Aurora, Erie County, New York
Encyclopedia
Aurora is a town
in Erie County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 13,996 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Aurora is one of the "Southtowns" of Erie County and is also erroneously called East Aurora, the name of its principal village. The town is centrally located in the county, southeast of Buffalo
.
Christ the King Seminary is located in the north part of the town.
. Willink once contained all the southern part of Erie County. By a close vote, citizens voted to change the name to "Aurora" in a display of their growing dissatisfaction with the Holland Land Company
and its stockholders, which included Wilheim Willink
.
, the town has a total area of 36.4 square miles (94.3 km²), all land.
New York State Route 240
is a major route through the southwest part of the town.
of 2000, there were 13,996 people, 5,421 households, and 3,859 families residing in the town. The population density
was 384.6 people per square mile (148.5/km²). There were 5,686 housing units at an average density of 156.2 per square mile (60.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.83% White, 0.18% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races
, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.
There were 5,421 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples
living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,939, and the median income for a family was $63,550. Males had a median income of $46,269 versus $30,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,530. About 2.2% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Erie County
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 13,996 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Aurora is one of the "Southtowns" of Erie County and is also erroneously called East Aurora, the name of its principal village. The town is centrally located in the county, southeast of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
.
Christ the King Seminary is located in the north part of the town.
History
The town was created in 1818 from the (now defunct) Town of WillinkWillink, New York
Willink, New York is a former town in Western New York, USA. The name was derived from Willem Willink, one of the original investors of the Holland Land Company....
. Willink once contained all the southern part of Erie County. By a close vote, citizens voted to change the name to "Aurora" in a display of their growing dissatisfaction with the Holland Land Company
Holland Land Company
The Holland Land Company was a purchaser of the western two-thirds of the western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. This tract was known thereafter as The Holland Purchase...
and its stockholders, which included Wilheim Willink
Wilheim Willink
Wilhelm Willink was a wealthy Amsterdam merchant, and one of the investors in the Holland Land Company, and the Louisiana Purchase...
.
Notable residents
- Millard FillmoreMillard FillmoreMillard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
, US PresidentPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, practiced law in Aurora and lived in a house on Main Street (now a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on Shearer Avenue) before he became president. - Elbert HubbardElbert HubbardElbert Green Hubbard was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. Raised in Hudson, Illinois, he met early success as a traveling salesman with the Larkin soap company. Today Hubbard is mostly known as the founder of the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, an...
writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. He founded RoycroftRoycroftRoycroft was a reformist community of craft workers and artists which formed part of the Arts and Crafts movement in the USA. Elbert Hubbard founded the community in 1895 in the village of East Aurora, Erie County, New York, near Buffalo. Participants were known as Roycrofters...
, an Arts and Crafts movement community in East Aurora in 1895. - Irving PriceIrving PriceIrving Lanouette Price was a U.S. toy manufacturer. He was the co-founder and co-eponym of Fisher-Price Toys in 1930. On 23 February 1909, he married the children's book illustrator and artist Margaret Evans Price...
, co-founder of the Fisher-PriceFisher-PriceFisher-Price is a company that produces toys for infants and children, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. Fisher-Price has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel since 1993.-History:...
toy company, purchased the Fillmore home, which his wife used as an art studio.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 36.4 square miles (94.3 km²), all land.
New York State Route 240
New York State Route 240
New York State Route 240 is a state highway in western New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 242 in the Ellicottville community of Ashford in northern Cattaraugus County. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 324...
is a major route through the southwest part of the town.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 13,996 people, 5,421 households, and 3,859 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 384.6 people per square mile (148.5/km²). There were 5,686 housing units at an average density of 156.2 per square mile (60.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.83% White, 0.18% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.
There were 5,421 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,939, and the median income for a family was $63,550. Males had a median income of $46,269 versus $30,000 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $24,530. About 2.2% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Aurora
- BlakeleyBlakeley, New YorkBlakeley, New York is an unincorporated hamlet in the town of Aurora in Erie County, New York, USA.-References:...
– A hamlet in the southeastern part of the town. - Cazenovia Creek (West Branch) – A Branch of Cazenovia CreekCazenovia CreekCazenovia Creek is a small stream in Western New York, United States. The creek is named after Theophilus Cazenove, an agent of the Holland Land Company. Cazenovia Creek is a tributary of the Buffalo River, which empties into Lake Erie...
flowing northward through the town. - East AuroraEast Aurora, New YorkEast Aurora is a village in Erie County, New York, United States, southeast of Buffalo. The Village of East Aurora lies in the eastern half of the Town of Aurora.The population was 6,673 at the 2000 census...
– The Village of East Aurora is in the northeast part of the town. - Griffins Mills – A community in the southwestern part of the town on the West Branch of Cazenovia Creek.
- JewettvilleJewettville, New YorkJewettville, New York is an unincorporated hamlet in the town of Aurora in Erie County, New York, USA.-References:...
– A location in the southwest corner of the town on NY-240. - Knox Farm State ParkKnox Farm State ParkThe Knox Farm State Park is located adjacent to the village of East Aurora, New York, USA. It is the former country estate of Buffalo's wealthy Knox Family, and spans , containing a number of habitats, including grasslands, woodlands, ponds and wetlands...
– A park developed from the estate of the Knox family in 2000. - South WalesSouth Wales, New YorkSouth Wales, New York is an unincorporated hamlet in the towns of Aurora and Wales in Erie County, New York, USA. WGRZ's broadcast tower and in-house weather radar are based in the hamlet.-References:...
– A hamletHamlet (place)A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
shared between Aurora and the Town of WalesWales, New YorkWales is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The town is one of the "Southtowns" of Erie County by virtue of its position in the southeast part of the county, southeast of Buffalo.-History of Wales :...
. - West FallsWest Falls, New YorkWest Falls, New York is an unincorporated hamlet in the town of Aurora in Erie County, New York, USA.-References:...
– A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town on the West Branch of Cazenovia Creek and NY-240.