Orange County, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state
of North Carolina
. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,801. Its county seat
is Hillsborough
. It is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, an institution of the University of North Carolina
System and the oldest state-supported university in the United States
.
, Granville County
, and Johnston County
. It was named for the infant William V of Orange, whose mother Anne, daughter of King George II of Great Britain
, was then regent of the Dutch Republic
.
In 1771, Orange County was greatly reduced in area. The western part of it was combined with the eastern part of Rowan County
to form Guilford County
. Another part was combined with parts of Cumberland County
and Johnston County to form Wake County
. The southern part of what remained became Chatham County
.
In 1777, the northern half of what was left of Orange County became Caswell County
. In 1849, the western third of the still shrinking county became Alamance County
. Finally, in 1881 the eastern half of the county's remaining territory was combined with part of Wake County to form Durham County
.
Some of the first settlers of the county were English
Quakers, who settled along the Haw
and Eno River
s. Arguably, the earliest settlers in the county were the Andrews family, which would later marry into the Lloyd
family.
of Hillsborough was founded in 1754 on land where the Great Indian Trading Path crossed the Eno River and was first owned, surveyed, and mapped by William Churton
(a surveyor for Earl Granville
). Originally to be named Orange, it was named Corbin Town (for Francis Corbin, a member of the governor's council and one of Granville's land agents), and renamed Childsburgh (in honor of Thomas Child, the attorney general for North Carolina from 1751–1760 and another one of Granville's land agents) in 1759. It was not until 1766 that it was named Hillsborough, after the Earl of Hillsborough, the British
secretary of state for the colonies and a relative of royal Governor William Tryon
.
Hillsborough was an earlier Piedmont
colonial town where court was held, and was the scene of some pre-Revolutionary War
tensions. In the late 1760s, tensions between (in a nutshell) Piedmont farmers and county officers welled up in the Regulator movement or, as it was known, the War of the Regulation
, which had its epicenter in Hillsborough. Several thousand people from North Carolina, mainly from Orange County, Anson County
, and Granville County
in the western region, were extremely dissatisfied with the wealthy North Carolina officials whom they considered cruel, arbitrary, tyrannical and corrupt. With specie scarce, many inland farmers found themselves unable to pay their taxes and resented the consequent seizure of their property. Local sheriffs sometimes kept taxes for their own gain and sometimes charged twice for the same tax. At times, sheriffs would intentionally remove records of their tax collection in order to further tax citizens. The most heavily affected areas were said to be that of Rowan
, Anson, Orange, Granville, and Cumberland
counties. It was a struggle of mostly lower class citizens, who made up the majority of the population of North Carolina, and the wealthy ruling class, who composed about 5% of the population, yet maintained almost total control of the government. It is estimated that out of the 8,000 people living in Orange County at the time, some six or seven thousand of them were in support of the Regulators.
Governor William Tryon
's conspicuous consumption in the construction of a new governor's mansion
at New Bern fuelled the movement's resentment. As the western districts were under-represented in the colonial legislature, it was difficult for the farmers to obtain redress by legislative
means. Ultimately, the frustrated farmers took to arms and closed the court in Hillsborough, dragging those they saw as corrupt officials through the streets and cracking the church bell. Tryon sent troops from his militia
to the region and defeated the Regulators at the Battle of Alamance
in May 1771. Several trials were held after the war, resulting in the hanging of six Regulators at Hillsborough on June 19, 1771.
Hillsborough was used as the home of the North Carolina state legislature during the American Revolution
. Hillsborough served as a military base by British General Charles Cornwallis
in late February 1781. The United States Constitution
drafted in 1787 was controversial in North Carolina. Delegate meetings at Hillsboro in July 1788 initially voted to reject it for anti-federalist reasons. They were persuaded to change their minds partly by the strenuous efforts of James Iredell
and William Davies
and partly by the prospect of a Bill of Rights
. The Constitution was later ratified by North Carolina at a convention in Fayetteville
.
William Hooper
, a signer of the Declaration of Independence
, was buried in the Presbyterian Church cemetery in October 1790. However, his remains were later reinterred at Guilford Courthouse Military Battlefield. His original gravestone remains in the town cemetery.
ed by the North Carolina General Assembly
on December 11, 1789, the University of North Carolina's cornerstone was laid on October 12, 1793, near the ruins of a chapel, chosen due to its central location within the state. Beginning instruction of undergraduates in 1795, UNC is the oldest public university in the United States and the only one to award degrees in the 18th century.
In 1819, the town of Chapel Hill
was founded to serve the University of North Carolina and grew up around it. The town was chartered in 1851, and its main street, Franklin Street
, was named in memory of Benjamin Franklin
.
and wrote a memoir.
When the Civil War began, Hillsborough was reluctant to support secession. However, many citizens went off to fight for the Confederacy
. During the war, North Carolina Governor
David Lowry Swain
persuaded Confederate President
Jefferson Davis
to exempt some UNC students from the draft, so the university was among few in the Confederacy that managed to stay open. However, Chapel Hill still suffered the loss of more of its population during the war than any village in the South, and when student numbers did not recover, the university was forced to close during Reconstruction from December 1, 1870 until September 6, 1875.
In March 1865, Confederate General
Joseph E. Johnston
wintered just outside of Hillsborough at the Dickson home, which now serves as the Hillsborough Welcome Center in downtown (the house was moved from its original site in the early 1980s due to commercial development). The main portion of the Confederate Army of Tennessee was encamped around Greensboro
.
After his March to the Sea
, while camped in Raleigh
, Union
General William T. Sherman offered an armistice to Johnston, who agreed to meet to discuss terms of surrender. Johnston, traveling east from Hillsborough and Sherman, traveling west from Raleigh along the Hillsborough-Raleigh Road, met approximately half-way near present-day Durham (then Durham Station) at the home of James and Nancy Bennett, a farmhouse now known as Bennett Place
. The two generals met three times on April 17, 18th, and finally on the 26th, which resulted in the final terms of surrender. Johnston surrendered 89,270 Southern troops who were still active in North Carolina, South Carolina
, Georgia, and Florida
. This was the largest surrender of troops during the war, and effectively ended the Civil War.
, Carrboro was settled in 1882 around the State University Railroad, which had been built to transport travelers to UNC. The railroad stop was located about a mile west of the University of North Carolina
(UNC) campus in order not to disturb the local population and to make it more difficult for students to leave campus by train.
