Orange County, Texas
Orange County | |
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![]() The Orange County Courthouse in Orange | |
UTC−5 (CDT) | |
Congressional district | 14th |
Website | www |
Orange County is a
History
Orange County was formed in 1852 from portions of Jefferson County.
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
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
- Jasper County (north)
- Newton County (north)
- Hardin County (northwest)
- Jefferson County (west)
- Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana (east)
- Cameron Parish, Louisiana (southeast)
National protected area
- 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
Demographics
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] |
Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[9] | Pop 2020[8] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH)
|
67,895 | 64,935 | 82.96% | 76.57% |
Black or African American alone (NH)
|
6,922 | 7,981 | 8.46% | 9.41% |
Alaska Native alone (NH)
|
340 | 343 | 0.42% | 0.40% |
Asian alone (NH) | 797 | 1,108 | 0.97% | 1.31% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 38 | 13 | 0.05% | 0.02% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 73 | 196 | 0.09% | 0.23% |
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 1,006 | 2,967 | 1.23% | 3.50% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4,766 | 7,265 | 5.82% | 8.57% |
Total | 81,837 | 84,808 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
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 can be of any race.
As of the
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
Government
The
Orange County lies in Texas House District 21, represented beginning in 2015 by Republican Dade Phelan of Beaumont.
United States Congress
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
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
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
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
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
Airports
Orange County Airport operates general-aviation flights.
Nearby Southeast Texas Regional Airport (Port Arthur) operates commercial flights.
Major highways
- Interstate 10
- U.S. Highway 90
State Highway 12
State Highway 62
State Highway 73
State Highway 87
Education
The county is served by five school districts:
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Orange County
References
- ^ "Orange County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Handbook of Texas Online - ORANGE COUNTY
- ^ History of Orange, TX Archived January 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- US Census Bureau.
- ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ "Welcome to the Official Website of Orange County, Texas - County Judge".
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- ^ Agency, Texas Education (February 12, 2009). "School District Locator: Accessible Version". Archived from the original on December 10, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2009.