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64-640: First Alert is the retail brand of American safety equipment manufacturer BRK Brands, Inc., established in 1976 and based in Aurora, Illinois , with a production plant in Juarez, Mexico. Products sold with the brand include carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms , fire extinguishers , and other safety products like flashlights and fire escape ladders. First Alert supports fire safety in partnership with Safe Kids USA and The United States Fire Administration , providing smoke alarms at reduced cost to low-income families in

128-546: A Pre-K-8 grade school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod . Aurora is also home to Fox Valley Montessori School, one of the first Montessori schools established in Illinois in 1969, which offers a preschool and elementary program. The Aurora Public Library includes the main library, two branches, an express center, a support facility and a bookmobile. The library operations budget is $ 10 million and

192-526: A branch of Rasmussen College . According to the 2022 Estimates for the American Community Survey, 79.1% of Aurora residents over the age of 24 pursued higher education. Starting in the 1860s, Aurora was served by two main school systems, one on either side of the Fox River , which physically divides the city. In the mid-20th century, the district on the western side of the river expanded to include

256-488: A former hotel that was the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The largest collection of commercial buildings by Prairie School architect George Grant Elmslie is here. The main building of Aurora Public Library and a branch campus of Waubonsee Community College are also located downtown. The Riverfront Playhouse is a not-for-profit theater that has held

320-553: A line from Aurora to a connection with this road, thus giving access to Chicago.” Village leaders in both Aurora and Batavia wanted to avoid the 38-mile wagon rides to and from Chicago, but they also worried about losing economic opportunities if the G&;CU were to pass them by. Once the charter was obtained, surveying began almost immediately, and construction started in early 1850, working southeast from Turner Junction (now West Chicago ) and reaching Batavia in late August 1850. After

384-614: A long tradition of manufacturing as does much of Chicago metropolitan area . Prominent manufacturers, past and present include Lyon Workspace Products, The Aurora Silverplate Manufacturing Company, Barber-Greene Company, the Chicago Corset Company, the Aurora Brewing Company, Stephens-Adamson Company, Caterpillar Inc. , Western Electric, Allsteel Metals, National Metalwares, and Western Wheeled Scraper Works (later Austin-Western Inc.). The most prominent employer and industry

448-866: A main line of CB&Q successor Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway . This section of track makes up part of the Mendota Subdivision , which continues south-southwest to Galesburg. The original West Chicago-Aurora branch line is now an industrial track of the Chicago Subdivision . Mendota subdivision hosts about 40 freight trains a day, and Amtrak Southwest Chief #3 and 4, California Zephyr #5 and 6, Illinois Zephyr #383 and 380, and Carl Sandburg #381 and 382. It currently runs through Aurora, Montgomery, Bristol, Plano, Sandwich, Somonauk, Leland, Earlville, Meriden, Mendota, Clarion, Arlington, Zearing, Malden, Princeton, Wyanet, Buda, Neponset, Kewanee, Galva, Altona, Oneida, Wataga, and Galesburg. It interchanges with

512-433: A major celebration there, daily train service between Batavia and Chicago began on September 2, 1850. Construction to Aurora was completed on October 4, and the railroad company announced that beginning October 21, 1850, two round trips a day would be scheduled to Chicago and back. Customers paid $ 1.25 to travel from Aurora to Chicago, while the fare to Aurora from Chicago was $ 1.10. The trackage between Aurora and West Chicago

576-524: A manufacturing powerhouse which lasted until the early 1970s, when the railroad shops closed. Many other factories and industrial areas relocated or went out of business. By 1980, there were few industrial areas operating in the city, and unemployment soared to 16%. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, development began in the Far East side along the Eola Road and Route 59 areas. This was financially beneficial to

640-426: A regional transportation hub. Aurora's transportation system connects its residents and visitors to neighboring towns and cities. The city is served by several major roadways, including Interstate 88 and Illinois Route 59, making it easily accessible by car. Additionally, Aurora offers various public transportation options, including two Metra commuter stops, Pace Bus services, and an expanding bicycle network. The city

