Editing Orange County, North Carolina

{{Short description|County in North Carolina, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Orange County
 | state                = North Carolina
 | seal                 = Orange County Seal.png
 | founded              = 1752
 | named for            = Unknown; possibly [[William V of Orange]] or [[William III of England|William of Orange]]<ref name="CountyNamesake"/>
 | seat wl              = Hillsborough
 | largest city wl      = Chapel Hill
 | city type            = community
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 400.96
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 397.56
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 3.40
 | area percentage      = 0.85
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 148696
 | pop_est_as_of        = 2023
 | population_est       = 150626 {{gain}}
 | density_sq_mi        = auto
 | coordinates          = {{coord|36.06|-79.12|type:adm2nd_region:US-NC_source:USCensusBureau2020gazetteerfiles|display=inline,title}}
 | district             = 4th
 | time zone            = Eastern
 | ex image             = Orange County Courthouse, North Carolina.jpg
 | ex image cap         = Orange County Courthouse
 | logo                 = Orange County Logo.png
 | flag                 = Orange County Flag.gif
|website={{URL|https://orangecountync.gov}} }}

'''Orange County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont region]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[North Carolina]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 148,696.<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> Its [[county seat]] is [[Hillsborough, North Carolina|Hillsborough]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503072804/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 3, 2015  }}</ref> Orange County is included in the [[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]]-[[Chapel Hill, North Carolina|Chapel Hill]], NC [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]], which is also included in the [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]]-Durham-Cary, NC [[Research Triangle|Combined Statistical Area]], which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.<ref name="PopEstCBSA">{{cite web |date=March 14, 2024 |title=Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals: 2020-2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html#v2023 |access-date=March 15, 2024 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division}}</ref> It is home to the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]], the flagship institution of the [[University of North Carolina System]] and the oldest state-supported university in the [[United States]].

==History==
Orange County was formed in 1752 from parts of [[Bladen County, North Carolina|Bladen]], [[Granville County, North Carolina|Granville]], and [[Johnston County, North Carolina|Johnston]] counties. While no surviving records exist regarding the namesake of the county, it may have been named for the infant [[William V of Orange]], whose mother [[Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange|Anne]], daughter of King [[George II of Great Britain]], was then regent of the [[Dutch Republic]]; or [[William III of England|William of Orange]], who became William III of England after the overthrow of [[James II of England|James II]] in the [[Glorious Revolution]].<ref name="CountyNamesake">{{Cite web |title=Orange County |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/orange |access-date=March 17, 2024 |website=NCpedia}}</ref>

In 1771, Orange County was greatly reduced in area. The western part of it was combined with the eastern part of [[Rowan County, North Carolina|Rowan County]] to form [[Guilford County, North Carolina|Guilford County]]. Another part was combined with parts of [[Cumberland County, North Carolina|Cumberland County]] and Johnston County to form [[Wake County, North Carolina|Wake County]]. The southern part of what remained became [[Chatham County, North Carolina|Chatham County]].

In 1777, the northern half of what was left of Orange County became [[Caswell County, North Carolina|Caswell County]]. In 1849, the western county became [[Alamance County, North Carolina|Alamance County]]. Finally, in 1881, the eastern half of the county's remaining territory was combined with part of Wake County to form [[Durham County, North Carolina|Durham County]].

Some of the first settlers of the county were [[England|English]] [[Quaker]]s, who settled along the [[Haw River|Haw]] and [[Eno River|Eno]] rivers.<ref name="nc architecture">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NccTgQkmPIEC|publisher=[[UNC Press]]
|year=2005|page=38|title=North Carolina Architecture |first=Catherine |last=Bishir |isbn=978-0-8078-5624-6}}</ref> Arguably, the earliest settlers in the county were the Andrews family, which would later intermarry with the [[Thomas F. Lloyd|Lloyd]] family.<ref name="carrboro free press">{{cite news|work=Carrboro Free Press|date=October 22, 2008|page=16|title=Carrboro's Founders: People You Should Know |first=Rebekah |last=Cowell}}</ref>

===Colonial period and Revolutionary War===
The Orange County [[county seat|seat]] of Hillsborough was founded in 1754 on land where the [[Trading Path|Great Indian Trading Path]] crossed the Eno River. This area was first owned, surveyed, and mapped by [[William Churton]] (a [[Surveyor (surveying)|surveyor]] for [[John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville|Earl Granville]]). Originally to be named Orange, it was named Corbin Town (for Francis Corbin, a member of the governor's council and one of Granville's land agents), and renamed Childsburgh (in honor of Thomas Child, the attorney general for North Carolina from 1751 to 1760 and another one of Granville's land agents) in 1759. In 1766, it was named Hillsborough, after [[Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire|Wills Hill]], then the [[Earl of Hillsborough]], the [[British Empire|British]] secretary of state for the colonies, and a relative of royal Governor [[William Tryon]].

