Map of Aurora city, Missouri

Aurora is a city in Lawrence County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,432.

Aurora city overview:
Name:	Aurora city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Missouri
County:	Lawrence County
Founded:	1870
Incorporated:	1885
Elevation:	1,401 ft (427 m)
Total Area:	6.33 sq mi (16.39 km²)
Land Area:	6.30 sq mi (16.31 km²)
Water Area:	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km²)
Total Population:	7,219
Population Density:	1,146.42/sq mi (442.64/km²)
ZIP code:	65605
Area code:	417
FIPS code:	2902548
GNISfeature ID:	0713486
Website:	aurora-cityhall.org

Online Interactive Map

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Aurora online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Aurora location map. Where is Aurora city?

Aurora location on the U.S. Map. Where is Aurora city. — Aurora location on the U.S. Map.

Aurora location on the Missouri map. Where is Aurora city. — Location of Aurora in Missouri.

History

The Honey Creek area, near Aurora was originally settled by pioneers from Tennessee, including James D. Hillhouse, E. B. Hillhouse, Reverend A. A. Young, James Barrow and James Gibson. They were later instrumental in founding Aurora. Their descendants include actor Brad Pitt and novelist and national security analyst Raelynn Hillhouse.

Aurora was platted in 1870 by Stephen G. Elliott. It was reportedly named after Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn.

Galena ore was discovered in 1885 while digging a well on the farm of Thomas D. Liles in November, marking the beginning of Aurora as a mining town. Mining of surface outcrops began in 1886. Large scale commercial mining began shortly afterwards as the mines grew deeper and zinc and galena were discovered. The zinc from the Aurora mines was of exceptional purity and high grade. By 1893, 12,651 tons of zinc ore were mined and shipped from Aurora. The mines attracted prospectors and miners. Aurora’s population peaked at 10,000 circa 1900.

The Frisco Railroad (now Burlington Northern-Santa Fe) and the Missouri Pacific (now Union Pacific) previously had depots in Aurora. The train master for the Missouri Pacific Railroad’s White River division was headquartered in Aurora until the mid-1950s.

From 1911 to 1920, the virulently anti-Catholic newspaper The Menace was published in Aurora by W. F. Phelps and Earl McClure. In 1914, it achieved a national circulation of over one million, according to the March 1932 issue of American Mercury.

The Lewis Shaw Coleman House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

Aurora Road Map

Aurora city Satellite Map

Geography

Aurora is located at 36°58′12″N 93°43′14″W / 36.97000°N 93.72056°W / 36.97000; -93.72056 (36.969956, -93.720574). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.98 square miles (15.49 km), of which 5.95 square miles (15.41 km) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km) is water.