It was originally named McCarty Mills after the grist mill and sawmill built by city founders Joseph and Samuel McCarty, but in 1837, when a Post Office was established, the village was renamed after Aurora, goddess of the dawn.

In 1908, Aurora adopted the nickname "City of Lights" due to its pioneering use of electric lights for publicly lighting the entire city back in 1881.

Wayne's World stars Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell, who lives with his parents in Aurora, Illinois, and spends his free time "partying" with his friends in and around the popular rock/metal scene of the early 1990s. His best friend is Garth Algar with whom he hosts a late-night cable-access show broadcasting from the basement of Wayne's parents' house. The film's sequel, Wayne's World 2, is also set in Aurora.

In the mid-18th century, the area was inhabited by the Potawatomi, a Native American tribe who had succeeded the Miami and Sauk and Fox peoples in this region. The Potawatomi are part of a long-term alliance, called the Council of Three Fires, with the Ojibway and Odawa. In the Council of Three Fires, the Potawatomi are considered the "youngest brother" and are referred to as Bodwéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire." The Potawatomi were forcibly removed from their land after the Treaty of Chicago in 1833 and sent west of the Mississippi River during Indian Removal.

On July 17-18, 1996, a major flood struck Aurora, with 16.9 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, which is an Illinois state record. Flooding occurred in almost every low-lying area of the city, causing major damage in some neighborhoods.

The world's largest ball of masking tape was made in Aurora at Cowherd Middle School in 2012. It was more than five feet in circumference and weighed more than 100 pounds.

Founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have since expanded into DuPage, Will, and Kendall counties.

Leland Tower was once the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago. It is known locally for its elaborate holiday decorations, including an 8-story tall shooting star and Christmas tree on the roof. Unfortunately, at 21-stories high, it is also known as the location of several jumping suicides. Strange occurrences here include foul odors and moaning sounds that come from the elevator and unexplained blasts of cold air.

Edna Murray, who made Depression-era headlines as the "Kissing Bandit" for smacking lips with a male robbery victim, lived in Aurora with her family, who were also her accomplices in a string of highway robberies.

Clive Cussler (1931-2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than 20 times. Cussler was also the founder and chairman of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), which discovered more than 60 shipwreck sites and numerous other notable underwater wrecks.