Orange County is located in the central Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 36,254. Its county seat is Orange. Orange County includes Montpelier, the estate of James Madison, the 4th president of the United States and often known as the "father of the Constitution". The county celebrated its 290th anniversary in 2024.Knepper, Robin. October 5, 2009. "Orange County Marks 275 Years of History"
History The area was inhabited for thousands of years by various cultures of indigenous peoples. At the time of European encounter, the Ontponea, a sub-group of the Tutelo-speaking Manahoac, lived in this Piedmont area.
The first European settlement in what was to become Orange County was Germanna, formed when Governor Alexander Spotswood settled 12 immigrant families from Westphalia, Germany, there in 1714; a total of 42 people. Orange County, as a legal entity, was created in August 1734 when the Virginia House of Burgesses adopted An Act for Dividing Spotsylvania County. Unlike other counties whose boundaries had ended at the Blue Ridge Mountains, Orange was bounded on the west "by the utmost limits of Virginia" which, at that time, stretched to the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. The Colony of Virginia claimed the land, but very little of it had yet been occupied by any English. For this reason, some contend that Orange County was at one time the largest county that ever existed.Gwathmey, John. 1937. Twelve Virginia Counties, p. 277. This situation lasted only four years; in 1738 most of the western tract was split off into Augusta County. The expansiveness of the county boundaries was to encourage settlement further westward as well as to contend against the French claim to the Ohio Valley region."Orange Commercial Historic District", National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. June 1998. Form prepared by Debra McClane of Gray & Pape, Inc. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
No battles of the American Revolution were fought in Orange County. However, two companies of 50 men each were recruited from Orange County to the Culpeper Minutemen. One was led by Col. Lawrence Taliaferro. In December 1775, this company fought in the Battle of Great Bridge.Scribner, Robert L.; Brent Tarter (1977). Revolutionary Virginia: The Road to Independence, Vol. 3. Charlottesville: Virginia Independence Bicentennial Commission and University of Virginia Press. p. 466. Orange County's Committee of Safety was also active in providing money, salt, horses, guns, beef, and other supplies to Continental forces.Scott pp. 70-76
Orange County prospered with the development of several railroad routes through Orange and Gordonsville in the 1840s and 1850s. They succeeded the plank road between Fredericksburg and Orange, which connected with two important roads: the Richmond Road between the state capital and the Shenandoah Valley (which passed through Louisa) and a stagecoach route to Charlottesville and points south. The Orange and Alexandria Railroad and Virginia Central Railroad helped foster a diversified agricultural economy in Orange County, bringing produce and timber to markets in Richmond, Washington D.C., and Norfolk as well as more industrial products. The final adjustment of the county's boundaries occurred in 1838 when Greene County was created from the western portion of Orange. The Town of Orange was legally established in 1834 (officially becoming a town in 1872) and had already served as the county seat for nearly a century; Gordonsville officially achieved town status in 1870.
During the Civil War, the towns of Orange and Gordonsville continued as important railroad hubs and hospital centers for the Confederacy. Confederate military companies recruited from the county included three companies of the 13th Virginia Infantry, the Gordonsville Grays, two artillery companies, one cavalry company (the Orange Rangers), and many soldiers in the 7th Virginia Infantry, Wise Artillery and 6th Virginia Cavalry. General Robert E. Lee often rode through the county and wintered the Army of Northern Virginia in Orange County during 1863–64, the Rapidan River becoming a defensive line.W. W. Scott, History of Orange County, Virginia (Baltimore, Regional Publishing Company, 1974 reprint of 1907 Richmond publication) pp. 154-156 Cavalry raids against the railroad supply lines occurred, including several at Rapidan on the border with Culpeper County. Troops often crossed the Rapidan River at Germanna Ford near Locust Grove. After Fredericksburg fell to Union forces, Mosby's Rangers were formed and conducted some operations (as well as recovered from wounds) in Orange County; Mosby himself was once captured while waiting for a train in Beaverdam in Hanover County for travel through Orange County. The 1863 Battle of Mine Run and the 1864 Battle of the Wilderness both occurred in eastern Orange County, as Union troops drove toward the Confederacy's capital. The latter became a significant turning point in the war.