Located in the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] region, Hillsborough was the site of a colonial court, and the scene of some pre-[[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] tensions. In the late 1760s, conflicts between Piedmont farmers and county officers welled up in the [[Regulators of North Carolina|Regulator movement]], or as it was also known, the [[War of the Regulation]], which had its epicenter in Hillsborough.<ref name="nc architecture2">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NccTgQkmPIEC|publisher=[[UNC Press]]|year=2005|pages=55–56|title=North Carolina Architecture |first=Catherine |last=Bishir |isbn=978-0-8078-5624-6}}</ref> Several thousand people from North Carolina, mainly from Orange, [[Anson County, North Carolina|Anson]], and [[Granville County, North Carolina|Granville]] counties in the western region, were extremely dissatisfied with the wealthy colonial officials whom they considered cruel, arbitrary, tyrannical, and corrupt.

With specie scarce, many inland farmers were cash poor and unable to pay their [[taxes]]; they resented the consequent seizure of their property. In addition, local sheriffs sometimes kept taxes for their own gain and sometimes charged twice for the same tax. At times, sheriffs would intentionally remove records of their tax collection to further tax citizens. [[Rowan County, North Carolina|Rowan]], Anson, Orange, Granville, and [[Cumberland County, North Carolina|Cumberland]] counties were said to be most affected by such corruption. It was a struggle of yeomen farmers and other mostly lower-class citizens, who made up the majority of the population of North Carolina, and the wealthy ruling class, who composed about 5% of the population, yet maintained almost total control of the government. Of the 8,000 people living in Orange County at the time, an estimated 6000 - 7000 of them supported the Regulators.

Governor [[William Tryon]]'s conspicuous consumption in the construction of [[Tryon Palace|a new governor's mansion]] at [[New Bern]] fueled resentment of the movement's members. As the western districts were under-represented in the colonial legislature, the farmers could not obtain redress by [[legislature|legislative]] means. Ultimately, the frustrated farmers took to arms and closed the court in Hillsborough, dragging those they saw as corrupt officials through the streets and cracking the church bell.<ref name="nc architecture2" /> Tryon sent troops from his [[militia]] to the region, and defeated the Regulators at the [[Battle of Alamance]] in May 1771.<ref name="nc architecture2"/> Several trials were held after the war, resulting in the hanging of six Regulators at Hillsborough on June 19, 1771.
[[Image:PLAN of the Town of HILLSBOROUGH in Orange County NORTH CAROLINA.jpg|right|thumb|An early map of Hillsborough produced in 1768 by [[Claude J. Sauthier]]]]

Hillsborough was used as the home of the North Carolina state legislature during the [[American Revolution]].<ref name="chahillnews">{{cite news |title=Minding the museum |url=http://www.chapelhillnews.com/weekend/story/8656.html|work=Chapel Hill News |date=July 25, 2007 |access-date=July 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929040755/http://www.chapelhillnews.com/weekend/story/8656.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref> Hillsborough served as a military base by British [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|General Charles Cornwallis]] in late February 1781. The [[United States Constitution]], drafted in 1787, was controversial in North Carolina. Delegate meetings at Hillsboro in July 1788 initially voted to reject it for [[antifederalist]] reasons. They were persuaded to change their minds partly by the strenuous efforts of [[James Iredell]] and [[William Richardson Davie|William Davie]] and partly by the prospect of adding a [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]]. The Constitution was later ratified by North Carolina at a convention in [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]].

[[William Hooper]], a signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], was buried in the [[Presbyterian]] Church cemetery in October 1790. His remains were later reinterred at [[Guilford Courthouse]] Military Battlefield. His original gravestone remains in the town cemetery.

