Aurora, Cayuga County, New York

The Village of Aurora, a tourist destination and college town in Cayuga County, is in the Town of Ledyard, north of Ithaca, New York, United States. The village had a population of 720 at the 2000 census. College students and summer visitors greatly increase the number seasonally.

Wells College, an institution of higher education for women founded by Henry Wells in 1868, became coeducational in 2005, not without ( [http://www.geocities.com/wellscollegepetition] ) protests from both alumnae and students.

History

Prior to American settlement, a major CayugaIndian village, Chonodote, stood very near to the present-day site of Aurora village. Chonodote was destroyed by the Sullivan Expedition in 1779. Some of the Cayuga tirbe returned after the war to live on a reservation that once included the north end of Cayuga Lake. Part of the village was within the Central New York Military Tract. The village was a stopping point for canal traffic after the Cayuga-Seneca Canal opened and was incorporated in 1837.

Aurora was home to:
*Henry Wells, founder of Wells-Fargo and the American Express Company
*Congressman Edwin B. Morgan, a founder of the New York Times.
*Painter, sculptor, printer, and typographer Victor Hammer.
*Writer, poet and professor Robert P. T. Coffin.
*First Lady of the United States and Wells College alumna Frances Folsom Cleveland.
*Thomas J. Preston, Jr., President pro temp of Wells College. He married Frances Folsom Cleveland.
*Prominent anthropologist and Wells College alumna Laura Nader.

Recent changes

. In press accounts, Rowland expressed her vision of enhancing the historic character and attractiveness of the community, and of improving the local economy. [ [http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/10/14/aurora.makeover.ap/index.html No storybook ending after tycoon dolls up village] , CNN, October 14, 2007]

However, Rowland's and the Aurora Foundation's projects have drawn criticism and concern. Critics felt that the Foundation was too quick to renovate historic structures. Their concerns are magnified by the fact that Rowland is not a native to the area, despite her time here while attending Wells College from 1958-1962, and because she has been largely inaccessible to the community. The controversy continued as the renovations gained national attention.

Because some affected buildings were designated on the National Register of Historic Places, the controversy involved interested parties outside the community, resulting in national media attention. Accounts appearing in the [http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/18/nyregion/18AURO.html? New York Times] , the [http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i21/21a02301.htm Chronicle of Higher Education] , the National Trust's [http://www.aurorany.org/PresMag.html Preservation Magazine] and broadcast on National Public Radio's [http://www.aurorany.org/happyland.html Morning Edition] . The issue may have served as inspiration for a novel by prominent author J. Robert Lennon entitled [http://www.aurorany.org/Happyland.html Happyland] , which began running in Harper's Magazine in serial form in July 2006.

Geography

Aurora is located at coor dms|42|44|48|N|76|41|58|W|city (42.746782, -76.699442)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), all of it land.

The Village of Aurora is in the Town of Ledyard on the east shore of Cayuga Lake. Long Point State Park is south of the village.

New York State Route 90, a north-south highway, passes through the village.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2005, there were 720 people, 181 households, 106 families residing in the village. The population density was 750.4 people per square mile (289.6/km²). There were 225 housing units at an average density of 234.5/sq mi (90.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 91.53% White, 1.81% African American, 0.28% Native American, 3.06% Asian, 1.39% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.94% of the population.

There were 181 households out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the village the population was spread out with 13.2% under the age of 18, 46.1% from 18 to 24, 14.6% from 25 to 44, 15.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 37.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 31.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $57,222, and the median income for a family was $64,583. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $32,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,526. About 1.8% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* [http://www.auroranewyork.us Aurora, New York]