Orange is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Grafton County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

, United States. The population was 277 at the 2020 census, down from 331 at the 2010 census.United States Census Bureau
American FactFinder
2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.

History

Orange was granted in 1769 and incorporated in 1790. It was originally named "Cardigan", after George Brudenell, fourth Earl of Cardigan. The Cardigan name lives on with

Mount Cardigan Mount Cardigan is a prominent bare-rock summit in the towns of Orange and Alexandria in western New Hampshire, USA. While its peak is only above sea level, it has extensive areas of bare granite ledges and alpine scrub, giving it the feel to hi ...

and Cardigan Mountain State Park. After the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, voters attempted to rename the town "Bradford", "Middletown", "Liscomb", and finally "Orange". The large quantities of yellow-orange ochre found in Mount Cardigan may have been the source of the name Orange.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.25% of the town. The highest point in Orange is the summit of

, at above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

, near the eastern edge of the town. The west side of the town (and the mountain) drains via Orange Brook to the Indian River in the neighboring town of

Canaan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...

, in turn a tributary of the

Mascoma River The Mascoma River is a river in western New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound. The Mascoma comprises two sections which are split by Mascoma Lake in the communities of Enf ...

. This portion of town is part of the Connecticut River watershed. The remainder of the town is part of the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...

watershed. In the north part of town, the South Branch of the Baker River has its source, flowing north toward Groton and Dorchester. The northeast corner of the town drains north via Atwell Brook to the Cockermouth River in Groton, a tributary of Newfound Lake. The eastern edge of town drains off Mount Cardigan via several brooks leading to the Fowler River in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

, another tributary of Newfound Lake. The southeastern part of town drains to Mill Brook, a south-flowing tributary of the Smith River. The Baker River, Newfound Lake, and the Smith River are all tributaries of the

Pemigewasset River The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately . The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word ''bemijijoase ...

, which flows south to form the

in Franklin. U.S. Route 4 passes through the town's southwest corner.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 299 people, 111 households, and 85 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 12.9 people per square mile (5.0/km). There were 134 housing units at an average density of 5.8 per square mile (2.2/km). The racial makeup of the town was 99.67%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

and 0.33% Asian.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.33% of the population. There were 111 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 15.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 2.98. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $40,625. Males had a median income of $34,750 versus $25,938 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $17,456. About 6.3% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 6.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 3.2% of those 65 or over. As of May 31, 2016, there were 225 registered voters on the checklist, including 55 Republican, 53 Democrat and 117 undeclared.

References

External links

Orange community website

{{authority control Towns in Grafton County, New Hampshire Populated places established in 1790 Towns in New Hampshire