Orange County, Texas

County in Texas, United States

County in Texas

Orange County

County

The Orange County Courthouse in Orange

Flag

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Texas

Texas's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 30°08′N 93°53′W﻿ / ﻿30.13°N 93.89°W﻿ / 30.13; -93.89
Country|  United States
State|  Texas
Founded| January 5, 1852
Named after| Orange fruit
Seat| Orange
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
Website| www.co.orange.tx.us

Orange County is a county located in the very southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Texas, sharing a boundary with Louisiana, within the Golden Triangle of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 84,808.[1] The county seat is the city of Orange,[2] and it falls within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area.

## History

[edit]

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 of 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

* Jasper County (north)
* Newton County (north)
* Hardin County (northwest)
* Jefferson County (west)
* Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana (east)
* Cameron Parish, Louisiana (southeast)

### National protected area

[edit]

* Big Thicket National Preserve (part)

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

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

### Census-designated places

[edit]

* Forest Heights
* Little Cypress
* Mauriceville

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Orangefield

### Ghost towns

[edit]

* Lemonville
* Texla

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

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[6]
1850–2010[7] 2010–2020[8]
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[9] | Pop 2010[10] | Pop 2020[8] | % 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%
Native Hawaiian or 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%

As of the census[11] 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 people/km2). The 34,781 housing units averaged 98 units per square mile (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

[edit]

The Orange County Courthouse serves as the court for the region. Republican County Judge John Gothia[12] presides over the five-member Orange County Commissioners' Court.

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

### United States Congress

[edit]

Senators | Name | Party | First Elected | Level

|
|
|
|

| Senate Class 1  | John Cornyn | Republican | 2002  | Senior Senator
| Senate Class 2  | Ted Cruz | Republican | 2012  | Junior Senator
Representatives | Name | Party | First Elected | Area(s) of Orange County Represented
| District 14  | Randy Weber | Republican | New district created with 2020 census. First elected 2012  | Entire county

### Politics

[edit]

United States presidential election results for Orange County, Texas[13] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 30,191  | 82.99% | 5,945  | 16.34%  | 241  | 0.66%
2020 | 29,186  | 81.09% | 6,357  | 17.66%  | 451  | 1.25%
2016 | 25,513  | 79.73% | 5,735  | 17.92%  | 752  | 2.35%
2012 | 23,366  | 76.12% | 6,800  | 22.15%  | 529  | 1.72%
2008 | 21,509  | 73.14% | 7,646  | 26.00%  | 251  | 0.85%
2004 | 20,292  | 63.60% | 11,476  | 35.97%  | 140  | 0.44%
2000 | 17,325  | 58.42% | 11,887  | 40.09%  | 442  | 1.49%
1996 | 12,560  | 42.85%  | 13,741  | 46.88% | 3,010  | 10.27%
1992 | 9,793  | 30.14%  | 15,305  | 47.11% | 7,392  | 22.75%
1988 | 11,959  | 39.99%  | 17,834  | 59.63% | 115  | 0.38%
1984 | 15,386  | 47.63%  | 16,816  | 52.06% | 101  | 0.31%
1980 | 12,389  | 44.43%  | 14,928  | 53.53% | 570  | 2.04%
1976 | 9,147  | 37.36%  | 15,177  | 61.99% | 160  | 0.65%
1972 | 13,234  | 64.63% | 7,172  | 35.02%  | 72  | 0.35%
1968 | 5,886  | 27.74%  | 6,485  | 30.57%  | 8,845  | 41.69%
1964 | 6,216  | 39.73%  | 9,390  | 60.02% | 39  | 0.25%
1960 | 5,483  | 37.46%  | 9,078  | 62.02% | 76  | 0.52%
1956 | 5,501  | 47.99%  | 5,910  | 51.56% | 51  | 0.44%
1952 | 4,491  | 41.15%  | 6,403  | 58.67% | 19  | 0.17%
1948 | 987  | 14.49%  | 4,957  | 72.76% | 869  | 12.76%
1944 | 910  | 15.58%  | 4,500  | 77.05% | 430  | 7.36%
1940 | 358  | 10.60%  | 3,011  | 89.19% | 7  | 0.21%
1936 | 190  | 7.66%  | 2,281  | 92.01% | 8  | 0.32%
1932 | 244  | 7.93%  | 2,830  | 91.94% | 4  | 0.13%
1928 | 919  | 42.43%  | 1,247  | 57.57% | 0  | 0.00%
1924 | 509  | 26.33%  | 1,385  | 71.65% | 39  | 2.02%
1920 | 121  | 9.34%  | 1,055  | 81.47% | 119  | 9.19%
1916 | 92  | 10.42%  | 758  | 85.84% | 33  | 3.74%
1912 | 22  | 3.32%  | 549  | 82.81% | 92  | 13.88%

## Economy

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

### Airports

[edit]

Orange County Airport operates general-aviation flights.

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

### Major highways

[edit]

* Interstate 10
* U.S. Highway 90
* State Highway 12
* State Highway 62
* State Highway 73
* State Highway 87

## Education

[edit]

The county is served by five school districts:[14] Bridge City ISD, Little Cypress-Mauriceville Consolidated ISD, Orangefield ISD, Vidor ISD, and West Orange-Cove Consolidated ISD.

## See also

[edit]

* Texas portal

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, Texas
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Orange County

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Orange County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Handbook of Texas Online - ORANGE COUNTY
4. ^ History of Orange, TX Archived January 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
6. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
7. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
8. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Orange County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
9. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Orange County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
10. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Orange County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
11. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
12. ^ "Welcome to the Official Website of Orange County, Texas - County Judge".
13. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
14. ^ Agency, Texas Education (February 12, 2009). "School District Locator: Accessible Version". Archived from the original on December 10, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2009.

## External links

[edit]

* Orange County government's website
* Orange County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
* Historic materials from the Heritage House Museum in Orange, hosted by the UNT's Portal to Texas History

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Orange County, Texas

| Hardin County | Jasper County and Newton County |

|
|

|  |
Jefferson County |

Orange County, Texas

| Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
|  |
| Jefferson County | Cameron Parish, Louisiana

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Orange County, Texas, United States

County seat: Orange

Cities|

* Bridge City
* Orange
* Pine Forest
* Pinehurst
* Port Arthur‡
* Rose City
* Vidor
* West Orange

Orange County map

CDPs|

* Forest Heights
* Little Cypress
* Mauriceville

Other
community|

* Orangefield

Ghost towns|

* Lemonville
* Texla

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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30°08′N 93°53′W﻿ / ﻿30.13°N 93.89°W﻿ / 30.13; -93.89
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