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The Oranges (locally/ˈɑːrəndʒɪz/) are a group of fourmunicipalities inEssex County,New Jersey, all of which have the wordOrange in their name. The four municipalities areOrange,East Orange,South Orange andWest Orange. All of these communities were named forWilliam III of Orange,Stadtholder of theDutch Republic, and from 1689 until 1702 King ofEngland,Ireland, andScotland.
Orange was initially a part ofNewark, but it was originally known as "Newark Mountains". On June 7, 1780, the townspeople of Newark Mountains officially voted to adopt the name Orange.[1] At the time, there was a significant number of people in favor of secession from Newark. However, this would not occur until November 27, 1806, when the township ofOrange—then including all of the territory encompassing all of the Oranges—officially separated from Newark. Orange was incorporated as a town on January 31, 1860. Almost immediately, it began fragmenting into smaller communities, primarily because of local disputes about the costs of establishing paid police, fire, and street departments.South Orange was organized on January 26, 1861, Fairmount (later to become part of West Orange) on March 11, 1862,East Orange on March 4, 1863, andWest Orange (including Fairmount) on March 14, 1863.
Today, the different municipalities of the Oranges are quite different from one another. All four were once among the richest communities in New Jersey. However, Orange and East Orange are relatively urban and working-class, while South Orange and West Orange remain affluent suburban enclaves. In addition, the residents of Orange and East Orange are predominantlyAfrican-American, while those of South Orange and West Orange are predominantlywhite.
While each community has its own independent government, and the four municipalities have no shared governance (other than Essex County), the term is often used to refer to the area, including on highway exit signs. Signage for Exit 47A onInterstate 80 and exit 145 on theGarden State Parkway refer to "The Oranges" as a destination.Interstate 280 refers to "The Oranges" as acontrol city as it passes directly through three out of the four municipalities (exceptSouth Orange, which is nearby).
For other groups of similarly named municipalities in New Jersey, see:
