Aurora Among Best Cities For Halloween Celebrations For 7th Year

AURORA, IL — For seven years straight, Aurora has been named one of the best cities in America for celebrating Halloween, according to a ranking by finance website SmartAsset.

Out of a total of 210 cities analyzed across the county, Aurora ranked 8th out of the top 10 cities for Halloween festivities. Nearby Elgin came in first, according to SmartAsset findings. Salinas and Menifee, both cities in California, tailed Elgin in second and third place.

Joliet, the only other Illinois city listed in the top 35 slots, was found to be 29th in the country for celebrating the spooky holiday.

To come to its conclusions, SmartAsset compared the cities by the percentage of children in their populations, housing affordability, internet access, crime and COVID-19 infection rates, weather, and the number of costume and candy stores.

Kane County got a nod from SmartAsset for being the county densest with candy stores. For every 10,000 establishments, there are about 13.79 candy stores in the county, according to the findings.

"Aurora is one of the most family-friendly cities in the country," SmartAsset representatives said in a statement. "Residents in Aurora seem to take Halloween pretty seriously. As a result, families can attend all sorts of events."

This year on Halloween, Aurora residents can trick-or-treat during the city's recommended hours of 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Children can also collect candy from participating downtown businesses from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 30.

RELATED: Trick-Or-Treating In Aurora: Hours Announced For Halloween

City officials are once again hosting a trick-or-treat drive-thru on Halloween. The first-annual event began as a result of the pandemic last year, and the event reached its 2,000-car capacity in less than 24 hours after ticket registration opened Oct. 21.

The community-wide drive-thru will take place from noon to 3 p.m. at Phillips Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive. Children are encouraged to come dressed in costumes, and families can decorate their cars for the event. Each child will receive a bag of treats.

Although registration filled up, a waiting list is open in its place.

Aurora is also listed as SmartAsset's 13th most family-friendly city and its 14th safest. When it comes to crime, Aurora ranks lower in SmartAsset's rankings. The city is listed as second-lowest in rankings for property crime due to 1,008 incidents per 100,000 residents, and it's 34th lowest for violent crime as a result of 258 incidents for every 100,000 residents, according to the website's data.

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