Settlement in West End increased after Thomas F. Lloyd
of Chapel Hill built the Alberta Cotton Mill next to the railroad depot in 1898. Julian Shakespeare Carr bought this and other nearby buildings in 1909, adding them to the network of mills that became the Durham Hosiery Mills. West End was incorporated in 1911 and renamed Venable in honor of chemistry professor and UNC president Francis Preston Venable
. Just two years later, the town was renamed Carrboro, after Carr began providing streets and electric power to the community and expanding the mill buildings. The original mill changed hands several times over the succeeding decades. The Carrboro Board of Aldermen intended to have it demolished in 1975 until a community petition and fund-raising effort provided for its restoration as Carr Mill Mall
. The railroad depot in Carrboro also served the local lumber industry, and Carrboro became a major hub in the hardwood
cross-tie market.
Some of the most distinctive architectural treasures of Carrboro are its approximately 150 mill houses constructed in the 1910s-30s. Many of these homes have been restored, yet numerous ones have been razed. The homes were originally built by Lloyd and Carr for their workers and their families.
, just outside Hillsborough, was one of the first two NASCAR
tracks to open and is the only track remaining from that inaugural 1949 season. Bill France
and the early founders of NASCAR bought land to build a one-mile oval track at Hillsborough, but opposition from local religious
leaders prevented the track from being built in the town and NASCAR officials built the large speedway Talladega Superspeedway
in Talladega, Alabama
instead.
Chapel Hill, along with Durham
and Raleigh
, makes up one of the three corners of the Research Triangle, so named in 1959 with the creation of Research Triangle Park
, a research park between Durham and Raleigh.
The Morehead Planetarium
at UNC was, when it opened in 1949, one of only a handful of planetarium
s in the nation, and it has remained an important town landmark for Chapel Hill. During the Mercury
, Gemini, and Apollo programs, astronauts were trained there.
During the 1960s, the UNC campus was the location of significant political protest. Prior to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
, protests about local racial segregation
which began quietly in Franklin Street
restaurants led to mass demonstrations and disturbance. The climate of civil unrest prompted the 1963 Speaker Ban Law
prohibiting speeches by communists
on state campuses in North Carolina. The law was immediately criticized by university Chancellor William Brantley Aycock
and university President William Friday, but was not reviewed by the North Carolina General Assembly until 1965. Small amendments to allow "infrequent" visits failed to placate the student body, especially when the university's board of trustees overruled new Chancellor Paul Frederick Sharp's decision to allow speaking invitations to Marxist speaker Herbert Aptheker
and civil liberties activist Frank Wilkinson
; however, the two speakers came to Chapel Hill anyway. Wilkinson spoke off campus, while more than 1,500 students viewed Aptheker's speech across a low campus wall at the edge of campus, christened "Dan Moore's Wall" by The Daily Tar Heel
for Governor Dan K. Moore
. A group of UNC students along with Aptheker and Williamson filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court
, and on February 20, 1968, the Speaker Ban Law was struck down.
In 1968, only a year after its schools became fully integrated, Chapel Hill became the first predominantly white municipality in the country to elect an African American mayor, Howard Lee
. Lee served from 1969 until 1975 and, among other things, helped establish Chapel Hill Transit
, the town's bus
system.
In the early 1990s, a sizable influx of Latino
immigrants began moving to Carrboro, attracted by jobs in the building and service trades. As these immigrants settled in Carrboro, they brought the foods and cultures of their native countries to the town. Carrboro is now home to three Latino tiendas (grocery stores). Other businesses, including national grocery chains like Food Lion
, adapted to the change in demographics by stocking a wider variety of Central and South American food products.
Largely because it is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, Orange County has gained a reputation as one of the most liberal
counties in North Carolina. The county consistently delivers one of the heaviest Democratic majorities in the state in presidential, state, and local elections. Carrboro
, in particular, has a reputation as one of the most liberal communities in the Southern United States
. It was the first municipality in North Carolina
to elect an openly gay mayor
, Mike Nelson (who also served as an Orange County commissioner from 2006 to 2010), and the first municipality in the state to grant domestic-partner
benefits to same-sex couples. In October 2002, Carrboro was among the first municipalities in the South to pass resolutions opposing the Iraq War
and the USA PATRIOT Act
.
Orange County is a member of the regional Triangle J Council of Governments
.
, the county has a total area of 401 square miles (1,040 km²), of which, 400 square miles (1,036 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.34%) is water.
The county is drained, in part, by the Eno River
.
The city of Chapel Hill
, is in the southeastern part of Orange County, as is Carrboro
. Hillsborough
is in the central part of the county and is the county seat.
, 13% Black
or African American
, 0.4% Native American
or Alaska Native, 5.7% Asian
, 2.8% from other races
, and 1.9% from two or more races. 6% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
From the 2001 U.S Census Bureau report, there were 49,369 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples
living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out with 20.30% under the age of 18, 21.00% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 20.40% from 45 to 64, and 8.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 90.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,372, and the median income for a family was $59,874. Males had a median income of $39,298 versus $31,328 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $24,873. About 6.20% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over. FY 2008-09 Orange County had the second highest property tax rate in NC at 0.998 per $100 of valuation. For FY 2009-10 after the 2009 Orange County revaluation, the rate is now ninth highest in the state at 0.858 per $100 of valuation.
, Chapel Hill
, and Hillsborough
. However, parts of the City of Mebane
in Alamance County
and Durham
, are located in Orange County.
in the rural parts of the county:
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,801. Its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is Hillsborough
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....
. It is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, an institution of the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
System and the oldest state-supported university in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bladen CountyBladen County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 32,278 people, 12,897 households, and 8,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 15,316 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
, Granville County
Granville County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 59,916 people in 20,628 households residing in the county. The population density was 111.6 people per square mile . There were 22,827 housing units at an average density of 42.5 per square mile...
, and Johnston County
Johnston County, North Carolina
-Major highways:* Interstate 40* Interstate 95* U.S. Highway 70* U.S. Highway 301* U.S. Highway 701-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 121,965 people, 46,595 households, and 33,688 families residing in the county. The population density was 154 people per square mile . There were...
. It was named for the infant William V of Orange, whose mother Anne, daughter of King George II of Great Britain
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
, was then regent of the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
.