Several large plantations were located in this county in the colonial and antebellum periods, including [[Green Hill (Hillsborough, North Carolina)|Green Hill]], [[Ayr Mount]], [[Moorefields]], [[David Faucette House|The Elms]], [[Sans Souci (Hillsborough, North Carolina)|Sans Souci]], [[Cabe-Pratt-Harris House|Riverland]], [[Alexander Hogan Plantation]], and the [[Patterson Plantation]].

====University of North Carolina====
{{Main|History of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill}}
[[Charter]]ed by the [[North Carolina General Assembly]] on December 11, 1789, the University of North Carolina's cornerstone was laid on October 12, 1793, near the ruins of a chapel, chosen for its central location within the state.<ref>{{cite book |last=Snider |first=William D.|title=Light on the Hill: A History of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aKRPWDroJSwC|publisher=UNC Press|location=Chapel Hill, NC|year=1992|pages=13, 16, 20|isbn=0-8078-2023-7}}</ref> Beginning instruction of undergraduates in 1795, UNC is the oldest public university in the United States and the only one to award degrees in the 18th century.<ref>Snider, William D. (1992), pp. 29, 35.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=C. Dixon Spangler Jr. named Overseers president for 2003–04|url=http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/05.29/01-spangler.html|work=Harvard University Gazette|location=Cambridge, MA|date=May 29, 2003|access-date=April 5, 2008}}</ref>

[[Image:Old Well 2008.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Old Well]], UNC's most recognized landmark]]

===19th century===
The Reverend Robert and Margaret Anna Burwell<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.burwellschool.org/overview|title=The Burwell School|website=www.burwellschool.org|language=en|access-date=March 17, 2018}}</ref> founded and ran a school for girls called the [[Burwell School]] from 1837 to 1857 in their home on Churton Street in Hillsborough. Families of planters paid to have their daughters educated here.

When the Civil War began, Hillsborough was reluctant to support secession. However, many citizens went off to fight for the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]]. During the war, [[Governor of North Carolina|North Carolina Governor]] [[David Lowry Swain]] persuaded [[President of the Confederate States of America|Confederate President]] [[Jefferson Davis]] to exempt some UNC students from the draft, so the university was among the few in the Confederacy that managed to stay open.<ref>Snider, William D. (1992), p. 67.</ref> But, Chapel Hill lost more population during the war than any other village in the South. When student numbers did not recover rapidly enough, the university closed for a period during [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]], from December 1, 1870, to September 6, 1875.<ref>{{cite book|last=Battle|first=Kemp P.|title=History of the University of North Carolina: From 1868–1912|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AdshAAAAMAAJ|publisher=Edwards & Broughton Printing Company|location=Raleigh, NC|year=1912|pages=39, 41, 88}}</ref>

In March 1865, [[Confederate States Army|Confederate General]] [[Joseph E. Johnston]] wintered just outside Hillsborough at the Dickson home. This house now serves as the Hillsborough Welcome Center in downtown (the house was moved from its original site in the early 1980s due to commercial development). The main portion of the Confederate Army of Tennessee was encamped between Hillsborough and [[Greensboro, North Carolina|Greensboro]].

While camped in [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]] after his [[Sherman's March to the Sea|March to the Sea]],  [[Union Army|Union]] General [[William T. Sherman]] offered an armistice to Johnston, who agreed to meet to discuss terms of surrender. Johnston, traveling east from Hillsborough, and Sherman, traveling west from Raleigh along the Hillsborough-Raleigh Road, met roughly half-way near present-day Durham (then Durham Station) at the home of James and Nancy Bennett. Their farmhouse is now known as the [[Bennett Place]]. The two generals met on April 17, 18 and 26, 1865, negotiating terms of Johnston's surrender. Johnston surrendered 89,270 Southern troops who were active in North Carolina, [[South Carolina]], Georgia, and [[Florida]]. This was the largest surrender of troops during the war, and effectively ended the Civil War.<ref name="chahillnews"/>

===20th century===
[[Occoneechee Speedway]], just outside Hillsborough, was one of the first two [[NASCAR]] tracks to open, and is the only track remaining from that inaugural 1949 season. [[Bill France Sr.|Bill France]] and the early founders of NASCAR bought land to build a one-mile oval track at Hillsborough, but opposition from local [[religion|religious]] leaders prevented the track from being built in the town and NASCAR officials built the large speedway [[Talladega Superspeedway]] in [[Talladega, Alabama]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historichillsborough.org/images/Speedway-Complete.pdf|title=Racing vs. Religion|access-date=July 16, 2007 |publisher=Historic Hillsborough |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008210038/http://www.historichillsborough.org/images/Speedway-Complete.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=October 8, 2007}}</ref>

Chapel Hill, along with [[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]] and [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]], makes up one of the three corners of the [[Research Triangle]], so named in 1959 with the creation of [[Research Triangle Park]], a research park between Durham and Raleigh.

