Aurora, Cayuga County, New York

Aurora, New York
Aerial view of Aurora from south by southwest, 2013. The village is along the straight stretch of the Cayuga Lake shore just above lower right of photo.
Aurora
Location of Aurora within the state of New York
Aurora
Aurora (the United States)
Aurora
Aurora (North America)
Coordinates: 42°44′48″N 76°41′58″W / 42.74667°N 76.69944°W / 42.74667; -76.69944
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyCayuga County
TownLedyard
Established1795
Incorporated (village)1837
Area
  Total
0.92 sq mi (2.38 km2)
  Land0.92 sq mi (2.38 km2)
  Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
411 ft (125 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
607
  Density660.50/sq mi (255.00/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
13026
FIPS code36-03188
Websiteauroranewyork.us

Aurora, or Aurora-on-Cayuga, is a village and former college town in the town of Ledyard, Cayuga County, New York, United States, on the shore of Cayuga Lake. The village had a population of 724 at the 2010 census.

Wells College, an institution of higher education for women founded by Henry Wells in 1868, was located in Aurora. It became coeducational in 2005, and closed in 2024.

In 1980, its Aurora Village-Wells College Historic District, with more than 50 contributing properties, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. From 2001 to 2007, redevelopment of historic properties in the village by entrepreneur Pleasant Rowland and the Aurora Foundation earned compliments, as well as provoking citizen concern, a lawsuit joined by state and national preservation organizations, and national media attention.