.

Before European settlers arrived, there was a Native American village in what is today downtown Aurora, on the banks of the Fox River.

The heavy industries on the East side provided employment for generations of European immigrants, who came from Ireland, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Romania and Italy.

The combination of these three factors—a highly industrialized town, a sizable river that divided it, and the Burlington railroad's shops—accounted for much of the dynamics of Aurora's political, economic, and social history.

[8] During the late 1970s and early 1980s, development began in the Far East side along the Eola Road and Route 59 areas.

This was financially beneficial to the city, but it sapped retail businesses downtown and manufacturing in the industrial sectors of the near East and West Sides, weakening them.

On September 26, 2014, a fire at an air traffic control edifice in Aurora (also known as the "Chicago Center") caused nearly 2000 airline flights to be grounded.

Five officers and several civilians were injured in the ensuing standoff, after which police entered the building and killed Martin.

On July 17–18, 1996, a major flood struck Aurora, with 16.94 inches (430 mm) of rain in a 24-hour period, which is an Illinois state record.

In 1990, the supercell thunderstorm that produced the deadly Plainfield Tornado passed over the city, dropping golf ball-sized hail and causing wind damage.

[citation needed] Less than ten minutes after passing through Aurora, the storm produced an F5 tornado, which touched down in nearby Oswego, less than 5 miles from downtown.

[42][43] In July 2007, the Aurora Police Department and the FBI conducted "Operation First Degree Burn," a sweep that resulted in the successful arrest of 31 alleged Latin Kings gang members suspected of 22 murders dating back to the mid-1990s.

According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[47] the city's largest employers are: Formed in 1987, the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (AACVB) is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to aggressively promoting and marketing the area as a premier overnight destination.

[citation needed] Downtown Aurora is home to the Paramount Theatre, a large live performance theater on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Hollywood Casino.

There is also the Leland Tower, a former hotel that was the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The largest collection of commercial buildings by Prairie School architect George Grant Elmslie is here.

The main building of Aurora Public Library and a branch campus of Waubonsee Community College are also located downtown.

[48] A fixture of Downtown Aurora, the Waubonsee Community College Campus, which was formerly located on Stolp Island near the Paramount Theatre, closed in May 2011.

The Stonebridge Country Club, on Aurora's far northeast side, was home to the LPGA Tour's Kellogg-Keebler Classic from 2002 to 2004.

Their most famous player was Casey Stengel, who played one season with the team before being bought by the Brooklyn Dodgers.

According to the 2022 Estimates for the American Community Survey, 79.1% of Aurora residents over the age of 24 pursued higher education.

[53] Starting in the 1860s, Aurora was served by two main school systems, one on either side of the Fox River, which physically divides the city.

Additionally, in 1972, the Indian Prairie School District (IPSD) 204 was formed to serve the far eastern portion of Aurora within DuPage County.

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) is a state-funded residential magnet school for grades 10 to 12.

Any Illinois student who meets admission requirements may apply to attend IMSA, tuition free.

The city is served by several major roadways, including Interstate 88 and Illinois Route 59, making it easily accessible by car.

Additionally, Aurora offers various public transportation options, including two Metra commuter stops, Pace Bus services, and an expanding bicycle network.

This station is on the border with Naperville and each city maintains a parking lot on their respective side of the tracks.

In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center is on Aurora's west side.

In July 2020, the City of Aurora partnered with Koloni to launch its new Fox Valley Bike Share program.