The [[Morehead Planetarium]] at UNC opened in 1949, when it was one of only a handful of [[planetarium]]s in the nation. It continues as an important town landmark and destination for Chapel Hill. During the United States' [[Mercury program|Mercury]], [[Gemini program|Gemini]], and [[Apollo program]]s, astronauts were trained there.

[[File:Franklin Street Chapel Hill NC.jpg|300px|left|thumb|The intersection of [[Franklin Street (Chapel Hill)|Franklin Street]] and Columbia Street in Chapel Hill]]
During the 1960s, the UNC campus was the location of significant political protest. Prior to passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], protests about local [[racial segregation]] began quietly in [[Franklin Street (Chapel Hill)|Franklin Street]] restaurants; activists increased in influence and led mass demonstrations and civil disturbance.<ref>Snider, William D. (1992), p. 269.</ref>

Always suspicious of communist influence in the civil rights movement, the legislature passed the 1963 [[North Carolina Speaker Ban|Speaker Ban Law]], prohibiting speeches by [[Communism|communists]] on state campuses in North Carolina.<ref>Snider, William D. (1992), p. 270.</ref>  University Chancellor [[William Brantley Aycock]] and University President [[William Friday]] criticized the law, but it was not reviewed by the North Carolina General Assembly until 1965.<ref>Snider, William D. (1992), pp. 272–273.</ref>  Small amendments to allow "infrequent" visits failed to placate the student body, especially when the university's board of trustees overruled new Chancellor Paul Frederick Sharp's decision to allow speaking invitations to [[Marxist]] speaker [[Herbert Aptheker]] and civil liberties activist [[Frank Wilkinson]]. The two speakers came to Chapel Hill anyway. Wilkinson spoke off campus, and more than 1,500 students watched Aptheker's speech across a low campus wall at the edge of campus, christened "Dan Moore's Wall" by ''[[The Daily Tar Heel]]'', referring to Governor [[Dan K. Moore]].<ref>Snider, William D. (1992), pp. 274–275.</ref> A group of UNC students, along with Aptheker and Williamson, filed a lawsuit in [[United States federal courts|U.S. federal court]] based on the right to free speech. On February 20, 1968, the Speaker Ban Law was ruled unconstitutional.<ref>Snider, William D. (1992), pp. 267–268.</ref>

In 1968, a year after its public schools became fully integrated, Chapel Hill elected [[Howard Nathaniel Lee|Howard Lee]] as mayor. This was the first predominantly white municipality in the country to elect an African-American mayor. Lee served from 1969 until 1975. Among other achievements, he helped establish [[Chapel Hill Transit]], the town's [[bus]] system.
{{Clear}}

==Geography==
{{maplink|frame=yes|zoom=8|id=Q507957|type=shape-inverse|text=Interactive map of Orange County}}
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|400.96|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|397.56|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|3.40|sqmi}} (0.85%) is water.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2022 |title=2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_counties_37.txt |access-date=September 9, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

The county is drained, in part, by the [[Eno River]].

The city of [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina|Chapel Hill]], is in the southeastern part of Orange County, as is [[Carrboro, North Carolina|Carrboro]]. [[Hillsborough, North Carolina|Hillsborough]] is in the central part of the county and is the county seat.

