Aurora, Missouri
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1942 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Aurora Township. It lies in ZIP code area 65605. The Survey maps it on the Aurora quadrangle. 7,219 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,401 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Aurora
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Lewis Shaw Coleman Houselisted 2016
Population over time
2 figuresAurora fell from 7,508 to 7,219 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 7,508 | |
| 2020 | 7,219 | -289 (-4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 12 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1942 USGS Aurora quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1945 USGS Aurora quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1945 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1949 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1974 USGS Aurora quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS Table Rock Lake quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
125 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 125 fires within 5 miles of Aurora between 1994 and 2017, burning about 642 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 14 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 62 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 37 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 14 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 2 September 1996 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 14 September 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 13 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 7 August 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 5 August 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 80 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 4 August 2001 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 27 August 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 259 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 259 workings within 5 miles of Aurora: 256 past producers, 2 prospects, 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Lead, Zinc, Zinc, Lead, Limestone, Dimension, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown - Iron | Iron | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Lead & Copper | Copper, Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Lead & Zinc & Copper | Lead, Zinc, Copper | Past Producer | ||
| Queen City Mine | Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Lead | Lead | Past Producer | ||
| American Zinc Mine | Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Zinc | Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Zinc | Zinc | Prospect | ||
| Sumner's Shaft | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Clay | Clay | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 87 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Aurora in 87 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 41 hail, 32 thunderstorm wind, 8 flash flood, 3 tornado. The reports record 1 death. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2018 | Tornado (EF1) | Aurora | 1 killed, $250,000 | An EF-1 tornado developed just west of the water tower and tracked northeast to the Aurora Motel, where one fatality occurred. The tornado then tracked northward across Highway 60 and impacted Sutherlands before dissipating. Path length was near one half mile. Peak wind was estimated at 105 mph. |
| November 2003 | Hail | Aurora | $6,000,000 | A supercell thunderstorm tracked over the community of Aurora launching hail to the size of baseballs over the central and northern sections of the city. Numerous structures in the downtown area lost windows and sustained minor damage from the large hail. Two car lots were affected along with significant roof damage to homes. |
| November 2001 | Tornado (F1) | Aurora | $750,000 | no account filed |
| January 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Aurora | $75,000 | A National Weather storm survey revealed that an EF-0 tornado tracked across rural southeast Lawrence County. This tornado damaged a few farm houses and outbuildings. The damage track barely continued into Christian County as the tornado lifted a few yards east of the county line. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $50,000 | A vehicle was trapped in downed power lines. No injuries were reported. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $50,000 | A report from social media with a picture showed a mobile home with significant roof damage. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Aurora | $25,000 | Baseball size hail broke sky lights at the Walmart. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $25,000 | Thunderstorm winds severely damaged the roof of a car wash. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $20,000 | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $10,000 | A power line was reported down. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Aurora | $10,000 | Report of hail ranging between 1 to 2 inches in diameter. |
| April 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $10,000 | The Hardess's sign in Aurora was blown off the building and fell on a gas meter. |
| April 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $10,000 | A large tree fell into a house. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Aurora | $10,000 | TV media relayed a report of golf ball size hail in Aurora. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $5,000 | A large tree was split in half and fell on a powerline. |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Aurora | $5,000 | Street flooding in town was significant enough to washout a portion of a road. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $5,000 | Trees were reported down in Aurora. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $2,000 | Several trees and power lines were blown down. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $2,000 | Aurora Police Department reported a rural fire truck and a passenger vehicle blown off the roadway into a ditch on Route K and Farm Road 2167 north of Aurora. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $1,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts downed a power line in Aurora. |
| November 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $1,000 | no account filed |
| October 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | $500 | Thunderstorm wind gusts damaged a privacy fence. At the same location a window was blown out of a home and siding was damaged. |
| May 1994 | Hail | Aurora | $50 | Reported by the county sheriff and Skywarn spotters. |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Aurora | - | Water was reported seeping into a home. No damage was reported. |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Aurora | - | Heavy rainfall caused a local creek to flood out of its backs and cover Route K making it impassable. |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Aurora | - | Several city streets in town were reported with high water flowing over them. |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Aurora | - | County Road 2175 at a tributary of Honey Creek was flooded and impassable in several locations. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Aurora | - | Report of golf ball size hail in Aurora. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Aurora | - | Report of golf ball size hail. |
| March 2023 | Flash Flood | Aurora | - | Route K in the north part of Aurora was closed due to flooding form heavy rainfall. |
| April 2023 | Hail | Aurora | - | Quarter sized hail was reported. |
| September 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | A few large branches were reported down. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | Multiple large tree limbs were reported down. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Aurora | - | Quarter sized hail was reported. |
| May 2021 | Flash Flood | Aurora | - | Widespread street flooding was reported in town. |
| May 2021 | Flood | Aurora | - | State Highway K at Chat Creek was closed due to flooding. |
| March 2020 | Hail | Aurora | - | Half dollar sized hail was reported. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | Multiple trees were reported down off of High Street and Elliot Avenue. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Aurora | - | Several roads along Chat Creek were closed with flowing water. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | Several tree limbs were blown down in town. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Aurora | - | Half dollar size hail was reported near Lawrence Farm Road 2175 and Highway 39. |
| May 2013 | Hail | Aurora | - | A picture of the hail was from social media and time was estimated. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | Several small to medium sized tree branches were broken. |
| February 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | The public estimated wind gusts up to 60 mph. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | A trained spotter estimated wind gusts up to 60 mph. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree. |
| April 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | Severe thunderstorm wind gusts downed several large trees in the city of Aurora. |
| May 2006 | Flash Flood | Aurora | - | Excessive rainfall caused flooding over a section of Church Street near its intersection with Jefferson Street. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts downed a couple of power poles near Aurora. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | Severe thunderstorm wind gusts downed numerous trees in the city of Aurora. |
| April 2004 | Heavy Rain | Aurora | - | Law enforcement measured a 24 hour rainfall amount of 4.25 inches. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | Thunderstorm winds downed trees. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | - | Thunderstorm winds downed trees. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Aurora | - | no account filed |
| March 2015 | Hail | Aurora | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Aurora | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Aurora | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Aurora | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Aurora | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Aurora | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Aurora | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q952486 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 713486. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.