Following Virginia's readmission to the Union in 1870, the railroads were rebuilt (many being consolidated into the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad after 1868). The county was also divided into Barbour, Madison, Taylor, and Gordon townships, named after important pre-war citizens.Scott p. 164 The agricultural economy resumed despite the loss of slave labor (6,111 slaves had lived in the county in 1860, valued at $1.5 million),Scott p. 166 with more livestock and dairy farming both because such required less physical labor and because the railroads could deliver those agricultural products to larger markets relatively quickly and cheaply. Virginia Governor James L. Kemper (1874-1878) moved from Madison County to near Orange as his term ended. Agriculture and manufacturing continued to expand into the twentieth century, with a peak of 1279 farms and 20 manufacturing companies located within the county as of 1929. A manufacturing survey taken during the Great Depression noted that Orange County's economy remained relatively healthy due to its accessibility. The county's population fluctuated following the Civil War up through the 1930s. From that point forward, the population continued to grow steadily, representing an almost 300% increase through the 2010 Census.
In 1991, the Virginia Landmarks Register designated approximately in the county's western portion as the Madison-Barbour Rural Historic District. The largest such district in the Commonwealth includes James Madison's Montpelier, James Barbour's Thomas Jefferson-designed Barboursville mansion (now in ruins), several plantations, portions of the Monticello Viticultural Area, as well as numerous individual sites listed on the National Register."Madison-Barbour Rural Historic District." National Register of Historic Places registration form. December 1989. Form prepared by Jeff O'Dell and John S. Salmon, Virginia Dept. of Historic Resources. Retrieved November 15, 2013. The Gordonsville Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the Rapidan Historic District in 1987, and the Orange Commercial Historic District added to the NRHP in 1999.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. The terrain is characterized by rolling hills, generally increasing in altitude and slope as they continue westward toward the Blue Ridge Mountains. The highest point is Cowherd Mountain at , approximately northwest of Gordonsville.Orange County 2009 Comprehensive Plan. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
Orange County lies within the watersheds of both the Rappahannock River and the York River, both of which drain into the Chesapeake Bay.Virginia Watersheds. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
Adjacent counties Madison County – northwest Culpeper County – north Spotsylvania County – east Louisa County – south Albemarle County – southwest Greene County – west
Water bodies The Rapidan River defines the northern boundary of the county. Lake Orange is a 124-acre public lake southeast of the Town of Orange. Lake of the Woods, Virginia includes the 500-acre Main Lake. The smaller Keaton's Lake is a 35-acre impoundment of Lake of the Woods.
Nationally protected areas The Wilderness Battlefield in the eastern portion of the county lies within the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park.
Transportation
Major highways
Airports Orange County Airport (OMH) Gordonsville Airport (GVE)
Public transportation The Town of Orange Transit (TOOT) provides bus service around and between the towns of Orange and Gordonsville.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Orange County, Virginia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)14,71618,13821,62927,03327,38981.47%84.67%83.57%80.74%75.55%Black or African American alone (NH)3,2143,0593,5564,2064,30417.79%14.28%13.74%12.56%11.87%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)13304180920.07%0.14%0.16%0.24%0.25%Asian alone (NH)2843812403110.16%0.20%0.31%0.72%0.86%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census41518xx0.02%0.04%0.05%Other race alone (NH)9937491560.05%0.04%0.14%0.15%0.43%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2037191,813xx0.78%2.15%5.00%Hispanic or Latino (any race)831423301,1392,1710.46%0.66%1.28%3.40%5.99%Total18,06321,42125,88133,48136,254 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 36,254. The median age was 44.6 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 76.9% White, 12.0% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.3% from some other race, and 7.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.0% of the population.
43.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 56.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 14,190 households in the county, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 15,671 housing units, of which 9.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.1% were owner-occupied and 21.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%.
2010 Census At the 2010 census there were 33,481 people, 12,895 households (14,616 total housing units) and 9,342 families residing in the county. The county experienced a population increase of 29%, or 7,600 people, since the 2000 census. This ties with Louisa County as the 11th fastest growing county in the commonwealth, and one of the fastest outside of Northern Virginia. The racial makeup of the county was 82.4% White, 12.7% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.4% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. 3.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 12,895 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. Out of the total number of households, 32.6% housed someone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.97.