704-584: A storefront location in downtown Aurora since 1978. A fixture of Downtown Aurora, the Waubonsee Community College Campus, which was formerly located on Stolp Island near the Paramount Theatre, closed in May 2011. A new and greatly expanded campus was built on the western banks of the river, between the river and IL Route 31. The construction of the campus was part of a larger plan to redevelop

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768-713: Is Aurora's oldest business, first published in 1846, and is part of the Tribune Publishing . The newspaper has two editions: the Aurora edition and the Kendall County edition. The Beacon-News has been recognized repeatedly by the Associated Press , Illinois Press Association, Northern Illinois Newspaper Association and the Chicago Headline Club as one of the best daily newspapers in Illinois. Aurora has long been

832-413: Is also home to over 50 Sears Catalog Homes and seven Lustron all-steel homes. The Hollywood Casino Aurora, a dockside gaming facility with 53,000 square feet (4,900 m ) and 1,200 gaming positions, is located along the river in downtown Aurora. Before European settlers arrived, there was a Native American village in what is today downtown Aurora, on the banks of the Fox River . In 1834, following

896-592: Is still in service as an industrial spur, though the connection in West Chicago has been removed. Like many early railroads, the Aurora Branch at first was working on a thin financial margin. Any new railroad had to spend huge amounts on track construction, rolling stock, and maintenance facilities before it could even begin to make money, so people were often wary about investing in them. The Aurora Branch sold less than half of its original stock outlay of $ 100,000, which

960-718: Is the final stop of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line of the Metra commuter rail system, allowing rail service into Chicago . The city also has a stop at the Rt. 59 station on the BNSF Line. This station is on the border with Naperville and each city maintains a parking lot on their respective side of the tracks. The BNSF Railway owns and maintains a rail yard in Aurora, which they named Eola Yard. Aurora Branch Railroad The Chicago and Aurora Railroad's first incarnation

1024-644: Is to enhance the economic and environmental well-being of a region comprising ten communities: Aurora, Batavia , Big Rock , Hinckley, Montgomery , North Aurora , Oswego , Plano , Sugar Grove , and Yorkville . Downtown Aurora is home to the Paramount Theatre , a large live performance theater on the National Register of Historic Places , and the Hollywood Casino . There is also the Leland Tower ,

1088-510: Is −31 °F (−35 °C), on January 16, 2009. The average high temperature for Aurora in July is 83.5 °F (28.6 °C), the average January low is 12.6 °F (−10.8 °C). On July 17–18, 1996, a major flood struck Aurora, with 16.94 inches (430 mm) of rain in a 24-hour period, which is an Illinois state record. Flooding occurred in almost every low-lying area citywide, as well as localized river inundation with neighborhoods bordering

1152-538: The 2020 census there were 180,542 people, 65,128 households, and 47,579 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,932.26 inhabitants per square mile (1,518.25/km ). There were 62,763 housing units at an average density of 1,367.00 per square mile (527.80/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 40.63% White , 10.87% African American , 1.65% Native American , 10.97% Asian , 0.05% Pacific Islander , 20.73% from other races , and 15.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.53% of

1216-669: The Ameritech Senior Open from 1991 to 1995 on the Senior PGA Tour . The Aurora Islanders / Blues / Foxes , a minor league baseball franchise, played from 1910 to 1915 in the Wisconsin-Illinois League . Their most famous player was Casey Stengel , who played one season with the team before being bought by the Brooklyn Dodgers . Stengel batted .352 and was the batting champion of the league for 1911; he also led

1280-531: The Aurora Branch Railroad was chartered to build a connection from Aurora to the G&CU at a place called Turner Junction, now West Chicago . Additional lines were built, including a direct line to Chicago, and in 1855 the company was reorganized into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad . The CB&Q located its roundhouse and locomotive shop in Aurora, becoming the town's largest employer until

