Aurora, Oregon

---

title: "Aurora, Oregon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["aurora,-oregon", "cities-in-oregon", "cities-in-marion-county,-oregon", "utopian-communities-in-the-united-states", "populated-places-established-in-1856", "salem,-oregon-metropolitan-area", "1856-establishments-in-oregon-territory"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora,_Oregon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
official_name	Aurora, Oregon
settlement_type	City
image_skyline	Aurora Museum (Marion County, Oregon scenic images) (marDA0083).jpg
image_caption	Old Aurora Colony Museum
image_seal	Seal of Aurora, Oregon.gif
image_map	Marion_County_Oregon_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Aurora_Highlighted.svg
mapsize	250px
map_caption	Location in Oregon
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	United States
subdivision_type1	State
subdivision_name1	Oregon
subdivision_type2	County
subdivision_name2	Marion
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Brian Asher
established_title	Incorporated
established_date	1893
unit_pref	Imperial
area_footnotes
area_total_sq_mi	0.48
area_land_sq_mi	0.48
area_water_sq_mi	0.00
area_total_km2	1.25
area_land_km2	1.25
area_water_km2	0.00
population_as_of	2020
population_footnotes
population_total	1133
population_density_km2	903.15
population_density_sq_mi	2340.91
timezone	Pacific
utc_offset	-8
timezone_DST	Pacific
utc_offset_DST	-7
coordinates
elevation_footnotes
elevation_ft	167
postal_code_type	ZIP code
postal_code	97002
area_code	503
blank_name	FIPS code
blank_info	41-03300
blank1_name	GNIS feature ID
blank1_info	2409758
website
::

|official_name = Aurora, Oregon |settlement_type = City |nickname = |motto = |image_skyline = Aurora Museum (Marion County, Oregon scenic images) (marDA0083).jpg |image_caption = Old Aurora Colony Museum |image_flag = |image_seal = Seal of Aurora, Oregon.gif |image_map = Marion_County_Oregon_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Aurora_Highlighted.svg |mapsize = 250px |map_caption = Location in Oregon |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = |map_caption1 = |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = United States |subdivision_type1 = State |subdivision_name1 = Oregon |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = Marion |government_type = |leader_title = Mayor |leader_name = Brian Asher |established_title = Incorporated |established_date = 1893 |unit_pref = Imperial |area_footnotes = |area_total_sq_mi = 0.48 |area_land_sq_mi = 0.48 |area_water_sq_mi = 0.00 |area_total_km2 = 1.25 |area_land_km2 = 1.25 |area_water_km2 = 0.00 |area_urban_sq_mi = |area_urban_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |area_metro_km2 = |population_as_of = 2020 |population_footnotes = |population_total = 1133 |pop_est_as_of = |population_est = |population_metro = |population_urban = |population_density_km2 = 903.15 |population_density_sq_mi = 2340.91 |timezone = Pacific |utc_offset = -8 |timezone_DST = Pacific |utc_offset_DST = -7 |coordinates = |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_ft = 167 |postal_code_type = ZIP code |postal_code = 97002 |area_code = 503 |blank_name = FIPS code |blank_info = 41-03300 |blank1_name = GNIS feature ID |blank1_info = 2409758 |website = |footnotes = Aurora is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,133 at the 2020 census, up from 918 in 2010. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Before being incorporated as a city, the area was the location of the Aurora Colony, a religious commune founded in 1856 by William Keil and John E. Schmit. Keil named the settlement after his daughter.