===State and local protected areas/sites===
* [[Brumley Forest Nature Preserve]]
* [[Buckhorn Game Land]]<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands">{{Cite web |title=NCWRC Game Lands |url=https://www.ncpaws.org/ncwrcmaps/gamelands |access-date=March 30, 2023 |website=www.ncpaws.org}}</ref>
* [[Carolina North Forest]]
* [[Confluence Natural Area]]
* [[Eno River State Park]] (part)
* [[Hillsborough Historic District|Historic Hillsborough]]
* [[Occoneechee Speedway|Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trailhead]]
* [[Johnston Mill Nature Preserve]]
* [[Jordan Game Land]] (part)<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands"/>
* [[Lake Michael Park]]
* [[Little River Regional Park and Natural Area]] (part)
* [[Mason Farm Biological Reserve]] (part)
* [[North Carolina Botanical Garden]]
* [[Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area]]
* [[White Cross Recreation Center]]

===Major water bodies===
* [[Buffalo Creek (North Carolina Creek)|Buffalo Creek]]
* [[Cane Creek (Haw River tributary, left bank)|Cane Creek]]
* [[Cane Creek Reservoir]]
* [[Eastwood Lake (North Carolina)|Eastwood Lake]]
* [[Eno River]]
* [[Haw River]]
* [[Jordan Lake]]
* [[Lake Orange (North Carolina)|Lake Orange]]
* [[Lick Creek (North Carolina)|Lick Creek]]
* [[Little River (Eno River tributary)|Little River]]
* [[Morgan Creek (New Hope River tributary)|Morgan Creek]]
* [[Mountain Creek (North Carolina)|Mountain Creek]]
* [[New Hope Creek]]
* [[Little River (Eno River tributary)|North Fork Little River]]
* [[University Lake]]
* [[Eno River|West Fork Eno River]]

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Person County, North Carolina|Person County]] – northeast
* [[Durham County, North Carolina|Durham County]] – east
* [[Chatham County, North Carolina|Chatham County]] – south
* [[Alamance County, North Carolina|Alamance County]] – west
* [[Caswell County, North Carolina|Caswell County]] – northwest

===Major highways===
{{div col}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|I|40}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|I|85}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|US|15}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|US|70}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|US-Bus|70|dab1=Hillsborough}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|US|501}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|49}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|54}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|57}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|86}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|157}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|751}}
{{div col end}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1790= 12216
|1800= 16362
|1810= 20135
|1820= 23492
|1830= 23908
|1840= 24356
|1850= 17055
|1860= 16947
|1870= 17507
|1880= 23698
|1890= 14948
|1900= 14690
|1910= 15064
|1920= 17895
|1930= 21171
|1940= 23072
|1950= 34435
|1960= 42970
|1970= 57707
|1980= 77055
|1990= 93851
|2000= 118227
|2010= 133801
|2020= 148696
|estyear=2023
|estimate=150626
|estref=<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/nc190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref> 2010<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/37135.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 27, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607001223/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/37135.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011}}</ref> 2020<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/orangecountynorthcarolina|title=QuickFacts: Orange County, North Carolina|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 21, 2024}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Orange County racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US37135&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 20, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 96,537
| 64.92%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 15,571
| 10.47%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 334
| 0.22%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 12,615
| 8.48%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 43
| 0.03%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 7,784
| 5.23%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 15,812
| 10.63%
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], there were 148,696 people, 55,259 households, and 32,657 families residing in the county.

===2010 census===
At the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], there were 133,801 people living in the county. 74.4% were [[white American|White]], 11.9% [[African American|Black or African American]], 6.7% [[Asian American|Asian]], 0.4% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 4.0% of some other race and 2.5% [[Multiracial American|of two or more races]]. 8.2% were [[Hispanic and Latino American|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race).

===2000 census===
At the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]],<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> there were 118,227 people, 45,863 households, and 26,141 families living in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|296|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people}}. There were 49,289 housing units at an average density of {{convert|123|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the county was 78.05% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 13.79% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.39% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 4.10% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.96% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.71% from two or more races. 4.46% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 45,863 households, out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.60% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.00% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the age distribution was as follows: 20.30% under the age of 18, 21.00% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 20.40% from 45 to 64, and 8.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 90.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,372, and the median income for a family was $59,874. Males had a median income of $39,298 versus $31,328 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $24,873. About 6.20% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over. FY 2008-09 Orange County had the second highest property tax rate in NC at 0.998 per $100 of valuation. For FY 2009-10 after the 2009 Orange County revaluation, the rate is now ninth highest in the state at 0.858 per $100 of valuation.

==Law and government==
{{Further|List of commissioners of Orange County, North Carolina}}
Orange County is governed by a seven-member board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected to four-year terms by district and at-large in partisan elections, which are held in November of even-numbered years. Orange County is a member of the regional [[Triangle J Council of Governments]].

