Aurora, Illinois

Aurora is a city predominantly in Kane County, Illinois with sections in DuPage, Kendall and Will. It is located in the outer region of Chicago's suburbs and is the second largest city in Illinois. The population was 197,899 at the 2010 census.

Aurora was first settled because of its ideal location on the Fox River. Named for the goddess of dawn, Aurora's nickname is the "City of Lights" because Aurora became one of the first U.S. cities to implement an all-electric street lighting system.

Aurora's historic downtown is located on the Fox River and centered on Stolp Island. The city is divided into three regions, the West Side, located on the west side of the Fox River, the East Side, located between the eastern bank of the Fox River and the Kane/DuPage County line, and the Far East Side/Fox Valley, which is from the County Line to the city's eastern border with the city of Naperville.

In the 2010 census, there were 46,489 households in the city; 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 12% were headed by a female, and 26.4% were non-families. In the 2010 census, the racial makeup of Aurora was 68.07% white, 11.06% African American, 0.36% Native American, 3.06% Asian American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 14.52% other races and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 32.56% of the population.

Aurora is on the edge of the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor. The city has a long tradition of manufacturing. Prominent manufacturers, past and present, included: Lyon Workspace Products, The Aurora Silverplate Manufacturing Co., Barber-Greene Co., the Chicago Corset Co., the Aurora Brewing Co., Stephens-Adamson Co., Caterpillar Inc., Allsteel Metals, National Metalwares, and Western Wheeled Scraper Works (later Austin-Western Inc.). The most prominent employer and industry was the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad (later Burlington Northern) which was headquartered in Aurora. The CB&Q Roundhouse is still standing, and is now a restaurant originally called Walter Payton's Roundhouse; after the Payton estate terminated its involvement in 2009 it became known as America's Historic Roundhouse, and (following a 2011 change in ownership) it is now known as Two Brothers Roundhouse.

Aurora's economy supports a large healthcare base, including two hospitals, Provena Mercy Medical Center and Rush-Copley Medical Center. Aurora also has a wide range of facilities included in the Dreyer Medical Clinic.

Aurora is home to an impressive collection of architecture, including buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The Hollywood Casino Aurora, a dockside gaming facility with 53,000 square feet and 1,200 gaming positions, is located on the river in downtown Aurora.

Aurora was once a Native American village. European settlers arrived -- the McCarty brothers -- in 1834 and bought land on both sides of the river. Later they sold their land to the Lake brothers on the west side. The Lake brothers opened a mill on the opposite side of the river. The McCarty brothers and family lived and operated their mill on the east side. A post office was opened in 1837, officially creating Aurora.

In 1856, the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad located its roundhouse and locomotive shop in Aurora to become the town's largest employer until the 1960s. Many of the heavy industries were located on the east side, which provided employment for many generations of European immigrants. Many immigrants flocked to the city, mainly from Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Luxembourg, Germany, France and Italy.

Kreisman Law Offices handles Illinois lawsuits for the entire Chicago metropolitan area, including Aurora and its four connected counties. Chicago's Kreisman Law Offices offers a wide range of legal services, including personal injury law, medical negligence cases, birth injury cases, product defect/product liability law, wrongful death law, and workers’ compensation. The Illinois attorneys at Kreisman Law Offices have more than 40 years of trial experience. Please call us 24 hours a day at 312.346.0045 or toll free 800.583.8002 for a free and immediate consultation, or complete a contact form online.

Our Chicago loop law office is in a convenient location for Aurora residents. Directions to our office from Aurora are as follows: take I-88 East to I-290 East, which eventually becomes Congress Parkway. Exit onto S. Wacker Drive; make a right onto W. Jackson Blvd., traveling east to Dearborn Street; turn left onto Dearborn Street. Kreisman Law Offices is located at the southwest corner of Dearborn Street and Monroe Street.

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