Orange County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Orange County

U.S. county

The Orange County Courthouse in Orange

Flag

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Texas

Texas's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Texas

Founded

January 5, 1852

Largest city

Orange

Area

• Total

380 sq mi (1,000 km²)

• Land

334 sq mi (870 km²)

• Water

46 sq mi (120 km²) 12%

Population

(2020)

• Total

84,808

• Density

220/sq mi (80/km²)

Time zone

UTC−6 (Central)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−5 (CDT)

Congressional district

14th

Orange County is a county located in the very southeastern part of Texas. It shares a border with Louisiana. This area is part of what's called the Golden Triangle of Texas. In 2020, about 84,808 people lived here. The main city and county seat is Orange. The county is also part of the larger Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area.

History
Geography
- Neighboring Areas
- Protected Natural Areas
Communities
Population Information
Economy
Transportation
- Airports
- Major Highways
Education
See also

History

Orange County was created in 1852. It was formed from parts of Jefferson County. The county got its name from the orange fruit. Early settlers grew these common citrus fruits near the Sabine River.

Today, you won't find many orange trees in Orange County. This is because of cold winter weather and frosts. Citrus trees grow their fruit in winter. This makes them very sensitive to cold and ice. Because of this, Texas's orange farms moved. They are now in the Rio Grande Valley. The weather there is almost always warm, even in winter.

During World War II, Orange County was very important for shipbuilding. Many ships were built here for the United States and its allies. A big company called Consolidated Steel Corporation was in the city of Orange. They built many warships. Some of these included the USS Aulick (DD-569) (1942), the USS Pope (DE-134) (1943), and the USS Carpenter (DD-825) (1945–46). The USS Carpenter (DD-825) was the last warship built there. During the war, the shipyard in Orange employed up to 20,000 people.

Geography

Orange County covers about 380 square miles. Most of this, 334 square miles, is land. The other 46 square miles, or 12%, is water.

The Sabine River forms the eastern border of Orange County. Sabine Lake is to the southeast. The Neches River is to the northwest.

The land in Orange County is very flat. Its highest points are only about 33 feet above sea level. The soil is quite sandy. This is common for areas near the Gulf of Mexico. In the southeastern part of the county, near the Sabine River, you can find saltwater marshes. The northern part of the county is home to the Piney Woods.

Neighboring Areas

Protected Natural Areas

Big Thicket National Preserve (part)

Communities

Cities

Bridge City
Orange (county seat)
Pine Forest
Pinehurst
Port Arthur (mostly in Jefferson County)
Rose City
Vidor
West Orange

Census-designated place

Mauriceville

Unincorporated communities

Forest Heights
Little Cypress
Orangefield

Ghost towns

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	1,916	—
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%
2020	84,808	3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010–2020

Orange County is home to many different people. The table below shows the racial and ethnic makeup of the county over the years.

**Orange County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	72,955	67,895	64,935	85.86%	82.96%	76.57%
Black or African American alone (NH)	7,080	6,922	7,981	8.33%	8.46%	9.41%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	391	340	343	0.46%	0.42%	0.40%
Asian alone (NH)	652	797	1,108	0.77%	0.97%	1.31%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	19	38	13	0.02%	0.05%	0.02%
Other Race alone (NH)	21	73	196	0.02%	0.09%	0.23%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH)	775	1,006	2,967	0.91%	1.23%	3.50%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,073	4,766	7,265	3.62%	5.82%	8.57%
Total	84,966	81,837	84,808	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

In 2000, there were about 84,966 people living in Orange County. The average household had about 2.65 people. Many families lived in the county, with about 58.80% being married couples. About 27.30% of the population was under 18 years old. The median age was 36 years. This means half the people were younger than 36 and half were older.

Economy

The main ways people make a living in Orange County include:

Refining petroleum (making gasoline and other products from oil).
Making paper at paper mills.
Growing rice (rice farming).
Shrimping (catching shrimp).

Orange County used to be a big center for building warships. There is still a large "ghost fleet" (a reserve fleet of old ships) nearby in Jefferson County. Many of these old warships are being cleaned and then taken apart for their metal. This process, called shipbreaking, provides jobs for people in Orange County.

Local newspapers include the Orange Leader, which comes out twice a week. There are also weekly papers like the Penny Record, County Record, and the Vidor Vidorian.

Transportation

Orange County's eastern county line borders the state of Louisiana, as seen from Interstate 10

Airports

The Orange County Airport handles smaller, private planes. For commercial flights, people use the nearby Southeast Texas Regional Airport in Port Arthur.