In 1771, Orange County was greatly reduced in area. The western part of it was combined with the eastern part of Rowan County
Rowan County, North Carolina
-Demographics and economics:As of the census of 2010, there were 138,428 people, 53,140 households, and 37,058 families residing in the county. The population density was 270.7 people per square mile . There were 60,211 housing units at an average density of 117.7 per square mile...
to form Guilford County
Guilford County, North Carolina
Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In 2010, the Census Bureau estimated the county's population to be 491,230. Its seat is Greensboro. Since 1938, an additional county court has been located in High Point, North Carolina, making Guilford one of only a handful...
. Another part was combined with parts of Cumberland County
Cumberland County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 302,963 people, 107,358 households, and 77,619 families residing in the county. The population density was 464 people per square mile . There were 118,425 housing units at an average density of 181 per square mile...
and Johnston County to form Wake County
Wake County, North Carolina
Wake County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 900,993 making it North Carolina's second most populated county...
. The southern part of what remained became Chatham County
Chatham County, North Carolina
Chatham County is a county located in the Piedmont area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 49,329. Its county seat is Pittsboro.-History:...
.
In 1777, the northern half of what was left of Orange County became Caswell County
Caswell County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,501 people, 8,670 households, and 6,398 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile . There were 9,601 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
. In 1849, the western third of the still shrinking county became Alamance County
Alamance County, North Carolina
Alamance County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It coincides with the Burlington, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Finally, in 1881 the eastern half of the county's remaining territory was combined with part of Wake County to form Durham County
Durham County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 223,314 people, 89,015 households, and 54,032 families residing in the county. The population density was 769 people per square mile . There were 95,452 housing units at an average density of 329 per square mile...
.
Some of the first settlers of the county were English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Quakers, who settled along the Haw
Haw River
The Haw River is a tributary of the Cape Fear River, approximately 110 mi long, that is entirely contained in north central North Carolina in the United States...
and Eno River
Eno River
The Eno River, named for the Eno Indians who once lived along its banks, is the initial tributary of the Neuse River in North Carolina, USA.The Eno rises in Orange County. The river's watershed occupies most of Orange and Durham counties...
s. Arguably, the earliest settlers in the county were the Andrews family, which would later marry into the Lloyd
Thomas F. Lloyd
Thomas Franklin Lloyd is one of the founders of Carrboro, North Carolina. He was a prominent North Carolina industrialist who built the Alberta Cotton Mill in 1898 in Carrboro; the former factory building is now home to the Carr Mill Mall.He was part of a prominent family that settled in Orange...
family.
Colonial Period and Revolutionary War
The Orange County county seatCounty seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Hillsborough was founded in 1754 on land where the Great Indian Trading Path crossed the Eno River and was first owned, surveyed, and mapped by William Churton
William Churton
William Churton was an early North Carolina surveyor.He moved to Great Britain's North American colonies in about 1749 as a surveyor and cartographer for the Granville District which included all of North Carolina north of the 35 degree, 34 minute parallel, a strip wide. This line had only been...
(a surveyor for Earl Granville
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, 7th Seigneur of Sark, KG, PC , commonly known by his earlier title as Lord Carteret, was a British statesman and Lord President of the Council from 1751 to 1763.-Family:...
). Originally to be named Orange, it was named Corbin Town (for Francis Corbin, a member of the governor's council and one of Granville's land agents), and renamed Childsburgh (in honor of Thomas Child, the attorney general for North Carolina from 1751–1760 and another one of Granville's land agents) in 1759. It was not until 1766 that it was named Hillsborough, after the Earl of Hillsborough, the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
secretary of state for the colonies and a relative of royal Governor William Tryon
William Tryon
William Tryon was a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as governor of the Province of North Carolina and the Province of New York .-Early life and career:...
.
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
colonial town where court was held, and was the scene of some pre-Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
tensions. In the late 1760s, tensions between (in a nutshell) Piedmont farmers and county officers welled up in the Regulator movement or, as it was known, the War of the Regulation
War of the Regulation
The War of the Regulation was a North Carolina uprising, lasting from approximately 1760 to 1771, in which citizens took up arms against corrupt colonial officials...
, which had its epicenter in Hillsborough. Several thousand people from North Carolina, mainly from Orange County, Anson County
Anson County, North Carolina
-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Anson County, North Carolina-External links:*...
, and Granville County
Granville County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 59,916 people in 20,628 households residing in the county. The population density was 111.6 people per square mile . There were 22,827 housing units at an average density of 42.5 per square mile...
in the western region, were extremely dissatisfied with the wealthy North Carolina officials whom they considered cruel, arbitrary, tyrannical and corrupt. With specie scarce, many inland farmers found themselves unable to pay their taxes and resented the consequent seizure of their property. Local sheriffs sometimes kept taxes for their own gain and sometimes charged twice for the same tax. At times, sheriffs would intentionally remove records of their tax collection in order to further tax citizens. The most heavily affected areas were said to be that of Rowan
Rowan County, North Carolina
-Demographics and economics:As of the census of 2010, there were 138,428 people, 53,140 households, and 37,058 families residing in the county. The population density was 270.7 people per square mile . There were 60,211 housing units at an average density of 117.7 per square mile...
, Anson, Orange, Granville, and Cumberland
Cumberland County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 302,963 people, 107,358 households, and 77,619 families residing in the county. The population density was 464 people per square mile . There were 118,425 housing units at an average density of 181 per square mile...
counties. It was a struggle of mostly lower class citizens, who made up the majority of the population of North Carolina, and the wealthy ruling class, who composed about 5% of the population, yet maintained almost total control of the government. It is estimated that out of the 8,000 people living in Orange County at the time, some six or seven thousand of them were in support of the Regulators.
Governor William Tryon
William Tryon
William Tryon was a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as governor of the Province of North Carolina and the Province of New York .-Early life and career:...
's conspicuous consumption in the construction of a new governor's mansion
Tryon Palace
Tryon Palace is a modern reconstruction of the historical colonial royal governors' palace of the Province of North Carolina. It was constructed in the 1950s across the original mansion site located in the city of New Bern, North Carolina. Today it is a State Historic Site. The Palace gardens are...
at New Bern fuelled the movement's resentment. As the western districts were under-represented in the colonial legislature, it was difficult for the farmers to obtain redress by legislative
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
means. Ultimately, the frustrated farmers took to arms and closed the court in Hillsborough, dragging those they saw as corrupt officials through the streets and cracking the church bell. Tryon sent troops from his militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
to the region and defeated the Regulators at the Battle of Alamance
Battle of Alamance
The Battle of Alamance was the final battle of the War of the Regulation, a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over issues of taxation and local control. In the past, historians considered the battle to be the opening salvo of the American Revolution and locals agreed with this assessment...
in May 1771. Several trials were held after the war, resulting in the hanging of six Regulators at Hillsborough on June 19, 1771.