Geography

Aurora is in northern Marion County, bordered to the east by the Pudding River, which forms the boundary with Clackamas County. Oregon Route 99E passes through the center of town, leading northeast 4 mi to Canby and southwest 8 mi to Woodburn. The cities of Portland and Salem are 22 mi to the north and 25 mi to the southwest, respectively.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Aurora has a total area of 0.48 sqmi, all land. The Pudding River runs along Aurora's eastern boundary and flows north to the Molalla River, shortly before the Molalla joins the Willamette River north of Canby.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Aurora has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

|location = Aurora State Airport (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1997–present) |collapsed = Y |single line = Y |width = auto |Jan record high F = 65 |Feb record high F = 69 |Mar record high F = 79 |Apr record high F = 89 |May record high F = 99 |Jun record high F = 114 |Jul record high F = 108 |Aug record high F = 106 |Sep record high F = 100 |Oct record high F = 90 |Nov record high F = 75 |Dec record high F = 67 |year record high F = 114 |Jan avg record high F = 58.1 |Feb avg record high F = 61.2 |Mar avg record high F = 70.0 |Apr avg record high F = 79.6 |May avg record high F = 87.4 |Jun avg record high F = 91.0 |Jul avg record high F = 97.0 |Aug avg record high F = 97.8 |Sep avg record high F = 92.7 |Oct avg record high F = 77.7 |Nov avg record high F = 64.7 |Dec avg record high F = 58.5 |year avg record high F = 100.3 |Jan high F = 48.5 |Feb high F = 52.5 |Mar high F = 57.1 |Apr high F = 62.0 |May high F = 69.2 |Jun high F = 74.5 |Jul high F = 83.1 |Aug high F = 83.3 |Sep high F = 77.4 |Oct high F = 64.3 |Nov high F = 53.7 |Dec high F = 47.6 |year high F = 64.4 |Jan mean F = 42.4 |Feb mean F = 44.7 |Mar mean F = 48.3 |Apr mean F = 52.3 |May mean F = 58.7 |Jun mean F = 63.4 |Jul mean F = 69.6 |Aug mean F = 69.8 |Sep mean F = 64.8 |Oct mean F = 54.9 |Nov mean F = 46.7 |Dec mean F = 41.8 |year mean F = 54.8 |Jan low F = 36.3 |Feb low F = 37.0 |Mar low F = 39.4 |Apr low F = 42.6 |May low F = 48.3 |Jun low F = 52.3 |Jul low F = 56.1 |Aug low F = 56.3 |Sep low F = 52.2 |Oct low F = 45.5 |Nov low F = 39.7 |Dec low F = 35.9 |year low F = 45.1 |Jan avg record low F = 24.9 |Feb avg record low F = 26.4 |Mar avg record low F = 29.8 |Apr avg record low F = 33.2 |May avg record low F = 37.7 |Jun avg record low F = 44.4 |Jul avg record low F = 49.0 |Aug avg record low F = 49.0 |Sep avg record low F = 42.5 |Oct avg record low F = 33.8 |Nov avg record low F = 27.2 |Dec avg record low F = 23.1 |year avg record low F = 20.2 |Jan record low F = 16 |Feb record low F = 19 |Mar record low F = 25 |Apr record low F = 29 |May record low F = 33 |Jun record low F = 41 |Jul record low F = 45 |Aug record low F = 44 |Sep record low F = 36 |Oct record low F = 26 |Nov record low F = 17 |Dec record low F = 10 |year record low F = 10 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation inch = 5.48 |Feb precipitation inch = 4.03 |Mar precipitation inch = 4.39 |Apr precipitation inch = 3.37 |May precipitation inch = 2.55 |Jun precipitation inch = 1.47 |Jul precipitation inch = 0.43 |Aug precipitation inch = 0.52 |Sep precipitation inch = 1.58 |Oct precipitation inch = 3.70 |Nov precipitation inch = 5.80 |Dec precipitation inch = 6.23 |year precipitation inch = 39.55 |unit precipitation days = 0.01 in |Jan precipitation days = 20.3 |Feb precipitation days = 17.4 |Mar precipitation days = 19.2 |Apr precipitation days = 16.7 |May precipitation days = 13.3 |Jun precipitation days = 8.7 |Jul precipitation days = 3.0 |Aug precipitation days = 3.5 |Sep precipitation days = 7.6 |Oct precipitation days = 15.3 |Nov precipitation days = 20.3 |Dec precipitation days = 20.2 |year precipitation days = 165.5 |source 1 = NOAA