===Politics===
Orange County has gained a reputation as one of the most [[Liberalism|liberal]] counties in North Carolina. The county consistently delivers one of the largest Democratic majorities in the state in presidential, state, and local elections. This trend predates the recent swing toward the Democrats in counties dominated by college towns. The last Republican to win the county at a presidential level was [[Herbert Hoover]] in 1928<ref>Sullivan, Robert David; [http://www.americamagazine.org/content/unconventional-wisdom/how-red-and-blue-map-evolved-over-past-century ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’]; ''America Magazine'' in ''The National Catholic Review''; June 29, 2016</ref> – when opposition to the Catholicism of Democratic nominee [[Al Smith]] was a powerful force among voters. It has only supported a Republican two other times since the Civil War–[[William Howard Taft]] in 1908 and [[William McKinley]] in 1900.<ref>The Political Graveyard; [http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NC/OR-votes.html Orange County, North Carolina Votes for President]</ref>

The county seat of Hillsborough, the city of Chapel Hill and the town of [[Carrboro, North Carolina|Carrboro]] historically vote for Democratic candidates, while the rural areas of the county favor Republicans.<ref name= yeoman>{{cite news| last = Yeoman| first = Barry| title = Schoolyard Brawl| newspaper = The Assembly| date = August 7, 2023| url = https://www.theassemblync.com/education/orange-county-schools-diversity-education/| access-date = August 8, 2023}}</ref>

{{PresHead|place=Orange County, North Carolina|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 17, 2018}}</ref>|source2=<ref>{{cite web |title=Géographie électorale |trans-title=Electoral geography |website=geoelections.free.fr |url=http://geoelections.free.fr/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051118120032/http://geoelections.free.fr/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 18, 2005 |language=fr |access-date=January 13, 2021}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|20,806|65,444|1,557|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|20,176|63,594|1,227|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|18,557|59,923|3,860|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|21,539|53,901|1,317|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|20,266|53,806|838|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|20,771|42,910|472|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|17,930|30,921|493|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|15,053|28,674|3,038|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|13,009|28,595|5,696|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|14,503|22,326|238|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1984|Democratic|15,585|20,564|128|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|9,261|15,226|4,102|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|9,302|15,755|169|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1972|Democratic|11,632|12,634|142|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|6,097|8,366|3,845|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|5,785|9,206|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|5,231|7,180|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|4,396|4,743|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|3,813|5,156|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|1,813|3,523|507|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|1,467|3,274|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,100|3,673|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,446|3,860|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,114|2,924|165|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|2,564|1,799|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|1,065|1,879|66|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|1,737|1,993|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|1,158|1,230|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|172|997|825|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|1,073|1,017|2|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|558|900|25|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|1,280|1,275|10|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|1,264|1,700|14|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|936|1,117|777|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1888|Democratic|1,299|1,613|35|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|1,064|1,668|8|North Carolina}}
{{PresFoot|1880|Democratic|1,902|2,537|0|North Carolina}}

Chapel Hill and [[Carrboro, North Carolina|Carrboro]] have a reputation for being two of the most liberal communities in the [[Southern United States]]. Carrboro was the first municipality in [[North Carolina]] to elect an openly gay [[mayor]], [[Michael R. Nelson (politician)|Mike Nelson]] (who also served as an Orange County commissioner from 2006 to 2010), and the first municipality in the state to grant [[domestic partnership|domestic-partner]] benefits to same-sex couples. In October 2002, Carrboro was among the first municipalities in the South to pass resolutions opposing the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|Iraq War]] and the [[USA PATRIOT Act]]. Orange County voted 78.98% against [[North Carolina Amendment 1|Amendment 1]]. This was the highest vote against a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage of any [[County (United States)|county]] in the United States, even higher than [[San Francisco]] in 2008.<ref>[http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NC/Orange/36664/85728/en/summary.html OFFICIAL RESULTS]</ref>

==Education==
The county is served by 2 school districts:<ref name= yeoman/>
* [[Orange County School District|Orange County Schools]]
* [[Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools|Chapel Hill-Carrboro]]

==Media==
Orange County is located in the Raleigh-Durham media market for both television and radio. The flagship station for [[PBS North Carolina]], WUNC-TV, is licensed to Chapel Hill.

