Editing Orange, New Jersey (section)

===Late 20th century political and social changes===
[[File:Orange Valley Social Institute ("The Commons", 1897).png|thumb|[[Orange Valley Social Institute]] (1897)]]
Once a multi-ethnic, economically diverse city, Orange suffered indirectly from the [[1967 Newark riots|1967 riots]] in [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] (even though Newark and Orange do not share a border) and directly from the construction of [[Interstate 280 (New Jersey)|Interstate 280]] through the heart of the downtown area, triggering middle-class "[[white flight]]" from aging industrial towns to the new automobile suburbs being built in western Essex County and elsewhere.<ref>[[Andrew Jacobs (journalist)|Jacobs, Andrew]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/18/nyregion/back-from-the-abyss.html "Back From the Abyss"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 18, 2001. Accessed November 3, 2019. "White flight, the self-perpetuating sickness that helped drain vitality from prewar suburbs like Irvington, East Orange and Orange, looked as if it had found another victim."</ref><ref>[https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=7ea8d1d3ae1947b4bd525b3b40fa2c66 "Everything you Want to Learn About the American City, You Can Learn in Orange, NJ"], [[ArcGIS]]. Accessed November 3, 2019. "The construction of I-280 itself caused the demolition of several hundred homes and many major community institutions that have never been replaced. As the highway provided easy transport between new suburbs and the urban centers in Newark and New York, 280 was a pathway for white flight, a factor that changed the demographics of Orange significantly after 1970."</ref> By the end of the 1970s, Orange had many of the urban ills normally associated with larger cities. However, the city still features many tree-lined streets with well-maintained homes.

In 1982, citizens voted overwhelmingly to change the designation of Orange from a [[city (New Jersey)|city]] to a [[township (New Jersey)|township]], thereby making it eligible for federal Revenue Sharing funds.<ref name=History/> In 1985, the State of New Jersey named Orange as a State [[Urban Enterprise Zone]], creating tax breaks and investment incentives.<ref name=History>[https://orangenj.gov/256/About-Us About Us], City of Orange Township. Accessed December 10, 2024.</ref>