Not just the name of a Princess, but a great place to live! Even Sleeping Beauty herself would be happy in Aurora, Ohio.
The City of Aurora is a quaint bedroom community close enough to the cities of Cleveland and Akron to make it feel like you're not missing anything when it comes to entertainment and shopping choices
Not just the name of a Princess, but a great place to live! Even Sleeping Beauty herself would be happy in Aurora, Ohio.
The City of Aurora is a quaint bedroom community close enough to the cities of Cleveland and Akron to make it feel like you're not missing anything when it comes to entertainment and shopping choices. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 16,000 people live in Aurora. Also, Kent State is about a 25 minute drive down south from Aurora on Highway 43, so you can always hop in the car and crank a copy of Neil Young's "Ohio" on your way to visit the historic campus of Kent State University (Kent State is a national landmark synonymous with the 1960's counterculture movement, and it's well worth visiting the campus even though its history has somewhat of a black eye.) Aurora was founded as a farming community in 1799. Today, as you gaze across the land outside town, you can't see much besides sprawling suburbs where acres and acres of corn rows and other crops once stood. As the town continues to grow, community leaders are pushing to maintain the old look and feel of Aurora by establishing requirements that new housing developments and buildings adhere to an architecture style known as "western reserve," which is a mix and match of features from Greek Revival, Federal and Queen Anne architectural styles, which means a lot of curved window frames, brick facades and long stone columns. Aurora also has a ton of recreational opportunities, but you'll need to find rental housing in Aurora before you can begin exploring the area and having fun.
Just your luck: Aurora is not an expensive place to live, especially when considering rents in nearby Cleveland and Akron. You're not likely to find many premier apartments in town, but you should not have much trouble locating apartments to rent. There is a fair number of inexpensive apartment complexes in Aurora with one bedroom, two bedroom and three bedroom apartments available. Keep in mind that these tend to require that applicants have good rental histories and references. You're not likely to find many premier apartments in town, but you shouldn't have much trouble locating apartments to rent that suit your needs. There is one senior citizen complex that exists -- Kentway Apartments -- which caters to tenants 55 years old and up.
Because Aurora doesn't have any neighborhoods within it's boundaries, the town functions as one big neighborhood itself. Aurora has a variety of local activities and entertainment to keep you occupied, no matter your interests.
Recreation
Many opportunities exist for recreation in Aurora. Wildwater Kingdom (formerly known as Six Flags Ohio and Six Flags Worlds of Adventure) opens during the summer from the end of May through Labor Day weekend (but only for half days from mid-August until Labor Day). It's a 17-acre water park located on the south end of Geauga Lake just to the northeast of Aurora up Highway 43. Wildwater Kingdom has 15 water slides, including Thunder Falls -- the tallest water slide in all of Ohio. In addition to Wildwater Kingdom, the Aurora area has three golf courses: Aurora Golf and Country Club )which hosted the U.S. Open in 1967, 1969 and 1970), Barrington Golf Club and Club Walden (the latter was designed by Jack Nicklaus himself, so you know it's going to be a fun, yet challenging day on the links -- difficult enough that it's probably safe to bet more than a few expletives will be heard by golfers not having as good a round as he or she had hoped, let's just say.)
Parks
Aurora has several parks where residents can get outside and convene with nature -- that is, when they can find the time to break away from their electronic devices and actually remember that a world exists beyond a hand-held screen (but please, take your time perusing Apartmentlist.com to find that apartment rental you want.) Try the Aurora Conservation Counsel's Mobeius Nature Center, TInker's Creek State Nature Preserve, or the Audubon Trail System, which boasts the state's largest bird sanctuary once you venture outside.
Transportation
Aurora is within 35 miles of two major airports -- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to the east in Cleveland, and Akron-Canton Regional Airport to the south in Akron. There are two Amtrak train stations within 30 miles of downtown Aurora. However, Aurora itself does not offer any public bus services. Akron's Metro Regional Transit Authority (METRO RTA) offers service with stops as close as Twinsburg, which is about five miles to the east of Aurora. From there, passengers can either take a METRO RTA bus into Akron or hop on a connecting bus that will take you to one of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's bus stops and on into The Forest City.
Restaurants
There are many options for dining out in Aurora, but don't expect to be noshing on five-star fair. If you feel like Indian food, Cafe Tandoor may be your best bet. Got a craving for Mexican? El Camino's the name of the game. If you would like a more intimate setting where you can linger over dinner with a date, try The Barn at Walden (just don't forget coats are required for gentlemen.)