1344-587: The Black Hawk War , the McCarty brothers settled on both sides of the river, but subsequently sold their land on the west side to the Lake brothers, who opened a mill. The McCartys lived on and operated a mill on the east side. Aurora was established with the building of a post office in 1837. Aurora began as two villages: East Aurora, incorporated in 1845 on the east side of the river, and West Aurora, formally organized on

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1408-710: The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad ; this matched the tracks built by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad. It appears that the first locomotive used on the Aurora Branch was leased from the Galena and Chicago Union; called the Pioneer , it was a 4-2-0 wood-burning engine built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. Late in 1850 the Aurora Branch purchased two engines second-hand: the Pigeon , another Baldwin 4-2-0 locomotive, bought from

1472-669: The Michigan Central Railroad , and the Whittlesey , a small locomotive with 4 driving wheels, purchased from the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad. However, once construction was completed, profits were strong enough so that on July 8, 1851, the Aurora Branch increased its stock to $ 600,000, and on the one-year anniversary of the branch line’s completion, October 31, 1851, the company also paid dividends of 10 per cent—though in stock, not cash—to investors who had covered 75% or more of

1536-471: The "Chicago Center") caused nearly 2000 airline flights to be grounded. Brian Howard, an employee of Harris Corporation , was charged in the incident. At approximately 1:30 p.m. on February 15, 2019, police responded to an active shooter situation in west Aurora to find that 45-year-old Gary Martin had opened fire on fellow employees at the Henry Pratt Company after being terminated from

1600-479: The 1960s. Restructuring in the railroad industry resulted in a loss of jobs as passenger traffic dropped and the number of railroads decreased. The Burlington Railroad ran regularly scheduled passenger trains to Chicago. Other railroads built lines to Aurora, including the Chicago & Northwestern Railway to Geneva , the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway to Joliet , Chicago, Milwaukee & Gary to Rockford , and

1664-494: The 2021 census gazetteer files, Aurora has a total area of 45.91 square miles (118.91 km ), of which 44.97 square miles (116.47 km ) (or 97.94%) is land and 0.94 square miles (2.43 km ) (or 2.06%) is water. While the city has traditionally been regarded as being in Kane County , Aurora also includes parts of DuPage , Kendall and Will counties. Aurora is one of only three cities in Illinois that span four counties

1728-543: The ABRR's directors identified a different destination for their route, planning to connect Aurora with the Illinois Central Railroad ’s main line in the area of Mendota, which would reduce competition with the G&CU's line to Freeport. At that time, the Aurora Branch also signed a formal operating agreement with the Galena and Chicago Union to use their tracks into Chicago, beginning on January 1, 1852. The company

1792-458: The Aurora Branch, however, sometime during 1851 the G&CU asserted its priority right and declared that they would build a line east from Aurora. This prompted the Aurora Branch in mid-December 1851 to seek a lease in perpetuity to use the Galena and Chicago Union’s right of way, which was formally agreed to on January 13, 1852. With the new lease, the Aurora Branch had secured the right to build westwards, against other possible contenders. In turn,

1856-540: The Aurora Branch’s stockholders and the Board of Directors instructed company officers to explore arrangements “with the Galena and Chicago Union Rail Road Company, or any other company or companies, for the purpose of uniting or consolidating this company.” Newton speculates that the Aurora Branch sought this merger because, in the Galena and Chicago Union’s original 1836 charter, the Illinois legislature had given that company

1920-586: The Aurora city limits. As of 2005, there were at least forty public schools within Aurora city limits, serving residents of Aurora and neighboring communities. Due to the city's size, these are not the only three school systems serving residents – some students in the far north end of the city (north of I88 in Kane County) attend Batavia public schools, some on the far southwest side attend Kaneland CUSD 302 schools (headquartered in Maple Park ), and some students in

