Cayuga County > Aurora -

County: Cayuga

Population: (town) 13,943

Aurora was named for the Roman goddess of the dawn.

Wells College, long the center of this small community on Cayuga Lake, announced in April 2024 that it would close at the end of the semester.

Pleasant T. Rowland, wealthy founder of American Girl, is a Wells alumna who gave $40 million to her alma mater. Her efforts to invigorate the village were met with opposition by some residents.

Her foundation does not show up as a recent donor to Wells or other Aurora organizations. Among the assets listed by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation in its tax forms: a $12 million Stradivarius violin.

School districts: Southern Cayuga Central School District

Libraries: Aurora Free Library

Emergency services: Aurora Fire Department

Fraternal organizations: Masons

State parks: Long Point State Park – Finger Lakes

Recent grants:

GRANT KEY:

Aurora Free Library
  Community Foundation of Tompkins County - Ithaca, NY - $15,630  (2021)

Caspar Gregory Camp
  Central New York Community Foundation - Syracuse, NY - $8,000  (2021)

Howland Stone Store Museum
  Central New York Community Foundation - Syracuse, NY - $11,250  (2021)

Howland Stone Store Museum
  Nelson B Delavan Foundation - Chicago, IL - $5,000  (2022)

King Ferry Food Pantry
  Columbian Foundation - Auburn, NY - $3,000  (2021)

King Ferry Food Pantry
  D. E. French Foundation - Auburn, NY - $7,500  (2022)

Peachtown Elementary School
  D. E. French Foundation - Auburn, NY - $3,000  (2022)

Southern Cayuga Anne Frank Tree Project
  Jewish Community Foundation of Central New York - DeWitt, NY - $8,008  (2021)

Southern Cayuga Central School
  U.S. Department of Education - Washington, DC - $16,046  (2022)

Wells College
  A. Lindsay and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation - Delhi, NY - $10,000  (2021)

Wells College
  Alexander and Marjorie Hover Foundation - Germantown, NY - $5,000  (2022)

Wells College
  Alexander and Marjorie Hover Foundation - Germantown, NY - $5,000  (2021)

Wells College
  Central New York Community Foundation - Syracuse, NY - $11,836  (2021)

Wells College
  D. E. French Foundation - Auburn, NY - $5,000  (2022)

Wells College
  Greater Norwich Foundation - Norwich, NY - $1,500  (2021)

Wells College
  Hagedorn Fund - Chicago, IL - $200,000  (2021)

Wells College
  Hutchins Family Foundation - Rochester, NY - $405,000  (2021)

Wells College
  Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust - Indianapolis, IN - $20,000  (2021)

Wells College
  U.S. Department of Education - Washington, DC - $561,075  (2022)

Largest nonprofits in Aurora (by assets) include:

Howland Stone Store Museum
Aurora Free Library Association
Aurora Volunteer Fire Department
Peachtown Elementary School
Arthur J Bellinzoni Foundation
Caspar Gregory Camp