Auburn has been a town of many names. Native Americans referred to it as Ilalko, the town's founders called it Slaughter, and finally, city leaders, hoping to attract more visitors and business from the expanding railroad lines, named it Auburn. Auburn has been a hops boomtown, a major railroad hub, and "The Little Detroit of the West." The city has been a home to immigrants from countries around the world, including Japan, Italy, Ireland, and Sweden. Auburn is a growing suburban city with the heart of a small-town farming community that has always been proud of its local businesses and its hardworking citizens.