Demographics

|1900= 122 |1910= 190 |1920= 229 |1930= 215 |1940= 228 |1950= 242 |1960= 274 |1970= 306 |1980= 523 |1990= 567 |2000= 655 |2010= 918 |2020= 1133 |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census | align = right | align-fn = center

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Aurora had a population of 1,133. The median age was 46.0 years; 6.7% of residents were under the age of 5, 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.1 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0% lived in rural areas.

There were 431 households in Aurora, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 63.6% were married-couple households, 9.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 16.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.00, and 2.3% of households were cohabitating couples.

There were 431 housing units, of which 0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 83.1% were owner-occupied and 16.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was

::data[format=table title="Racial composition as of the 2020 census{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME%2CP1_001N%2CP1_003N%2CP1_004N%2CP1_005N%2CP1_006N%2CP1_007N%2CP1_008N%2CP1_009N%2CP2_001N%2CP2_002N%2CH1_001N%2CH1_002N&for=place%3A03300&in=state%3A41|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=January 28, 2026|df=mdy}}"]

Race	Number	Percent
White	899	79.3%
Black or African American	15	1.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native	17	1.5%
Asian	11	1.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	3	0.3%
Some other race	80	7.1%
Two or more races	108	9.5%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	186	16.4%
::

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 918 people, 336 households, and 256 families living in the city. The population density was 1912.5 PD/sqmi. There were 349 housing units at an average density of 727.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 89.7% White, 0.5% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 6.3% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.9% of the population.

There were 336 households, of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 23.8% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.12.

The median age in the city was 39.6 years. 27.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 31.8% were from 45 to 64; and 10.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.6% male and 48.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 655 people, 250 households, and 186 families living in the city. The population density was 1,441.8 PD/sqmi. There were 262 housing units at an average density of 576.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 94.20% White, 0.46% African American, 0.61% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 1.98% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.26% of the population.

There were 250 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $55,938, and the median income for a family was $65,556. Males had a median income of $45,938 versus $29,444 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,839. None of the families and 1.6% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 7.5% of those over 64.

Education

North Marion School District has a school system with four schools within walking distance: North Marion Primary School, North Marion Intermediate School, North Marion Middle School, and North Marion High School.

Places of interest

• Old Aurora Museum, about the Old Aurora Colony.
• Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage, set in the town's historic seed cleaning mill complex built in 1890, is now the town's largest antique shopping venue.
• Mainstreet Mercantile Antiques, one of the town's larger antique shops.

Transportation

Airport

The Aurora State Airport is located 1 mi northwest of Aurora. The airport is owned by the State of Oregon and operated by the Oregon Department of Aviation.

Economy

Life Flight Network, the nation's largest not-for-profit air ambulance provider is headquartered at the Aurora State Airport. The company provides critical care transport from the scene of an emergency or from one hospital to another via helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft. They also provide emergent and non-emergent ground ambulance services. Life Flight Network has bases of operation throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana and has been saving lives in the region since 1978. The company employs approximately 900 people. Columbia Helicopters is also located in Aurora. The facility provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services.

References

References

1. "City Council". City of Aurora.
2. "2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Oregon". United States Census Bureau.
3. "P1. Race – Aurora city, Oregon: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau.
4. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
5. {{GNIS. 2409758
6. "Explore Census Data".
7. Lyman, Horace S.. (1901). "[[wikisource:en:Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 2/The Aurora Community". [[Oregon Historical Quarterly]].
8. "Aurora, Oregon Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)".
9. "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
10. "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
15. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. "Old Aurora Colony".
17. "Homepage of Aurora Mills".
18. "Oregon Bases - Life Flight Network".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::