1984-571: The Downtown area, putting in parks and new walking paths, and making the area more inviting. The plan also included a pedestrian bridge to connect the banks of the river. Also in the works is a plan to modify or reconstruct the bridges to Stolp Island, which have not been maintained for nearly 60 years. The Stonebridge Country Club, on Aurora's far northeast side, was home to the LPGA Tour 's Kellogg-Keebler Classic from 2002 to 2004. Stonebridge also hosted

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2048-473: The Fox River. In 1990, the supercell thunderstorm that produced the deadly Plainfield Tornado passed over the city, dropping golf ball-sized hail and causing wind damage. Less than ten minutes after passing through Aurora, the storm produced an F5 tornado, which touched down in nearby Oswego, less than 5 miles from downtown. The tornado then traveled through Plainfield and Joliet, killing 29 people. As of

2112-569: The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy). Aurora is also home to other private schools. Within Aurora, there are three Roman Catholic High Schools, Aurora Central Catholic (Diocese of Rockford), Rosary , and Marmion Academy (Order of St. Benedict), and seven Catholic elementary schools operated by the Diocese of Rockford. Along with these three schools is Aurora Christian High School and Elementary School and Resurrection Lutheran School,

2176-933: The Illinois Railway La Salle Line in Zearing, the Union Pacific Troy Grove Sub in Earlville, and the Illinois Railway Ottawa Line in Montgomery, all in Illinois. The original Chicago-Aurora line, the oldest commuter rail line in the Chicago area, still exists today as Metra 's BNSF Railway Line , operated by the BNSF Railway , which is the successor of the CB&;Q through numerous mergers. In 2017,

2240-477: The U.S. The population was 180,542 at the 2020 census . Aurora is the largest city in Illinois that is not the county seat of any county that it resides in. Founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded into DuPage, Kendall , and Will counties. Once a mid-sized manufacturing city, Aurora has grown since the 1960s into a large city within the Chicago metropolitan area . In 1908, Aurora adopted

2304-490: The United States. First Alert branded fire extinguishers model FE1A10G with serial numbers beginning with RH, RK, RL, RP, RT, RU, or RW were recalled. Fire Extinguishers were sold from September 1999 through September 2000. On September 4, 1992, BRK recalled all hardwired smoke alarms under the series 1839I and 2839I due to testing programs determining that corrosion could form on the alarm horn's electrical contacts, causing

2368-474: The city's outskirts. In 1993, the Hollywood Casino was built downtown, which helped bring the first redevelopment to the downtown area in nearly twenty years. In the late 1990s, more development began in the rural areas and towns outside Aurora. Subdivisions sprouted up around the city, and Aurora's population soared. On September 26, 2014, a fire at an air traffic control edifice in Aurora (also known as

2432-409: The city, but it sapped retail businesses downtown and manufacturing in the industrial sectors of the near East and West Sides, weakening them. In the mid-1980s crime rates soared and street gangs formed. During this time Aurora became much more ethnically diverse. The Latino population grew rapidly in the city during the 1980s. In the late 1980s, several business and industrial parks were established on

2496-483: The city. Efforts are ongoing to rehabilitate these areas. Environmentally, Aurora has long dealt with pollution of the Fox River . The river was heavily polluted up until the 1970s by factories that had lined the river for over a century. Cleanup efforts have been successful with the help of state grants and volunteer efforts. Aurora is on the edge of the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor . The city has

2560-462: The company. Five officers and several civilians were injured in the ensuing standoff, after which police entered the building and killed Martin. In total, the incident left six dead (including the gunman) and numerous others wounded. It was the first major shooting in the town's history. Aurora is at 41°45′50″N 88°17′24″W  /  41.76389°N 88.29000°W  / 41.76389; -88.29000 (41.7637855, −88.2901352). According to

