Aurora at a glance
[ah-ROAR-ah] Aurora is a town in Hancock County. It was incorporated on February 1, 1831 as Hampton, having previously been Plantation Number Twenty-seven and also known as Richards. The name changed to Aurora on February 6, 1833.
The new name referred to the Roman goddess of dawn—an apt association for an eastern Maine community where daylight arrives early. Aurora lies north of Ellsworth, with Route 179 meeting the major east–west Route 9, commonly called “The Airline.” The village occupies Old Airline Road, a short loop north of Route 9.
Population record
The historical figures below reproduce the population series presented in the source record. They should be read as an archival snapshot rather than a current population estimate.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1970 | 72 |
| 1980 | 110 |
| 1990 | 82 |
| 2000 | 121 |
| 2010 | 114 |
The Airline and village history
A historical account describes the Village Inn as a former stagecoach stop on the Airline. Nineteenth-century stories associated Wesley and Hardwood Hills with highwaymen, noting that steep grades slowed horses. Lumber from north of the Airline once supplied mills in Ellsworth, but lumbering later declined and the railroad did not reach Aurora.
Historical context
Stage routes, timber work, and difficult terrain tied Aurora to a wider inland corridor even though the town remained small and physically remote.
Civic structure
Aurora’s form of local government is the town meeting–select board system, a traditional structure used by many Maine municipalities.