There are several radio stations located in the county. Stations licensed to Chapel Hill [[WUNC (FM)|WUNC]], [[WXYC]], [[WCHL (AM)|WCHL]], and [[WLLQ]]. [[WQOK]] and [[WCOM-LP]] are licensed to Carrboro.

UNC Chapel Hill's student-run newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, offers extensive coverage of news in Orange County.

==Communities==
[[File:Map of Orange County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels.PNG|thumb|200px|Map of Orange County with municipal and township labels]]

===Cities===
* [[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]] (mostly in Durham County)
* [[Mebane, North Carolina|Mebane]] (mostly in Alamance County)

===Towns===
* [[Carrboro, North Carolina|Carrboro]]
* [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina|Chapel Hill]] (largest community; small portions in Durham and Chatham Counties)
* [[Hillsborough, North Carolina|Hillsborough]] (county seat)

===Census-designated places===
* [[Efland, North Carolina|Efland]]

===Townships===
* Bingham
* Cedar Grove
* Chapel Hill
* Cheeks
* Eno
* Hillsborough
* Little River

===Unincorporated communities===
{{div col|colwidth=12em}}
* [[Blackwood, North Carolina|Blackwood]]
* [[Buckhorn, North Carolina|Buckhorn]] (also known as Cheeks Crossroads)
* [[Caldwell, Orange County, North Carolina|Caldwell]]
* [[Calvander, North Carolina|Calvander]]
* [[Carr, North Carolina|Carr]]
* [[Cedar Grove, Orange County, North Carolina|Cedar Grove]]
* Dodsons Crossroads
* [[Dogwood Acres, Orange County, North Carolina|Dogwood Acres]]
* [[Eno, North Carolina|Eno]]
* [[Eubanks, North Carolina|Eubanks]]
* Fairview
* [[Hurdle Mills, North Carolina|Hurdle Mills]]
* Laws
* [[McDade, North Carolina|McDade]]
* [[Miles, North Carolina|Miles]]
* [[Oaks, North Carolina|Oaks]]
* Orange Grove
* Piney Grove
* [[Schley, North Carolina|Schley]]
* [[Teer, North Carolina|Teer]]
* [[University, Orange County, North Carolina|University]] (formerly known as Glenn)
* White Cross
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
{{See also|List of alumni from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill}}
[[File:McCorkle-Place.jpg|300px|thumb|right|[[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|UNC's]] wooded campus buffers the town center of Chapel Hill]]
* [[Alice Adams (writer)|Alice Adams]], author, who grew up in Chapel Hill<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/28/arts/alice-adams-72-writer-of-deft-novels.html |title=Alice Adams, 72, writer of deft novels |work=The New York Times |access-date=January 11, 2013}}</ref>
* [[K.A. Applegate]], author
* [[Thomas Samuel Ashe]], [[United States Congressman]] from North Carolina<ref name="Marquis 1607-1896">{{cite book |title=Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896 |publisher=Marquis Who's Who |location=Chicago |year=1963}}</ref>
* [[Lewis Black]], comedian
* [[David Brinkley]], newscaster
* [[Fred Brooks]], computer science pioneer
* [[Larry Brown (basketball)|Larry Brown]], basketball coach
* [[Cam Cameron]], football coach
* [[William Carter Love]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] from North Carolina
* [[Spencer Chamberlain]], musician
* [[Elizabeth Cotten]], blues singer who grew up in Carrboro
* [[Floyd Council]], blues singer, the "Floyd" in Pink Floyd
* [[Butch Davis]], football coach
* [[Sarah Dessen]], author
* [[Elizabeth Edwards]], an attorney and activist for liberal causes, Chapel Hill
* [[John Edwards]], former North Carolina Senator, 2008 Presidential candidate, Chapel Hill
* [[Sam Ervin]], former North Carolina senator, chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee
* [[Lawrence Ferlinghetti]], beat poet, co-founder of City Lights Booksellers
* [[Ben Folds]], musician
* [[Paul Green (playwright)|Paul Green]], playwright
* [[Andy Griffith]], actor
* [[Mia Hamm]], soccer player
* [[Harpe Brothers]], Micajah and Wiley, America's first [[serial killers]]
* [[Bunn Hearn|Bunny Hearn]], major league baseball pitcher
* [[Jack Hogan]], actor, noted for his role as Private William Kirby on [[Combat!]] television series, 1962–1967
* [[Laurel Holloman]], actress
* [[Herman Husband]], a leader of the North Carolina [[Regulator Movement]]
* [[Marion Jones]], former [[track and field]] athlete
* [[Michael Jordan]], basketball player
* [[Elizabeth Keckley]], former slave and servant of [[Mary Todd Lincoln]]
* [[Charles Kuralt]], longtime journalist with [[CBS]]
* [[Jim Lampley]], sportscaster
* [[Howard Nathaniel Lee|Howard Lee]], pioneering politician
* [[Doug Marlette]], cartoonist and writer
* [[Alexander Mebane|Alexander Mebane Jr.]] (1744–1795), Revolutionary War militia general and U. S. Congressman
* [[Benjamin Merrill]], leader in the [[Regulator movement]] and at the [[Battle of Alamance]]
* [[Elisha Mitchell]], geologist
* [[Archibald Murphey]], North Carolina politician
* [[Beverly Perdue]], 73rd Governor of North Carolina
* [[Nick Perumov]], author
* [[Mary Pope Osborne]], author
* [[Frank Porter Graham]], [[United States senator]] and president of the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]]
* [[David Price (American politician)|David Price]], U.S. congressman
* [[Connie Ray]], actress and playwright
* [[David Rees (cartoonist)|David Rees]], satirist
* [[Dexter Romweber]], rockabilly roots-rocker
* [[Terry Sanford]], [[United States senator]] and [[governor of North Carolina]]
* [[Stuart Scott]], sportscaster
* [[Dean Smith]], former basketball coach
* [[Lee Smith (author)|Lee Smith]], author, lives in Hillsborough
* [[Oliver Smithies]], 2007 recipient of the [[Nobel Prize]]
* [[Silda Wall Spitzer]], wife of former New York governor [[Eliot Spitzer]]
* [[Chris Stamey]], musician
* [[James Taylor]], popular musician
* [[Lawrence Taylor]], football player
* [[Manly Wade Wellman]], novelist
* [[Daniel Wallace (author)|Daniel Wallace]], author, lives in Carrboro
* [[Kent Williams (artist)|Kent Williams]], painter, illustrator and comics artist
* [[Roy Williams (coach)|Roy Williams]], basketball coach
* [[Thomas Wolfe]], novelist
* [[James Worthy]], basketball player