Hillsborough was used as the home of the North Carolina state legislature during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. Hillsborough served as a military base by British General Charles Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
in late February 1781. The United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
drafted in 1787 was controversial in North Carolina. Delegate meetings at Hillsboro in July 1788 initially voted to reject it for anti-federalist reasons. They were persuaded to change their minds partly by the strenuous efforts of James Iredell
James Iredell
James Iredell was one of the first Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was appointed by President George Washington and served from 1790 until his death in 1799...
and William Davies
William Davies
-Politicians:*William Davies , Georgia-based politician and lawyer*William Davies , British Member of Parliament for Pembrokeshire, 1880–1892*William T...
and partly by the prospect of a Bill of Rights
United States Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property. They guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and...
. The Constitution was later ratified by North Carolina at a convention in Fayetteville
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
.
William Hooper
William Hooper
William Hooper was an American lawyer, politician, and a member of the Continental Congress representing North Carolina from 1774 through 1777...
, a signer of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
, was buried in the Presbyterian Church cemetery in October 1790. However, his remains were later reinterred at Guilford Courthouse Military Battlefield. His original gravestone remains in the town cemetery.
Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina
CharterCharter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
ed by the North Carolina General Assembly
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
on December 11, 1789, the University of North Carolina's cornerstone was laid on October 12, 1793, near the ruins of a chapel, chosen due to its central location within the state. Beginning instruction of undergraduates in 1795, UNC is the oldest public university in the United States and the only one to award degrees in the 18th century.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
was founded to serve the University of North Carolina and grew up around it. The town was chartered in 1851, and its main street, Franklin Street
Franklin Street (Chapel Hill)
Franklin Street is a prominent thoroughfare in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Historic Franklin Street is considered the center of social life for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it is home to numerous coffee shops, restaurants,...
, was named in memory of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
.
The American Civil War
The Salinas family ran a girl's school called the Burwell School from 1837 to 1857 in their home on Churton Street in Hillsborough. Elizabeth Keckley was enslaved in the Burwell household as a teenager. She later became the dressmaker and confidant of Mary Todd LincolnMary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:...
and wrote a memoir.
When the Civil War began, Hillsborough was reluctant to support secession. However, many citizens went off to fight for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. During the war, North Carolina Governor
Governor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
David Lowry Swain
David Lowry Swain
David Lowry Swain was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1832 to 1835.-Biography:Swain was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina; his father, George Swain, was a farmer and a member of the North Carolina General Assembly...
persuaded Confederate President
President of the Confederate States of America
The President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State and Head of Government of the Confederate States of America, which was formed from the states which declared their secession from the United States, thus precipitating the American Civil War. The only person to hold the...
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
to exempt some UNC students from the draft, so the university was among few in the Confederacy that managed to stay open. However, Chapel Hill still suffered the loss of more of its population during the war than any village in the South, and when student numbers did not recover, the university was forced to close during Reconstruction from December 1, 1870 until September 6, 1875.
In March 1865, Confederate General
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
wintered just outside of Hillsborough at the Dickson home, which now serves as the Hillsborough Welcome Center in downtown (the house was moved from its original site in the early 1980s due to commercial development). The main portion of the Confederate Army of Tennessee was encamped around Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
.
After his March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
, while camped in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
General William T. Sherman offered an armistice to Johnston, who agreed to meet to discuss terms of surrender. Johnston, traveling east from Hillsborough and Sherman, traveling west from Raleigh along the Hillsborough-Raleigh Road, met approximately half-way near present-day Durham (then Durham Station) at the home of James and Nancy Bennett, a farmhouse now known as Bennett Place
Bennett Place
Bennett Place, sometimes known as Bennett Farm, in Durham, North Carolina was the site of the largest surrender of Confederate soldiers ending the American Civil War, on April 26, 1865.-History:...
. The two generals met three times on April 17, 18th, and finally on the 26th, which resulted in the final terms of surrender. Johnston surrendered 89,270 Southern troops who were still active in North Carolina, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Georgia, and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. This was the largest surrender of troops during the war, and effectively ended the Civil War.
Carrboro's founding
Known originally as West End because of its location west of Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, Carrboro was settled in 1882 around the State University Railroad, which had been built to transport travelers to UNC. The railroad stop was located about a mile west of the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
(UNC) campus in order not to disturb the local population and to make it more difficult for students to leave campus by train.
Settlement in West End increased after Thomas F. Lloyd
Thomas F. Lloyd
Thomas Franklin Lloyd is one of the founders of Carrboro, North Carolina. He was a prominent North Carolina industrialist who built the Alberta Cotton Mill in 1898 in Carrboro; the former factory building is now home to the Carr Mill Mall.He was part of a prominent family that settled in Orange...
of Chapel Hill built the Alberta Cotton Mill next to the railroad depot in 1898. Julian Shakespeare Carr bought this and other nearby buildings in 1909, adding them to the network of mills that became the Durham Hosiery Mills. West End was incorporated in 1911 and renamed Venable in honor of chemistry professor and UNC president Francis Preston Venable
Francis Preston Venable
Francis Preston Venable was a chemist, educator, and president of the University of North Carolina . His father, Charles Scott Venable, was aide-de-camp to Gen. Robert E...
. Just two years later, the town was renamed Carrboro, after Carr began providing streets and electric power to the community and expanding the mill buildings. The original mill changed hands several times over the succeeding decades. The Carrboro Board of Aldermen intended to have it demolished in 1975 until a community petition and fund-raising effort provided for its restoration as Carr Mill Mall
Carr Mill Mall
Carr Mill Mall is a small, local shopping mall located in Carrboro, North Carolina. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a host for numerous local live performances and other cultural events.-History:...
. The railroad depot in Carrboro also served the local lumber industry, and Carrboro became a major hub in the hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
cross-tie market.
Some of the most distinctive architectural treasures of Carrboro are its approximately 150 mill houses constructed in the 1910s-30s. Many of these homes have been restored, yet numerous ones have been razed. The homes were originally built by Lloyd and Carr for their workers and their families.
