Orange County was formed in 1852 from portions of Jefferson County.[3] It was named after theorange fruit, the commoncitrus fruit grown by the early settlers of this county near the mouth of theSabine River.[4]Due to periodic spells of quite cold winter weather (frosts) in Orange County, it is no longer the home oforange trees andcitrusorchards. The production of those fruits in Texas long ago was moved a long way southwest into theRio 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 inFlorida, where orchards of citrus trees no longer exist in eitherCitrus County orOrange County because of bad winter freezes in some years. In both Florida and Texas, the citrusagriculture has been moved farther south in search of milder winters, and away from the periodic frosts.
DuringWorld War II, Orange County was the home of a large amount ofshipbuilding 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 thewarships that it built were theUSS Aulick (DD-569) (1942), the first warship built there, theUSS Pope (DE-134) (1943), and theUSS 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 itsshipyard in Orange.
According to theU.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 theNeches River.
The geography of Orange County varies relatively little, with an elevation that reaches 33 ft (10 m) abovesea 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, andAlabama, and in western and southernFlorida.) Saltwater marshes occur in much of the southeastern part of Orange County that borders the Sabine River. ThePiney Woods are in the northern part of the county.
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.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 84,808. The median age was 39.4 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.2 males age 18 and over.[11]
63.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 36.1% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 32,811 households in the county, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.9% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 37,313 housing units, of which 12.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.0% were owner-occupied and 26.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.5%.[11]
As of the2000 census[14], 84,966 people, 31,642 households, and 23,794 families resided in the county. Thepopulation density was 238 people per square mile (92 people/km2). The 34,781 housing units averaged 98 units per square mile (38/km2). Theracial 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. Theper capita income for the county was $17,554. About 11.40% of families and 13.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.50% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those age 65 or over.
Primary economic activities in Orange County are thepetroleum refining industry,paper milling,rice farming, andshrimping.
Orange County was formerly a center for the building of warships, and a largeU.S. Navy ghost fleet (reserve fleet) still exists in Jefferson County - from which currently, many old warships are being cleaned ofwater pollution sources and thenscrapped for their metals, thus employment for residents of Orange County inshipbreaking.
Newspapers published in the county include the twice-weeklyOrange Leader and weeklies including the Bridge City-basedPenny Record,County Record, andVidor Vidorian.
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