Orange is a town and the county seat of Orange County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,880 at the 2020 census, representing a 3.4% increase since the 2010 census. Orange is northeast of Charlottesville, southwest of Washington, D.C., and east of Founding Father and fourth U.S. president James Madison's plantation of Montpelier.

History

thumb|left|James Madison Museum

thumb|left|Bank of America in Orange

thumb|left|Post Office

thumb|left|County Courthouse and Confederate monument

This area of the Piedmont was occupied by Siouan-speaking peoples at the time of European encounter. Tribes located in coastal areas generally spoke Algonquian languages.

Pre-Civil War

The present-day Town of Orange was known as the Town of Orange Court House prior to the late 19th century. Following the establishment of Culpeper County from a part of Orange County in 1749, the courthouse was relocated to Orange Court House from elsewhere in the county. The court convened in the house of a man named Timothy Crosthwait until 1752; after Crosthwait deeded the two acres to the county, a new courthouse was constructed on the property. The town at that time consisted of the courthouse and its related public buildings, a few houses and stores, a tavern and little else. The first U.S. Post Office was constructed in the town in 1796. From 1801 to 1804, the courthouse was replaced with a new building, clerk's office and, later, a new jail.

In 1799, Paul Verdier purchased the property of William Bell, an 18th-century farm that included much of the modern-day Town of Orange adjacent to Main Street, near present-day Bellevue and Peliso avenues. Verdier divided the land into lots, which helped shape the town's pattern of development. His house, which he named Montpeliso, still stands on the land. Growth continued into the 19th century as new roadways were constructed through the town. Along with expanding agricultural markets, the roads helped transform Orange Court House into a regional center. In 1834, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act allowing the incorporation of the Town of Orange Court House, but the act did not have implementing legislation.

Orange was a strategically important location during the American Civil War. Just north of town, the Rapidan River was effectively the northern border of the Confederacy from March 1862 to May 1864. Consequently, the area witnessed countless troop movements, patrols, skirmishes, and encampments. In addition, the Town of Orange served as General Robert E. Lee's headquarters during that time. General Lee worshipped at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church. This church is also significant as it served as a hospital for Confederate wounded after the Battle of Chancellorsville and the Battle of the Wilderness. Lee passed by this church many times during his stay in Orange. Mort Künstler, an artist of American historical subjects, immortalized this scene in his painting Soldier of Faith. County records dating back to its founding in 1734 were protected by a clerk of court removing them to "a place of safety" as Federal troops were moving through Orange and towards Richmond.

Post-Civil War

Numerous buildings constructed soon after the Civil War stand in the downtown historic district. Following Virginia's readmission to the Union in 1870, Orange Court House officially became a town in 1872 when the petition (required by the 1855 General Assembly act) for an election of town trustees was filed in the court. The first town council meeting was held on June 28, 1872. In 1890, the village changed its name officially to the current-day Town of Orange.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.49%, is water.

Climate

thumb|left|US 15 and SR 20 in Orange

Transportation

The primary roadways serving Orange are U.S. Route 15 and Virginia State Route 20. U.S. 15 extends north and south, connecting Orange to Culpeper to the north and Gordonsville to the south. SR 20 extends more east and west (though is also signed north–south), connecting to Charlottesville to the west and heading towards Fredericksburg in the east. Virginia Regional Transit operates the Town of Orange Transit (TOOT), as well as a connecting service to Culpeper.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Orange had a population of 4,880. The median age was 39.4 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 78.6 males age 18 and over.

97.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,943 households in Orange, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.5% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 41.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Orange operated on a budget of $8,034,744 for the 2013/2014 fiscal year, with revenue being composed of approximately 72% water/sewer utility payments, 8% real estate and personal property taxes, 8% (on top of state sales tax) taxes on prepared foods (a "meals" tax), and the remaining 7% from various other sources.

Orange County School System

  • Orange County High School
  • Prospect Heights Middle School
  • Locust Grove Middle School
  • Locust Grove Elementary School
  • Orange Elementary School
  • Unionville Elementary School
  • Gordon-Barbour Elementary School
  • Lightfoot Elementary School (grades 3–5)
  • Locust Grove Primary School
  • Taylor Educational Administration Complex (school administrative offices)

Notable people

  • Norman C. Bailey (1890–1969), mayor of Orange, state delegate
  • Cathy Baker, co-star of Hee Haw
  • Nannie Helen Burroughs, black American educator, orator, religious leader and businesswoman
  • Chris Haney, Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher
  • Larry Haney, MLB catcher and coach
  • Patrick Kilpatrick, actor
  • Randolph Scott, western film actor
  • James Taliaferro, U.S. senator for Florida
  • Jeanette Walls, journalist and author of The Glass Castle, Half Broke Horses, and The Silver Star

Media

The Orange County Review is a weekly newspaper based in Orange and owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. The newspaper focuses on local community news. Public notices from Orange County commissioners also appear in the newspaper.

References

  • Town of Orange official website
  • Orange Downtown Alliance
  • Orange Commercial Historic District, Main Street program, National Park Service