Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe gave the order for Yonge Street to be lengthened to Holland Landing in 1793, and the way was paved for the establishment of a community where Aurora now stands.

In 1795, the first house in Aurora was made at Yonge St and Catherine Av. In 1804, Richard Machell became the first trader at the cross roads of Yonge and Wellington and the hamlet soon became known as Machell's. With the coming of the railway in 1853, Aurora appears as an important centre north of Toronto.

With some ups and downs in improvement over the years, Aurora is now a blooming town with a strong commercial and industrial base. Aurora is acclaimed for preserving its historical built form and in 2008 was awarded The Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage Leadership. On April 8, 2010, the town re-opened the historic and fully remodeled Church Street School as the Aurora Cultural Centre.