kids encyclopedia robot

Orange County, Vermont facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Orange County
U.S. county
Orange County Superior Court in Chelsea
Orange County Superior Court in Chelsea
Map of Vermont highlighting Orange County
Location within the U.S. state of Vermont
Map of the United States highlighting Vermont
Vermont's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Vermont
Founded 1781
Named for William of Orange (William III of England)
Shire Town Chelsea
Largest town Randolph
Area
 • Total 692 sq mi (1,790 km2)
 • Land 687 sq mi (1,780 km2)
 • Water 5.2 sq mi (13 km2)  0.8%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 29,277 Increase
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district At-large

Orange County is a place in the state of Vermont, USA. It is a type of local government area called a county. In 2020, about 29,277 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Chelsea. Orange County was created on February 2, 1781. It was one of the first counties in Vermont.

Exploring Orange County's Geography

Orange County covers about 692 square miles. Most of this area, 687 square miles, is land. The remaining 5.2 square miles, which is less than 1%, is water. This county is located near the center of Vermont.

Roads and Travel in Orange County

Even though Orange County has many hills, several important roads cross through it. Two major interstate highways serve the county. Interstate 89 runs north and south through the western part. Interstate 91 runs north and south along the eastern edge, near the New Hampshire border.

Besides the interstates, two U.S. Routes also enter Orange County. U.S. Route 5 runs north and south, similar to I-91, along the eastern side. U.S. Route 302 goes east and west along the northern border with Caledonia County.

Several Vermont state routes are also found here. Vermont Route 12, Vermont Route 14, Vermont Route 25, and Vermont Route 110 all run north and south. Vermont Route 66 and Vermont Route 113 are east and west routes.

Neighboring Counties of Orange County

Orange County shares its borders with several other counties:

Understanding Orange County's Population

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 10,526 —
1800 18,238 73.3%
1810 25,247 38.4%
1820 24,681 −2.2%
1830 27,285 10.6%
1840 27,873 2.2%
1850 27,296 −2.1%
1860 25,455 −6.7%
1870 23,090 −9.3%
1880 23,525 1.9%
1890 19,575 −16.8%
1900 19,313 −1.3%
1910 18,703 −3.2%
1920 17,279 −7.6%
1930 16,694 −3.4%
1940 17,048 2.1%
1950 17,027 −0.1%
1960 16,014 −5.9%
1970 17,676 10.4%
1980 22,739 28.6%
1990 26,149 15.0%
2000 28,226 7.9%
2010 28,936 2.5%
2020 29,277 1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2018

Population Details from 2010

In 2010, Orange County had 28,936 people living in 11,887 households. About 7,865 of these were families. The population density was about 42 people per square mile. There were also 14,845 housing units.

Most people in the county (97.0%) were white. Other groups included Asian (0.5%), Black or African American (0.4%), and American Indian (0.3%). About 1.0% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin.

The largest ancestry groups were English (22.4%), Irish (16.5%), and French (14.7%). German (10.4%), "American" (7.3%), French Canadian (7.1%), Italian (6.5%), and Scottish (6.5%) ancestries were also common.

About 28.3% of households had children under 18. Over half (51.9%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2.37 people, and the average family had 2.83 people. The median age in the county was 43.8 years.

The median income for a household was $52,079. For families, it was $61,221. About 10.0% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 13.2% of those under 18 and 7.2% of those aged 65 or older.

How Orange County is Governed

Like all counties in Vermont, Orange County has a small local government. Most of the government's work is handled at the state level. The county government mainly deals with legal and court matters. There are no special "county taxes" that people pay.

Representatives in the Vermont Senate

Towns in Orange County are part of four different Vermont Senate Districts. These districts send representatives to the Vermont Senate.

The Orange Senate district covers most of Orange County. It is represented by Mark A. MacDonald.

The Washington Senate district includes the towns of Braintree and Orange. It also covers all of Washington County and the town of Stowe. This district is represented by Ann Cummings, Andrew Perchlik, and Anne Watson.

The Windsor Senate district includes the town of Thetford in Orange County. It also covers most of Windsor County. Its representatives are Alison Clarkson, Dick McCormack, and Rebecca White.

The Caledonia Senate district includes the town of Newbury in Orange County. It also covers most of Caledonia County. This district is represented by Jane Kitchel.

Political History of Orange County

Orange County has a long history of voting in presidential elections. In 1828, the county voted for John Quincy Adams. In 1832, it chose William Wirt.

From 1836 to 1852, the county mostly voted for candidates from the Whig Party.

Then, from 1856 to 1960, the Republican Party had a very long winning streak in Orange County. This lasted for 104 years! The only exception was in 1912, when the county voted for former president Theodore Roosevelt, who was running for the Progressive Party.

In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat, won the county. He was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Orange County, and also the first to win the entire state of Vermont.

After 1964, the county went back to voting Republican for another 20 years. This streak started with Richard Nixon in 1968 and ended with George H. W. Bush in 1988.

Bill Clinton won Orange County in both the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections.

In 2000, George W. Bush won Orange County. This was the last time a Republican presidential candidate won the county.

Since John Kerry won the county in 2004, Orange County has voted for Democratic candidates in every presidential election.

Education in Orange County

Vermont technical college 20040926
Vermont State University Randolph, known as Vermont Technical College until July 2023, has its campus in the village of Randolph Center.

Orange County has four main school districts, called supervisory unions:

  • Orange East Supervisory Union
  • Orange North Supervisory Union
  • Orange Southwest Supervisory Union
  • Orange Windsor Supervisory Union

Some towns, like Fairlee, Vershire, and West Fairlee, are part of the Rivendell Interstate School District.

The town of Randolph is also home to a college campus. This is Vermont State University Randolph. It was known as Vermont Technical College until July 2023.

Orange North Supervisory Union Schools

This school union includes:

  • Orange Center School
  • Washington Village School
  • Williamstown Elementary School
  • Williamstown Middle High School

Fun and Recreation

Allis State Park is located in the town of Brookfield. It offers a hiking trail, a picnic area, a fire tower, and a small campground for visitors to enjoy.

Towns and Communities

Orange County has several towns and smaller communities:

Towns

Villages

Census-designated places

These are areas that the U.S. Census Bureau defines for gathering population data:

Unincorporated community

More to Explore

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Orange (Vermont) para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Orange County, Vermont Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.