Modern history
Occoneechee SpeedwayOcconeechee Speedway
Occoneechee Speedway was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open. It closed in 1968 and is the only dirt track remaining from the inaugural 1949 season.It is located just outside the town of Hillsborough, North Carolina.-Site history:...
, just outside Hillsborough, was one of the first two NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
tracks to open and is the only track remaining from that inaugural 1949 season. Bill France
Bill France
Bill France may refer to one of two people involved in NASCAR, father and son:*Bill France, Sr. , nicknamed "Big Bill", the founder of NASCAR and its president from 1948–1971...
and the early founders of NASCAR bought land to build a one-mile oval track at Hillsborough, but opposition from local religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
leaders prevented the track from being built in the town and NASCAR officials built the large speedway Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
in Talladega, Alabama
Talladega, Alabama
Talladega is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 15,143. The city is the county seat of Talladega County. Talladega is approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham, Alabama....
instead.
Chapel Hill, along with Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
and Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, makes up one of the three corners of the Research Triangle, so named in 1959 with the creation of Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park
The Research Triangle Park is a research park in the United States. It is located near Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina...
, a research park between Durham and Raleigh.
The Morehead Planetarium
Morehead Planetarium
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is one of the oldest and largest planetariums in the United States having welcomed over 7 million visitors by its 60th anniversary in 2009...
at UNC was, when it opened in 1949, one of only a handful of planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
s in the nation, and it has remained an important town landmark for Chapel Hill. During the Mercury
Mercury program
Mercury Program might refer to:*the first successful American manned spaceflight program, Project Mercury*an American post-rock band, The Mercury Program...
, Gemini, and Apollo programs, astronauts were trained there.
During the 1960s, the UNC campus was the location of significant political protest. Prior to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation...
, protests about local racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
which began quietly in Franklin Street
Franklin Street (Chapel Hill)
Franklin Street is a prominent thoroughfare in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Historic Franklin Street is considered the center of social life for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it is home to numerous coffee shops, restaurants,...
restaurants led to mass demonstrations and disturbance. The climate of civil unrest prompted the 1963 Speaker Ban Law
North Carolina Speaker Ban
On June 26, 1963, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Act to Regulate Visiting Speakers, later known as the Speaker Ban Law. The law forbade anyone to speak on a University of North Carolina campus who was a known member of the Communist Party, or who was known to advocate overthrow of...
prohibiting speeches by communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
on state campuses in North Carolina. The law was immediately criticized by university Chancellor William Brantley Aycock
William Brantley Aycock
William Brantley Aycock is an American educator who served as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1957 until 1964 and is the retired Kenan Professor of Law at the UNC School of Law....
and university President William Friday, but was not reviewed by the North Carolina General Assembly until 1965. Small amendments to allow "infrequent" visits failed to placate the student body, especially when the university's board of trustees overruled new Chancellor Paul Frederick Sharp's decision to allow speaking invitations to Marxist speaker Herbert Aptheker
Herbert Aptheker
Herbert Aptheker was an American Marxist historian and political activist. He authored over 50 volumes, mostly in the fields of African American history and general U.S. history, most notably, American Negro Slave Revolts , a classic in the field, and the 7-volume Documentary History of the Negro...
and civil liberties activist Frank Wilkinson
Frank Wilkinson
Frank Wilkinson was a civil liberties activist, Executive Director of the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation and Executive Director of the First Amendment Foundation....
; however, the two speakers came to Chapel Hill anyway. Wilkinson spoke off campus, while more than 1,500 students viewed Aptheker's speech across a low campus wall at the edge of campus, christened "Dan Moore's Wall" by The Daily Tar Heel
The Daily Tar Heel
The Daily Tar Heel is the independent student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was founded on February 23, 1893, and became a daily newspaper in 1929. The paper places a focus on university news and sports, but it also includes heavy coverage of Orange County and...
for Governor Dan K. Moore
Dan K. Moore
Daniel Killian Moore was the 66th Governor of the state of North Carolina from 1965 to 1969. Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Moore earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity...
. A group of UNC students along with Aptheker and Williamson filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court
United States federal courts
The United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...
, and on February 20, 1968, the Speaker Ban Law was struck down.
In 1968, only a year after its schools became fully integrated, Chapel Hill became the first predominantly white municipality in the country to elect an African American mayor, Howard Lee
Howard Nathaniel Lee
Howard Nathaniel Lee is an American politician from the U.S. state of North Carolina.After earning a bachelor's degree from Fort Valley State College and a Master's in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he accepted a position at Duke University in 1966.On May 6,...
. Lee served from 1969 until 1975 and, among other things, helped establish Chapel Hill Transit
Chapel Hill Transit
Chapel Hill Transit operates public bus and van transportation services within the contiguous municipalities of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the southeast corner of Orange County in the Research Triangle metropolitan region of North...
, the town's bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
system.
In the early 1990s, a sizable influx of Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
immigrants began moving to Carrboro, attracted by jobs in the building and service trades. As these immigrants settled in Carrboro, they brought the foods and cultures of their native countries to the town. Carrboro is now home to three Latino tiendas (grocery stores). Other businesses, including national grocery chains like Food Lion
Food Lion
Food Lion LLC is an American grocery store company headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina that operates approximately 1,300 supermarkets in 11 Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states as well as Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia under the Food Lion, Harveys Supermarket, Bloom, Bottom Dollar...
, adapted to the change in demographics by stocking a wider variety of Central and South American food products.
Law and government
Orange County is governed by a seven-member board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected to four-year terms by district and at-large in partisan elections, which are held in November of even-numbered years.Largely because it is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, Orange County has gained a reputation as one of the most liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
counties in North Carolina. The county consistently delivers one of the heaviest Democratic majorities in the state in presidential, state, and local elections. Carrboro
Carrboro, North Carolina
Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 19,582 at the 2010 census. The town, which is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan statistical area, was named after North Carolina industrialist Julian Shakespeare Carr.Located near Chapel Hill and...
, in particular, has a reputation as one of the most liberal communities in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. It was the first municipality in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
to elect an openly gay mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, Mike Nelson (who also served as an Orange County commissioner from 2006 to 2010), and the first municipality in the state to grant domestic-partner
Domestic partnership
A domestic partnership is a legal or personal relationship between two individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are neither joined by marriage nor a civil union...
benefits to same-sex couples. In October 2002, Carrboro was among the first municipalities in the South to pass resolutions opposing the Iraq War
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
and the USA PATRIOT Act
USA PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001...
