I also live in North Aurora, have lived here for almost 12 years.
This town has grown ALOT! However, there is still a "small town" feel to it, but unfortunately taxes keep going up as this small town keeps growing. We have been lucky in that housing prices have also gone up, well until recently, anyway.
Crime has risen, but that is due to the new shopping areas, as most of the crime is related to retail theft. At least, that is what the police department has said.
There are bad areas in North Aurora, in that there seems to be lots more criminal activity there than other parts of North Aurora. I would not feel unsafe in any area of North Aurora, however, it is just that there seem to be areas with more rentals and those seem to attract the families that fit 3 or 4 family units in one home. I would not hesitate to actually walk through any area, but I would in Aurora. The North Aurora crime seems to be more personal, not random. There is a police blotter on the NA website that you can subscribe to, and you will receive a weekly listing of all criminal activity. Domestic disturbance and retail theft seem to be the most frequent crimes.
I am thrilled with all the retail development this is a short distance away from North Aurora. When we moved here, there wasn't that much, but there is now! I live on the west side of NA, and love that at least out here, most of the traffic is on Randall Road, but it is easily avoided if you so desire. I don't see the congestion that Naperville or Roselle (where we used to live) has. It may come someday, but here there are still so many farms and wooded areas, that you don't "feel" the congestion.
Schools, well, the ones NA kids go to are great for elementary and middle. The high school does leave something to be desired, but not academically. If you have children that wish to excel, they can do that at West High, for there are many, many honors programs and the band program is a jewel for this district. However, the school is way way way too crowded, the school policies and administrators have very odd opinions and plans, and they can't be bothered with any problems a "good student" will have, for they are too busy with the "bad students". But, if your child has a good head on their shoulders and stays out of trouble, they can succeed and be well prepared for college at West High.
We have been wishing for a new High School since we moved here, but were told it will never happen. Apparently, geographically and demographically, the students that tend to excel and stay out of trouble would be at the new school, and West High would be left with the students that they have the most problems with. That would certainly bring down the test scores, and with NCLB, that is a no-no. That is how it is today, though, not sure what it will be like in a few years!
For us, we have no regrets moving to NA (well, other than the taxes, but that is all around us out here). Oh, and very important, the snow plowing has been excellent the last few years! I am staring out at another snow fall, and my road is not too bad. Doesn't stop me from wishing to move further south, though!
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North Aurora?
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