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Suburb
Chicago

Aurora

#12 in Best Places to Live in Kane County
  • A-
    Overall Grade
  • Suburb of Chicago, IL
  • 445 reviews
A-
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Public Schools
    B+
  2. Crime & Safety
    B-
  3. Housing
    B-
  4. Nightlife
    B
  5. Good for Families
    A-
  6. Diversity
    A+
  7. Jobs
    B
  8. Weather
    C+
  9. Cost of Living
    B-
  10. Health & Fitness
    B-
  11. Outdoor Activities
    A
  12. Commute
    B+
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Aurora is a suburb of Chicago with a population of 200,907. Aurora is in Kane County and is one of the best places to live in Illinois. Living in Aurora offers residents a suburban feel and most residents own their homes. In Aurora there are a lot of parks. Many families and young professionals live in Aurora and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Aurora are above average.
About Aurora...
Population
200,907

Real Estate

Median Home Value
$168,100
National
$184,700
Median Rent
$1,104
National
$949
Area Feel
Suburban
Rent vs. Own
  • Rent
    35%
  • Own
    65%
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Aurora Rankings

Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and and expert insights.

Crime & Safety

Crime & Safety
B-
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Violent Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Assault
    174
    283
  • Murder
    3
    6
  • Rape
    28
    41
  • Robbery
    54
    136
Property Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Burglary
    182
    500
  • Theft
    1,053
    2,043
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
    87
    284
Home Security Options for Aurora
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  • 24/7 Whole home protection with no contract
  • CNET Editor’s choice winner 2018

Residents

Diversity
A+
Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
Median Household Income
$63,967
National
$55,322
Children
25%
Education Levels
National
  • Master's degree or higher
    11%
    12%
  • Bachelor's degree
    20%
    19%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    25%
    29%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    20%
    28%
  • Less than high school diploma
    23%
    13%
  • Public Schools
  • Private Schools
  • Colleges
Places like Aurora
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Aurora Reviews

445 reviews
All Categories
I was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois. Aurora is predominantly Latino and I grew up in a household speaking Spanish. I loved the diversity of my community because then I applied to the Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy on the other side of Aurora. This experience was culture shocking because it was required you live in a dorm and that you experience different cultures such as Asian, Caucasian and African Americans, something I had never done before. What I would change about Aurora is the crime rate on one side of the city versus the safer other side of the city. The East and West sides both have very different crime rates. Besides that I love my city!
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The downtown area isn't perfect; it is kind of messy around there once night-time. But overall it is quite okay; this area has a few good schools located in the area, a lot of good restaurants and a lot of churches! The overall experience I had there is fun. Went to a lot of baseball games.
Aurora, IL is about 90 minutes west of downtown Chicago. Easily accessed via highway Route 88 or Burlington Northern train line. Aurora is known as, "The City of Lights"; entertainment abounds from the Hollywood Casino to the Paramount Theater, to the nightly summer concerts, and kayaking on the Fox River. The schools are nationally recognized for academic excellence and ample resources for special needs accommodations. Aurora is centrally located for day trip excursions to downtown Chicago, St. Louis, and the great Wisconsin scenic outdoors.