.
Orange County is a member of the regional Triangle J Council of Governments
Triangle J Council of Governments
The Triangle J Council of Governments is one of the 17 regional North Carolina Councils of Governments established by the North Carolina General Assembly for the purpose of regional planning and administration...
.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the county has a total area of 401 square miles (1,040 km²), of which, 400 square miles (1,036 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.34%) is water.
The county is drained, in part, by the Eno River
Eno River
The Eno River, named for the Eno Indians who once lived along its banks, is the initial tributary of the Neuse River in North Carolina, USA.The Eno rises in Orange County. The river's watershed occupies most of Orange and Durham counties...
.
The city of Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, is in the southeastern part of Orange County, as is Carrboro
Carrboro, North Carolina
Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 19,582 at the 2010 census. The town, which is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan statistical area, was named after North Carolina industrialist Julian Shakespeare Carr.Located near Chapel Hill and...
. Hillsborough
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....
is in the central part of the county and is the county seat.
Townships
The county is divided into seven townships: Bingham, Cedar Grove, Chapel Hill, Cheeks, Eno, Hillsborough, and Little River.Adjacent counties
- Person County, North CarolinaPerson County, North CarolinaPerson County is a county located in the Piedmont region in north-central North Carolina in the United States. It is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Area. The population was 39,464 at the 2010 census.The county seat is Roxboro...
- northeast - Durham County, North CarolinaDurham County, North Carolina-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 223,314 people, 89,015 households, and 54,032 families residing in the county. The population density was 769 people per square mile . There were 95,452 housing units at an average density of 329 per square mile...
- east - Chatham County, North CarolinaChatham County, North CarolinaChatham County is a county located in the Piedmont area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 49,329. Its county seat is Pittsboro.-History:...
- south - Alamance County, North CarolinaAlamance County, North CarolinaAlamance County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It coincides with the Burlington, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- west - Caswell County, North CarolinaCaswell County, North Carolina-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,501 people, 8,670 households, and 6,398 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile . There were 9,601 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
- northwest
Demographics
As of the 2006-2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates (U.S. Census Bureau) there were 126,532 residents and 45,863 household units with an average household size of 2.35 persons. The racial makeup of the county was 76.2% WhiteRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 13% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.4% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Alaska Native, 5.7% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.8% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.9% from two or more races. 6% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
From the 2001 U.S Census Bureau report, there were 49,369 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out with 20.30% under the age of 18, 21.00% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 20.40% from 45 to 64, and 8.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 90.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,372, and the median income for a family was $59,874. Males had a median income of $39,298 versus $31,328 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $24,873. About 6.20% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over. FY 2008-09 Orange County had the second highest property tax rate in NC at 0.998 per $100 of valuation. For FY 2009-10 after the 2009 Orange County revaluation, the rate is now ninth highest in the state at 0.858 per $100 of valuation.
Education
The county is served by 2 school districts:- Orange County Schools
- Chapel Hill-CarrboroChapel Hill-Carrboro City SchoolsChapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is a school district which educates over ten thousand students in the southeastern part of Orange County, North Carolina. Being near three major universities as well as the Research Triangle Park, it serves one of the best educated populations in the United States...
.
Communities
Cities and towns
There are three incorporated municipalities located primarily in Orange County: CarrboroCarrboro, North Carolina
Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 19,582 at the 2010 census. The town, which is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan statistical area, was named after North Carolina industrialist Julian Shakespeare Carr.Located near Chapel Hill and...
, Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, and Hillsborough
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....
. However, parts of the City of Mebane
Mebane, North Carolina
Mebane is a city located mostly in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States, with a part of it in Orange County, North Carolina. It is part of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The current population estimate is 10,624. According to the , the town was named for...
in Alamance County
Alamance County, North Carolina
Alamance County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It coincides with the Burlington, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, are located in Orange County.
Unincorporated communities
There are several unincorporated communitiesUnincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in the rural parts of the county:
- BlackwoodBlackwood, North CarolinaBlackwood is an unincorporated community in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. It is located on North Carolina Highway 86, north of Eubanks, and is next to a train line running from Hillsborough to Carrboro....
- BuckhornBuckhorn, North CarolinaBuckhorn , is an unincorporated community in Orange County, North Carolina, United States, located south of Miles....
(also known as Cheeks Crossroads) - CaldwellCaldwell, Orange County, North CarolinaCaldwell is an unincorporated community in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. It is located at the junction of North Carolina Highway 57 and North Carolina Highway 157, northeast of Schley....
- CalvanderCalvander, North CarolinaCalvander is a rural unincorporated community in southeastern Orange County, North Carolina, United States north-northwest of Carrboro. It lies at the intersection of Old North Carolina Highway 86 , and Homestead/Dairyland Road....
- CarrCarr, North CarolinaCarr is an unincorporated area located northwest of McDade in Orange County, North Carolina, North Carolina, United States.-Geography:Carr is a small community built up around the Carr general store. The main activities of this town were Tobacco farming...
- Cedar GroveCedar Grove, Orange County, North CarolinaCedar Grove is an unincorporated community in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. It is located southeast of McDade, and northwest of Hillsborough....
- Dodsons Crossroads
- Dogwood AcresDogwood Acres, Orange County, North CarolinaDogwood Acres is an unincorporated community in southeastern Orange County, North Carolina. It lies at an elevation of 423 feet ....
- EflandEfland, North CarolinaEfland is an unincorporated community in Orange County, North Carolina, United States.Efland is most likely the next town in Orange County to become incorporated. The Efland Ruritan Club hosts most of the towns activities including an annual Rodeo, Lumberjack show, Tractor Pull, Car Show and HYAA...
- EnoEno, North CarolinaEno is an unincorporated community in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. It is located at the intersection of Interstate 85 and U.S. Route 70....
- EubanksEubanks, North CarolinaEubanks is an unincorporated area in Orange County, North Carolina, United States, north of downtown Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and south of Blackwood Station, North Carolina. The Orange County landfill is part of the Eubanks area, however most of the area is rural....
- Fairview, Hillsborough
- Hurdle MillsHurdle Mills, North CarolinaHurdle Mills is an unincorporated community in southern Person County and northern Orange County, North Carolina. It is located on North Carolina Highway 157, southwest of Roxboro, at an elevation of 614 feet...