==See also==
* [[List of counties in North Carolina]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, North Carolina]]
* [[Haw River Valley AVA]], wine region partially located in the county
* [[Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation]], state-recognized tribe that resides in the county

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{citation |title=Branson's North Carolina Business Directory...1867-68 |publisher=Branson & Jones |location=Raleigh, NC |chapter-url= https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101065143529&seq=140&view=2up |page= 87 |chapter= Orange County |via= [[hathitrust.org]] }}
* {{citation |title=Branson's North Carolina Business Directory, 1896 |publisher=Levi Branson |location=Raleigh, NC |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/bransonsnorthcar1896bran/page/466/mode/2up |page= 467 |chapter= Orange County |via= [[archive.org]] }}
* {{citation |chapter-url= https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nc01.ark:/13960/t2r49km5g&seq=416&view=2up |chapter= Orange County |title=North Carolina Year Book and Business Directory, 1916 |publisher=News and Observer Publishing Company |location= Raleigh, N.C. |via= hathitrust.org }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{osmrelation|2528730}}
* {{Official website|https://www.orangecountync.gov}}
* [http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~orangecountync Orange County historic information cache]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130323055239/http://ncgenweb.us/nc/orange/ NCGenWeb Orange County], genealogy resources for the county

{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Orange County, North Carolina
|North     =
|Northeast = [[Person County, North Carolina|Person County]]
|East      = [[Durham County, North Carolina|Durham County]]
|Southeast =
|South     = [[Chatham County, North Carolina|Chatham County]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[Alamance County, North Carolina|Alamance County]]
|Northwest = [[Caswell County, North Carolina|Caswell County]]
}}
{{Orange County, North Carolina}}
{{Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Area}}
{{North Carolina}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Orange County, North Carolina| ]]
[[Category:1752 establishments in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1752]]