Oak Orchard is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

east of the town of Millsboro in Sussex County,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, United States. Oak Orchard is bordered to the south by the

Indian River Bay Indian River Bay is a body of water in Sussex County, Delaware. It is part of Delaware's inland bay system, along with Little Assawoman Bay and Rehoboth Bay. Fed by the Indian River at its western end, the bay is connected to the Atlantic Ocea ...

, to the east by Emily Gut (a narrow channel of water) and "the Peninsula", and to the north by Delaware Route 24. Oak Orchard is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. This area has been the home of the

Nanticoke Indian Tribe The Nanticoke people are a Native American Algonquian people, whose traditional homelands are in Chesapeake Bay and Delaware. Today they live in the Northeastern United States and Canada, especially Delaware; in Ontario; and in Oklahoma. Th ...

for over 2000 years and is home to the Nanticoke Indian Museum as well as a yearly

Pow-wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today allow Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or pu ...

held by the tribe. The unincorporated community is home to the Oak Orchard/Riverdale Post of the American Legion. Fire protection is provided by the Indian River Vol. Fire Co., ambulance service by the Mid-Sussex Rescue Squad, and police services are provided by the

Delaware State Police The Delaware State Police (DSP) is a division of the Delaware Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security and is responsible for traffic regulation and law enforcement across the state of Delaware, especially in areas underserved by local p ...

as there is no incorporated town to provide such services. Oak Orchard was the scene of a house fire on January 3, 2001, that killed 11 family members.

References

Unincorporated communities in Sussex County, Delaware Unincorporated communities in Delaware Nanticoke tribe {{Delaware-geo-stub