- Laws
- McDadeMcDade, North CarolinaMcDade is an unincorporated community in Orange County, North Carolina, United States, located between Carr and Cedar Grove. It lies at an elevation of 728 feet ....
- MilesMiles, North CarolinaMiles is an unincorporated community in Orange County, North Carolina, United States, located on U.S. Route 70, north of Buckhorn.- References :...
- OaksOaks, North CarolinaOaks is an unincorporated community in southwestern Orange County, North Carolina, United States. It is located southwest of Teer, North Carolina....
- Orange Grove
- Piney Grove
- RougemontRougemont, North CarolinaRougemont is an unincorporated community in Durham, Orange, and Person counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Although the Geographic Names Information System does not list it in any county other than Durham. The population was 6,561 at the 2000 census....
- SchleySchley, North CarolinaSchley is an unincorporated community, in Orange County, North Carolina, southwest of Caldwell, North Carolina, and northeast of Hillsborough, North Carolina. It lies at an elevation of 584 feet ....
- TeerTeer, North CarolinaTeer is a settlement in southwestern Orange County, North Carolina, United States, northeast of Oaks, North Carolina. Its elevation is 486 feet or 148 meters....
- UniversityUniversity, Orange County, North CarolinaUniversity is an unincorporated community in Orange County, North Carolina. It lies at an elevation of 476 feet ....
(formerly known as Glenn) - White Cross
Notable people
- K.A. Applegate, author
- Thomas Samuel AsheThomas Samuel AsheThomas Samuel Ashe was a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1873 and 1877. He had previously served in the Confederate Congress.-Early years:...
, United States Congressman from North Carolina - Lewis BlackLewis BlackLewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...
, comedian - David BrinkleyDavid BrinkleyDavid McClure Brinkley was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997....
, newscaster - Fred BrooksFred BrooksFrederick Phillips Brooks, Jr. is a software engineer and computer scientist, best known for managing the development of IBM's System/360 family of computers and the OS/360 software support package, then later writing candidly about the process in his seminal book The Mythical Man-Month...
, computer science pioneer - Larry BrownLarry Brown (basketball)Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
, basketball coach - Cam CameronCam Cameron-External links:...
, football coach - William Carter LoveWilliam Carter LoveWilliam Carter Love was a Congressional Representative from North Carolina; born near Norfolk, Virginia, in 1784; moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina; was tutored at home; attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1802–1804; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced...
- U.S. RepresentativeUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from North Carolina - Spencer ChamberlainSpencer ChamberlainSpencer Chamberlain is an American musician, best known as lead vocalist for the metalcore band Underoath. Before fronting Underoath, Chamberlain was also the vocalist for the band This Runs Through in which his brother, Phil Chamberlain, was the drummer.-Background:Spencer Chamberlain was born in...
, musician - Elizabeth CottenElizabeth CottenElizabeth "Libba" Cotten was an American blues and folk musician, singer, and songwriter.A self-taught left-handed guitarist, Cotten developed her own original style. Her approach involved using a right-handed guitar , not re-strung for left-handed playing, essentially, holding a right-handed...
, blues singer who grew up in Carrboro - Floyd CouncilFloyd CouncilFloyd Council was an American blues guitarist and singer. He became a well-known practitioner of the Piedmont blues sound from that area, popular throughout the southeastern region of the US in the 1930s....
, blues singer, the "Floyd" in Pink Floyd - Butch DavisButch DavisPaul Hilton "Butch" Davis, Jr. is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He was the head coach at the University of Miami from 1995 to 2000, the Cleveland Browns of the NFL from 2001 to 2004, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2007 to 2011.-Early...
, football coach - Sarah DessenSarah DessenSarah Dessen is an American writer who lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.- Background :Sarah Dessen was born in Evanston, Illinois on June 6, 1970. She moved with her family to Virginia then North Carolina where she now resides with her husband, Jay, daughter Sasha Clementine, and dogs...
, author - Elizabeth EdwardsElizabeth EdwardsElizabeth Anania Edwards was an American attorney, a best-selling author and a health care activist. She was married to John Edwards, the former U.S...
, an attorney and activist for liberal causes, Chapel Hill - John EdwardsJohn EdwardsJohnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
, former North Carolina Senator, 2008 Presidential candidate, Chapel Hill - Sam ErvinSam ErvinSamuel James "Sam" Ervin Jr. was a Democratic Senator from North Carolina from 1954 until 1974. A native of Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina, he liked to call himself a "country lawyer", and often told humorous stories in his Southern drawl...
, former North Carolina senator, chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee - Lawrence FerlinghettiLawrence FerlinghettiLawrence Ferlinghetti is an American poet, painter, liberal activist, and the co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers...
, beat poet, co-founder of City Lights Booksellers - Ben FoldsBen FoldsBenjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, musician - Paul Green, playwright
- Andy GriffithAndy GriffithAndy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
, actor - Mia HammMia HammMariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female,...
, soccer player - Harpe BrothersHarpe BrothersMicajah "Big" Harpe and Wiley "Little" Harpe , pronounced and , were murderers, highwaymen, and river pirates, who operated in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Mississippi in the late 18th century...
, Micajah and Wiley, America's first serial killers - Bunny HearnBunn HearnCharles Bunn "Bunny" Hearn was a major league baseball pitcher, major league scout, and minor league, semi-pro and college level manager.-Biography:He was born on May 21, 1891 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina....
, major league baseball pitcher - Jack HoganJack HoganJack Hogan is an American actor, born November 25, 1929 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was born Richard Roland Benson, Jr. He is most notable for the role of PFC William G...
, actor, noted for his role as Private William Kirby on Combat! television series, 1962–1967 - Laurel HollomanLaurel HollomanLaurel Holloman is an American actress, best known for her roles as Randy Dean in the 1995 indie film The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Justine Cooper on Angel, and Tina Kennard on the Showtime series The L Word.-Career:Laurel attended the University of North Carolina and...
, actress - Herman HusbandHerman HusbandHerman Husband , also known as Harmon Husband, was a farmer, radical, pamphleteer, and preacher. He was born in Cecil County, Maryland and raised as an Anglican...
, a leader of the North Carolina Regulator Movement - Marion JonesMarion JonesMarion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
, former track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete - Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, basketball player - Elizabeth Keckley, former slave and servant of Mary Todd LincolnMary Todd LincolnMary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:...
