The story
Read it all →How Aurora came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Aurora.
Aurora was platted in 1880. It was named after Aurora, Illinois, by a settler from that place.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
C−History
History · Aurora
Aurora’s post office opened in 1880
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Aurora was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2010.
1880first post office
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Aurora began, and where its name came from
When was Aurora founded?
1880
The Aurora post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.
2020 census: 1,047146 years
How did Aurora get its name?
Aurora was named after Aurora, Illinois, by a settler from that place.
How historic is Aurora?
C−
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 19% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Aurora post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Aurora’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Aurora is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Aurora’s overall grade.
Founding era1880, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19404.4% of homes (±2.9) · typical SD town 10.4% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical SD town 37.3 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 19%
NewerOlder
South Dakota towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical South Dakota town has 37.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Aurora’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (15% of South Dakota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Aurora’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Aurora’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Aurora’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.By decade
Aurora, decade by decade
2020
2020
2008
2004Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Aurora
Nobody well known was born in Aurora itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Aurora’s history
What year was Aurora founded?
The Aurora post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Aurora rank for history?
Aurora is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Aurora?
4% of Aurora’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 10% for a South Dakota town; the median home was built in 2010.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikipedia, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.