Orange County, Texas

Orange County is a county located in the very southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Texas, with a boundary with Louisiana, within the Golden Triangle of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 81,837.[1] The county seat is the city of Orange,[2] and it falls within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area.

Orange County
U.S. county
The Orange County Courthouse in Orange
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°08′N 93°53′W
Country United States
State Texas
FoundedJanuary 5, 1852
Named forOrange fruit
SeatOrange
Largest cityOrange
Area
 • Total380 sq mi (1,000 km2)
 • Land334 sq mi (870 km2)
 • Water46 sq mi (120 km2)  12%%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total81,837
 • Density245/sq mi (95/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district36th
Websitewww.co.orange.tx.us

History

Orange County was formed in 1852 from portions of Jefferson County.[3] 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.[4] 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 Florida, where orchards of citrus trees no longer exist in either Citrus County or Orange County 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, 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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 380 sq mi (980 km2), of which 334 sq mi (870 km2) are land and 46 sq mi (120 km2) (12%) are covered by water.[5]

Orange County is bordered on its east by the Sabine River, on its southeast by Sabine Lake, and on the northwest by the Neches River.

The geography of Orange County varies relatively little, with an elevation that reaches 33 ft (10 m) 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.) Saltwater marshes occur in much of the southeastern part of Orange County that borders the Sabine River. The Piney Woods are in the northern part of the county.

Adjacent counties and parishes

National protected area
  • Big Thicket National Preserve (part)

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18601,916—
18701,255−34.5%
18802,938134.1%
18904,77062.4%
19005,90523.8%
19109,52861.4%
192015,37961.4%
193015,149−1.5%
194017,38214.7%
195040,567133.4%
196060,35748.8%
197071,17017.9%
198083,83817.8%
199080,509−4.0%
200084,9665.5%
201081,837−3.7%
Est. 201983,396[6]1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1850–2010[8] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census[9] of 2000, 84,966 people, 31,642 households, and 23,794 families resided in the county. The population density was 238 people per square mile (92/km²). The 34,781 housing units averaged 98 per mi2 (38/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.98% White, 8.38% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 1.15% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. About 3.62% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 31,642 households, 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 not families. About 21.7% 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 distributed as 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 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.

Government

The Orange County Courthouse serves as the court for the region. Republican County Judge Stephen Brint Carlton presides over the five-member Orange County Commissioners' Court.

Orange County lies in Texas House District 21, represented beginning in 2015 by the Republican Dade Phelan of Beaumont.

United States Congress
Senators Name Party First Elected Level
  Senate Class 1 John Cornyn Republican 1993 Senior Senator
  Senate Class 2 Ted Cruz Republican 2012 Junior Senator
Representatives Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Orange County Represented
  District 36 Brian Babin Republican New district created with 2010 census. First elected 2014. Entire county

Politics
Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[10]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 79.7% 25,513 17.9% 5,735 2.4% 752
2012 76.1% 23,366 22.2% 6,800 1.7% 529
2008 73.1% 21,509 26.0% 7,646 0.9% 251
2004 63.6% 20,292 36.0% 11,476 0.4% 140
2000 58.4% 17,325 40.1% 11,887 1.5% 442
1996 42.9% 12,560 46.9% 13,741 10.3% 3,010
1992 30.1% 9,793 47.1% 15,305 22.8% 7,392
1988 40.0% 11,959 59.6% 17,834 0.4% 115
1984 47.6% 15,386 52.1% 16,816 0.3% 101
1980 44.4% 12,389 53.5% 14,928 2.1% 570
1976 37.4% 9,147 62.0% 15,177 0.7% 160
1972 64.6% 13,234 35.0% 7,172 0.4% 72
1968 27.7% 5,886 30.6% 6,485 41.7% 8,845
1964 39.7% 6,216 60.0% 9,390 0.3% 39
1960 37.5% 5,483 62.0% 9,078 0.5% 76
1956 48.0% 5,501 51.6% 5,910 0.4% 51
1952 41.2% 4,491 58.7% 6,403 0.2% 19
1948 14.5% 987 72.8% 4,957 12.8% 869
1944 15.6% 910 77.1% 4,500 7.4% 430
1940 10.6% 358 89.2% 3,011 0.2% 7
1936 7.7% 190 92.0% 2,281 0.3% 8
1932 7.9% 244 91.9% 2,830 0.1% 4
1928 42.4% 919 57.6% 1,247
1924 26.3% 509 71.7% 1,385 2.0% 39
1920 9.3% 121 81.5% 1,055 9.2% 119
1916 10.4% 92 85.8% 758 3.7% 33
1912 3.3% 22 82.8% 549 13.9% 92

Economy

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 a large U.S. Navy ghost fleet (reserve fleet) still exists in Jefferson County - from which currently, many old warships are being cleaned of water pollution sources and then scrapped for their metals, thus employment for residents of Orange County in shipbreaking.

Newspapers published in the county include the twice-weekly Orange Leader and weeklies including the Bridge City-based Penny Record, County Record, and Vidor Vidorian.

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

Airports

Orange County Airport operates general-aviation flights.

Nearby Southeast Texas Regional Airport (Port Arthur) operates commercial flights.

Major highways
Main article: List of highways in Orange County, Texas

Education

The county is served by five school districts:[11] Bridge City ISD, Little Cypress-Mauriceville Consolidated ISD, Orangefield ISD, Vidor ISD, and West Orange-Cove Consolidated ISD.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place
  • Mauriceville

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns
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See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. Handbook of Texas Online - ORANGE COUNTY
  4. History of Orange, TX Archived 2008-01-18 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  6. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  8. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  9. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  10. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  11. Agency, Texas Education (2009-02-12). "School District Locator: Accessible Version". Archived from the original on 2006-12-10. Retrieved 2009-05-30.

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