- Charles KuraltCharles KuraltCharles Kuralt was an American journalist. He was most widely known for his long career with CBS, first for his "On the Road" segments on The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, and later as the first anchor of CBS News Sunday Morning, a position he held for fifteen years.Kuralt's "On the Road"...
, longtime journalist with CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... - Jim LampleyJim LampleyJames "Jim" Lampley is an American sportscaster, news anchor, movie producer, and restaurant owner. Lampley has anchored a record 14 Olympic Games U.S. television broadcasts, most recently the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China....
, sportscaster - Howard LeeHoward Nathaniel LeeHoward Nathaniel Lee is an American politician from the U.S. state of North Carolina.After earning a bachelor's degree from Fort Valley State College and a Master's in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he accepted a position at Duke University in 1966.On May 6,...
, pioneering politician - Doug Marlette, cartoonist and writer
- Alexander Mebane, Jr.Alexander MebaneAlexander Mebane, Jr. was a U.S. Congressman from the state of North Carolina from 1793 to 1795. He was also a brigadier general in the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War....
(1744–1795), Revolutionary War militia general and U. S. Congressman - Elisha MitchellElisha MitchellElisha Mitchell was born in Washington, Connecticut. As a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in 1835, he measured the height of Mt. Mitchell. Mt. Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. It is located in North Carolina and is 6,684 feet high...
, geologist - Archibald MurpheyArchibald MurpheyArchibald DeBow Murphey was a North Carolina politician known as the "Father of Education" in his state for his proposals that benefited public works and public education....
, North Carolina politician - Beverly Perdue, 73rd Governor of North Carolina
- Nick PerumovNick PerumovNick Perumov is the pen name of Nikolay Daniilovich Perumov , a Russian fantasy and science fiction writer.- Biography :Perumov was born November 21, 1963 in Leningrad, USSR. He began writing short stories since he was a teenager, and after reading The Lord of the Rings in the early 1980s, he...
, author - Mary Pope OsborneMary Pope OsborneMary Pope Osborne is an American children's book author. She is best known for her award-winning and bestselling Magic Tree House series, which has been translated into over 20 languages and sold over 53 million copies.-Background:...
, author - Frank Porter GrahamFrank Porter GrahamFrank Porter Graham was a president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and, for a brief period, United States Senator.-Early life:...
, United States senator and president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States... - David PriceDavid Price (American politician)David Eugene Price is a professor and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997 and previously from 1987 to 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
, U.S. congressman - Connie RayConnie RayConstance "Connie" Ray is an American film and television actress and playwright. Among her highest profile appearances are Thank You for Smoking and Stuart Little , and the television drama ER...
, actress and playwright - David ReesDavid Rees (cartoonist)David Thomas Rees is a left-wing cartoonist and humorist whose best-known work combines bland clip art with outrageous "trash talk" to incongruous effect...
, satirist - Dexter RomweberDexter RomweberJohn Michael Dexter Romweber is an American rockabilly/roots rock musician from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dex is best known as one-half of the seminal two-piece Flat Duo Jets...
, rockabilly roots-rocker - Terry SanfordTerry SanfordJames Terry Sanford was a United States politician and educator from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford was the 65th Governor of North Carolina , a two-time U.S. Presidential candidate in the 1970s and a U.S. Senator...
, United States senator and governorGovernor of North CarolinaThe Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
of North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte... - Stuart ScottStuart ScottStuart Scott is a sportscaster and anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter.-Early life and career:Scott attended Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and went to college at the University of North Carolina. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity...
, sportscaster - Dean SmithDean SmithDean Edwards Smith is a retired American head coach of men's college basketball. Originally from Emporia, Kansas, Smith has been called a “coaching legend” by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith is best known for his successful 36-year coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel...
, former basketball coach - Lee SmithLee Smith (author)Lee Smith is an American fiction author who typically incorporates much of her home roots in the Southeastern United States in her works of literature. She has received many writing awards, such as the O. Henry Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Fiction, and the North...
, author, lives in Hillsborough - Oliver SmithiesOliver SmithiesOliver Smithies is a British-born American geneticist and Nobel laureate, credited with the invention of gel electrophoresis in 1955, and the simultaneous discovery, with Mario Capecchi and Martin Evans, of the technique of homologous recombination of transgenic DNA with genomic DNA, a much more...
, 2007 recipient of the Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895... - Silda Wall SpitzerSilda Wall SpitzerSilda Alice Wall Spitzer is the founder and chair of the board of Children for Children, a not-for-profit organization that fosters community involvement and social responsibility in young people...
, wife of former New York governor Eliot SpitzerEliot SpitzerEliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011... - Chris StameyChris StameyChris Stamey is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. After a stint playing with Alex Chilton, and a brief partnering with Mitch Easter under the name Sneakers, he formed The dB's, whose stewardship he would share with Peter Holsapple.In 1977 in New York, Chris founded the...
, musician - James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
, popular musician - Lawrence TaylorLawrence TaylorLawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League...
, football player - Manly Wade WellmanManly Wade WellmanManly Wade Wellman was an American writer. He is best known for his fantasy and horror stories set in the Appalachian Mountains and for drawing on the native folklore of that region, but he wrote in a wide variety of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, detective...
, novelist - Daniel WallaceDaniel WallaceDaniel Wallace or Danny Wallace may refer to:* Daniel Wallace , American author of the novel Big Fish* Daniel Wallace , U.S. Congressman from South Carolina...
, author, lives in Carrboro - Kent Williams, painter, illustrator and comics artist
- Roy WilliamsRoy Williams (coach)Roy Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging nearly an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...
, basketball coach - Thomas WolfeThomas WolfeThomas Clayton Wolfe was a major American novelist of the early 20th century.Wolfe wrote four lengthy novels, plus many short stories, dramatic works and novellas. He is known for mixing highly original, poetic, rhapsodic, and impressionistic prose with autobiographical writing...
, novelist - James WorthyJames WorthyJames Ager Worthy is a retired Hall of Fame American college and professional basketball player. Named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion...
, basketball player
See also
- List of commissioners of Orange County, North Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, North Carolina
External links
- Orange County official Web site
- CitizenWill.org Hyper-local single-author blog concentrating on Chapel Hill,Carrboro,Orange County
- ChapelHillWatch.com Multi-author blog created by former Chapel Hill News reporters
- OrangePolitics.org Multi-author blog about progressive politics in Orange County
- Squeeze the Pulp Internet forum on politics, news, and community in Orange County
- Orange County historic information cache