2624-688: The cost of their initial stock purchases. But before they had actually raised money to purchase equipment, in March of 1850 the Aurora Branch’s board was already looking farther afield, resolving “that it is the desire of the directors of this company to extend the Aurora Branch Railroad to the most feasible point on the Illinois River , as soon as possible." Although they made arrangements to survey this route, nothing came of it immediately—other corporate maneuvers had to happen first. In February 1851,

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2688-514: The drop to a number of factors but especially credited the hard work of the city's police officers and the increase in anti-gang priorities. Gang violence had reached a high in the 1990s, with the city averaging nearly 30 murders per year. In 2008, Aurora only had 2 murders. In July 2007, the Aurora Police Department and the FBI conducted "Operation First Degree Burn," a sweep that resulted in

2752-656: The economic center of the Fox Valley region . The combination of these three factors—a highly industrialized town, a sizable river that divided it, and the Burlington railroad's shops—accounted for much of the dynamics of Aurora's political, economic, and social history. The city openly supported abolitionism before the American Civil War . Mexican migrants began arriving after the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Socially,

2816-564: The far south end of the city (a small corner of the Kane, Kendall and Will County portions) attend Oswego public schools. Four of the schools in Oswego CUSD 308, Wheatlands Elementary, Homestead Elementary, Wolf's Crossing Elementary, and Bednarcik Junior High are within Aurora's limits. The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) is a state-funded residential magnet school for grades 10 to 12. While IMSA operates under public funds (and uses

2880-706: The interurbans Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad , Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric Company , Chicago, Aurora and DeKalb Railroad , and Aurora, Plainfield and Joliet Railroad . With the exception of the EJ&;E main line on the east side of the city, all lines other than the former Burlington lines have been abandoned. The heavy industries on the East side provided employment for generations of European immigrants, who came from Ireland , Great Britain , Scandinavia , Luxembourg , Germany , France , Romania and Italy . Aurora became

2944-557: The league with 50 stolen bases and had 27 outfield assists. The team played in a stadium on the west side in the former Riverview Park. He became known as a manager of baseball teams. Aurora University fields numerous teams that compete in NCAA Division III . Aurora also has its own zoo, Phillips Park Zoo , located within Phillips Park . The city is home to Aurora University , two branches of Waubonsee Community College , and

3008-534: The nickname "City of Lights", because in 1881 it was one of the first cities in the United States to implement an all-electric street lighting system. Aurora's historic downtown is centered on Stolp Island . The city is divided into three regions, the West Side, East Side, and Far East Side/Fox Valley. The Aurora area has some significant architecture, including structures by Frank Lloyd Wright , Ludwig Mies van der Rohe , Bruce Goff and George Grant Elmslie . Aurora

3072-417: The others being Barrington Hills and Centralia .) Politically, the city is divided into 10 wards. Large portions of Aurora can be described as being within three regions: These three regions are partly depicted in police boundaries and school districts. The annual precipitation for Aurora is about 40 inches. The record high for Aurora is 111 °F (44 °C), on July 14, 1936. The record low

3136-454: The piezo to fail to make any noise. In May 2006, First Alert combination smoke alarms were recalled due to draining batteries rapidly. Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in northeastern Illinois , United States. Located primarily in Kane and DuPage counties along the Fox River , it is the second-most populous city in Illinois, after Chicago , and the 144th-most populous city in

3200-399: The population. There were 65,128 households, out of which 43.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.31% were married couples living together, 14.65% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.95% were non-families. 21.39% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.71% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

3264-399: The right to build “lateral routes” from its main line; an extension of the Aurora Branch westward could be built only by the Galena and Chicago Union. However, Newton also points out that consolidation wouldn’t do much for the G&CU financially, basically just giving them a parallel route not very far from the one they were already building—so no consolidation took place. Perhaps to help

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3328-432: The site originally designated West Aurora High School North Campus), it is managed independently of Aurora's other public schools. Any Illinois student who meets admission requirements may apply to attend IMSA, tuition free. The above-named districts have forty-six public schools within the city limits of Aurora (seventeen for District #131, thirteen for District #129, eleven for District #204, four for Oswego District #308 and

