| Orange County, Texas | ||
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Location in the state of Texas |
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Texas's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | January 5, 1852 | |
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| Seat | Orange | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
380 sq mi (984 km²) 356 sq mi (922 km²) 23 sq mi (60 km²), 6.10% |
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| Population - (2010) - Density |
81,837 238/sq mi (92/km²) |
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| Website | www.co.orange.tx.us | |
Orange County is one of 254 counties of the State of Texas and its county seat is the city of Orange, Texas. As of the 2010 census, its the population was 81,837.[1] Orange County is the county in the very southeastern corner of Texas, with a boundary with Louisiana and a seacoast on the Gulf of Mexico. Orange County is located in the general Golden Triangle of Texas - the Jefferson County - Orange County area.
Orange County is bordered on its east by the Sabine River - the border with Louisiana, on its southeast by the Gulf of Mexico, on its west by Jefferson County - its parent county, and on its north by three different counties of Texas. Also on its northwestern border is the Neches River.
The biggest building in Orange County is the West Orange-Stark Elementary School, built in 2010. See West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District.
The geography of Orange County varies relatively little, with an elevation that reaches 33 feet (10 meters) above sea level at very few points within the county. Orange County is very flat, and its soil is quite sandy, as could be expected in a county along the Gulf of Mexico. (Sandy soil is also common in southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and in western and southern Florida.) There are saltwater marshes in much of the southeastern part of Orange County that borders the Sabine River. There are piney woods (sometimes capitalized) in the northern part of the county.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Orange County has a total area of 380 square miles (980 km2), of which 356 square miles (920 km2) is land and 23 square miles (60 km2) (6.10%) is water.
See List of Highways in Orange County for more roadways in Orange County.
Orange County was formed in 1852 from portions of Jefferson County.[2] It was named after the orange fruit, the common citrus fruit grown by the early settlers of this County near the mouth of the Sabine River.[3] Due to periodic spells of quite cold winter weather (frosts) in Orange County, it is no longer the home of orange trees and citrus orchards. The production of those fruits in Texas long ago was moved a long way southwest into the Rio Grande Valley, where the weather is almost always warm all winter long. Citrus trees produce their fruit in the wintertime, which makes them especially vulnerable to frost and icy weather.
A similar thing has happened in the State of Florida, where orchards of citrus trees no longer exist in either Citrus County or Orange County, Fla. because of bad winter freezes in some years. In both Florida and Texas, the citrus agriculture has been moved farther south in search of milder winters, and away from the periodic frosts.
During World War II, Orange County was the home of a large amount of shipbuilding for the navies the United States and allied countries. The major shipbuilder, the Consolidated Steel Corporation was located in the town of Orange, and among the warships that it built were the USS Aulick (DD-569) (1942), the first warship built there, the USS Pope (DE-134) (1943), and the USS Carpenter (DD-825) (1945–46), the last warship built there. During the war, the Consolidate Steel Corporation employed as many as 20,000 people at its shipyard in Orange, Texas.
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,916 |
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| 1870 | 1,255 | −34.5% | |
| 1880 | 2,938 | 134.1% | |
| 1890 | 4,770 | 62.4% | |
| 1900 | 5,905 | 23.8% | |
| 1910 | 9,528 | 61.4% | |
| 1920 | 15,379 | 61.4% | |
| 1930 | 15,149 | −1.5% | |
| 1940 | 17,382 | 14.7% | |
| 1950 | 40,567 | 133.4% | |
| 1960 | 60,357 | 48.8% | |
| 1970 | 71,170 | 17.9% | |
| 1980 | 83,838 | 17.8% | |
| 1990 | 80,509 | −4.0% | |
| 2000 | 84,966 | 5.5% | |
| 2010 | 81,837 | −3.7% | |
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Texas Almanac: 1850-2010[5] |
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As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 84,966 people, 31,642 households, and 23,794 families residing in the county. The population density was 238 people per square mile (92/km²). There were 34,781 housing units at an average density of 98 per square mile (38/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.98% White, 8.38% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.12% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 3.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 31,642 households out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 12.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county, the population was spread out with 27.30% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,586, and the median income for a family was $44,152. Males had a median income of $40,185 versus $21,859 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,554. About 11.40% of families and 13.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.50% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those age 65 or over.
The county is served by 5 school districts[7]:
The district's Superintendent of Schools is James Colbert Jr.
The Superintendent is Jamey Harrison.[8] It includes[9]:
The Superintendent is Dr. Pauline Hargrove.[15] It includes[15]:
Primary economic activities in Orange County are the petroleum refining industry, paper milling, rice farming, and shrimping.
Orange County was formerly a center for the building of warships, and there is still a large U.S. Navy ghost fleet (reserve fleet) in Jefferson County - from which currently, many old warships are being cleaned of water pollution sources and then scrapped for their metals. Thus, there is still employment for residents of Orange County in shipbreaking.
The Orange County Courthouse serves as the court for the region.
Orange County Airport operates general aviation flights.
Nearby Southeast Texas Regional Airport (Port Arthur) operates commercial flights.
| Hardin County | Jasper County and Newton County | |||
| Jefferson County | Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana | |||
| Orange County, Texas | ||||
| Jefferson County | Cameron Parish, Louisiana |
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