Orange, Connecticut

Orange, Connecticut
Town
Official seal of Orange, Connecticut Seal
Location in Connecticut
NECTA	New Haven
Region	South Central Region
Incorporated	1822
Government
• Type	Selectman-town meeting
• First selectman	James M. Zeoli
Area
• Total	45.1 km2 (17.4 sq mi)
• Land	44.5 km2 (17.2 sq mi)
• Water	0.6 km2 (0.2 sq mi)
Elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Population  (2007)
• Total	13,813
• Density	310/km2 (803/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	06477
Area code	203
FIPS code	09-57600
GNIS feature ID	0213485
Website	http://www.orange-ct.gov/

Orange is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,233 at the 2000 census. A 2007 Census Bureau estimate puts the population at 13,813. The town is governed by a Board of Selectmen.

History

The Paugusset, an Algonquian people, once lived in the area that is now Orange. When originally settled by English colonists, Orange was simply the northern and eastern district of the now neighboring city of Milford, Connecticut; however, by 1822, the population of the area had grown to the point where residents desired to form their own separate community, thus forming the town of Orange.

The town is named after King William III, "Prince of Orange". William is remembered for succeeding James II, deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. James II had been considered a despot in Connecticut; he had famously and unsuccessfully commissioned Edmund Andros to seize Connecticut's Charter.

The town continued to grow throughout the 19th century. As early as 1848, a separation of Orange and West Haven was considered. It was not until 1921 that the two were officially separated by act of the Connecticut General Assembly and the new city of West Haven was formed out of the southeastern portion of Orange.. This gave the remnant town of Orange a very rural feel, as the bulk of the urbanized population was ceded to West Haven. In the post-war years, however, Orange began suburbanizing at a rapid pace.

Early roads through the area included the Boston Post Road (Route 1) and the Derby Turnpike (Route 34). The turnpike was originally an Indian path. A toll road through Orange, from New Haven to Derby, was built starting in 1800. The toll house was located in Orange; tolls ended in 1887. The New Haven and Derby Railroad ran through Orange starting in 1871, with a station in Orange. At its peak, there were eleven trains per day in each direction along with one freight train. The advent of a trolley from New Haven to Derby (starting in 1904 and running until 1937) hastened the end to rail service (in 1925). Later, the construction of the Wilbur Cross Parkway and Interstate 95 brought highways through the area.

On the National Register of Historic Places

The Academy, Orange, CT

Orange Center Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Orange Congregational Church
Location	Orange, Connecticut
Architect	Multiple
Architectural style	Federal
NRHP reference No.	89001089
Added to NRHP	August 10, 1989

• Col. Asa Platt House — 2 Tyler City Road (added 2002). Federal style. Built in 1810, it is thought to have been built by David Hoadley, who built the Orange Congregational Church. The nomination to the register, by Jan Cunningham, refers to "the elegant refinement of the interior", repeated elliptical forms in "the sunbursts of the mantelpieces; in the recessed panels below the parlor windows; in the capitals of the arches; and, in a wholly unexpected manner, in the high relief of the egg form that embellishes the simple mantel frieze in a second-floor chamber."
• Henry F. Miller House — 30 Derby Ave. (added May 25, 2001). This international style house was completed in 1949 and featured at the time in the New Haven Register as "The House of Tomorrow".
• Orange Center Historic District — Roughly Orange Center Road from Orange Cemetery to Nan Drive (added August 10, 1989). The district was originally established by the town January 13, 1978. The Orange Congregational Church, designed by David Hoadley and built in 1810 on the town green, is a centerpiece of the district. This Federal style church features a Palladian window, domed belfry and a painted black oval "window" on the front tower. The district also includes the Stone-Otis House (Federal with Greek revival portico), built circa 1830 (now a museum) and The Academy, a schoolhouse built in 1878 with stick style elements, including an elaborate gable screen, also now a museum.
• William Andrew House (Bryan-Andrew House) — 131 Old Tavern Road (added 2002). Built about 1750 for the Bryan family, early settlers in North Milford. This area was known as "Bryan's Farms". The house includes a finely-detailed front cornice, feather-edged sheathing and hand-split lath laboriously installed without nails. The house later served as housing for dairy farm employees and was ultimately bought by the Town of Orange in 2000 to be restored for use as a museum.

Demographics

Historical population of Orange
1830	1,341
1840	1,329
1850	1,476
1860	1,974
1870	2,634
1880	3,341
1890	4,537
1900	6,995
1910	11,272
1920	16,614
1930	1,530
1940	2,009
1950	3,032
1960	8,547
1970	13,524
1980	13,237
1990	12,830
2000	13,233

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,233 people, 4,739 households, and 3,895 families residing in the town. The population density was 770.0 people per square mile (297.2/km²). There were 4,870 housing units at an average density of 283.4/sq mi (109.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.08% White, 0.79% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 3.84% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.

There were 4,739 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.1% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $79,365, and the median income for a family was $88,583. Males had a median income of $58,946 versus $41,563 for females. The per capita income for the town was $36,471. About 2.1% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Republican	2,544	37	2,581	Democratic	2,017	25	2,042	Unaffiliated	5,235	94	5,329	Minor Parties	6	0	6
Total		9,802	156	9,958

Schools

• Mary L. Tracy, for kindergarten and pre-school
• Peck Place, first through sixth grades
• Turkey Hill, first through sixth grades
• Racebrook, first through sixth grades
• Amity Junior High School, seven though eighth grades (Orange campus)
• Southern Connecticut Hebrew Academy (formerly New Haven Hebrew Day School)

Orange is served by the regional Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge.

Town tradition

Orange exhibits its rural roots at the annual Orange Country Fair. This event originally ran from 1898 to 1912 and was revived in 1975. and has continued since then featuring horse, oxen and tractor pulls as well as exhibits of animals, flowers, fruits, vegetables and baked goods. In early August, the town also promotes the Orange Volunteer Fireman's Carnival, which raises funds to support the volunteer fire department. Both events are held at the fairgrounds at High Plains Community Center near the center of town.

Orange was the home of the first computer camp, held at the local Amity Jr. High School in 1978. Orange is also host to one of the primary manufacturing plants of PEZ candies.

During the Cold War, Orange served as a location for the permanent deployment of Nike missiles for the defense of Greater New Haven. The former site of the Nike missiles has since served (from the late 1950s onward) as the home of the 103rd Air Control and Warning Squadron, later to become the 103rd Tactical Control Squadron and as it remains today the 103rd Air Control Squadron, a part of the Connecticut Air National Guard.

In the early nineteenth century, settlers from Orange founded Orange, Ohio, then part of Connecticut's Western Reserve.

Notable residents, past and present

• Joseph and Anni Albers, noted artists, lived in Orange
• William Atherton, character actor, was born and raised in Orange
• Christopher Collier, historian, professor and winner of the Newbery Honor lives in Orange
• John J. DeGioia, president of Georgetown University, was raised in Orange
• Henry Lee, former resident, notable for his forensic investigations of famous crimes.
• Patrick B. O'Sullivan, U.S. representative and judge, lived in Orange.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.4 square miles (45.1 km²), of which, 17.2 square miles (44.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (1.38%) is water.

Principal communities

• Orange center
• Tyler City

External links

• Town of Orange official Web site
• Orange Country Fair
• Orange Historical Society
• Orange School District
• Case Memorial Library Orange Local History Collection
• Orange 150, Sesquicentennial 1822-1972
• Democratic Party of Orange
• Republican Party of Orange
• Case Memorial Library
• History of Orange, North Milford, Connecticut, 1639-1949, Compiled by Mary R. Woodruff