3392-517: The staff numbers 85 full-time and 89 part-time employees. The library was funded in 1901 through a Carnegie grant. The Santori Public Library, the main library, was opened in June 2015, and offers a 3D printer and a digital media lab in addition to standard book and media services. In addition to stations from Chicago service the city, the following stations are licensed to Aurora (though they transmit and are based in Chicago unless noted). The Beacon-News

3456-667: The students in the village of North Aurora, including the North Aurorans on the east side of the Fox. Additionally, in 1972, the Indian Prairie School District (IPSD) 204 was formed to serve the far eastern portion of Aurora within DuPage County . All three districts (Aurora Public Schools: West Side (District 129), Aurora Public Schools: East Side (District 131) and IPSD) have their headquarters and administrative offices within

3520-453: The successful arrest of 31 alleged Latin Kings gang members suspected of 22 murders dating back to the mid-1990s. Aurora has also adopted programs such as CeaseFire to reduce gang violence and prevent youths from joining gangs. Aurora had 7 murders in 2016. Like other large Midwestern cities that once relied on manufacturing as an economic basis, Aurora has a large number of abandoned buildings and vacant lots, especially in older sections of

3584-413: The town was progressive in its attitude toward education, religion, welfare, and women. The first free public school district in Illinois was established in 1851 here and the city established a high school for girls in 1855. During this period in the city's history, Aurora was also hit with one of the strongest earthquakes ever to strike Illinois , a M 5.1, on May 26, 1909 Later, the city developed as

3648-444: The west side of the river in 1854. In 1857, the two towns joined, incorporating as the city of Aurora. Representatives could not agree which side of the river should house the public buildings, so most of them were built on or around Stolp Island in the middle of the river. As the city grew, it attracted numerous factories and jobs. In 1849, after failing to attract the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad building west from Chicago,

3712-457: Was $ 74,659, and the median income for a family was $ 83,464. Males had a median income of $ 43,680 versus $ 30,572 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 32,537. About 8.3% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over. In 2008, reported major crimes in Aurora were at their lowest level in nearly three decades. The Chief of Police attributed

3776-407: Was 3.56 and the average family size was 3.03. The city's age distribution consisted of 28.2% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males. The median income for a household in the city

3840-425: Was enough to pay for surveying and grading the route. But to purchase track, locomotives, and cars, in March of 1850 the board offered bonds for sale worth $ 45,000 in total, with the directors personally providing guarantees of payment if necessary. The company economized by using both second-hand tracks and locomotives. In construction, they used wooden rails covered with strap iron which they had purchased used from

3904-452: Was never acted upon, and was repealed by an act of February 14, 1855, which instead changed the name to Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). The Aurora-Chicago line was opened on May 20, 1864, by which time the CB&Q had, through acquisitions, acquired a main line from Chicago to Galesburg , where it split into branches for Burlington and Quincy . The portion of the Chicago and Aurora between Aurora and Mendota remains

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3968-407: Was renamed Chicago and Aurora Railroad on June 22, 1852, and given expanded powers to extend from Aurora to a point north of LaSalle ; this extension, to Mendota, was completed on October 20, 1853. Another amendment, passed February 28, 1854, authorized the company to build east from Aurora to Chicago via Naperville , and changed its name to Chicago and Southwestern Railroad. The latter provision

4032-402: Was the Aurora Branch Railroad (ABRR), which was chartered by the Illinois General Assembly on February 12, 1849, to build a line from the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad (G&CU) to Aurora. According to railroad historian A. W. Newton, “The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was then under construction, passing some twelve miles to the north, and agitation started for the construction of

4096-438: Was the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad (later Burlington Northern ) which was headquartered in Aurora. According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's largest employers are: Formed in 1987, the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (AACVB) is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to aggressively promoting and marketing the area as a premier overnight destination. The AACVB'S goal

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