Shaping Orange County's Future Final Full Report

Browse Search

Recent Trends Population Between 1950 and 1990 Orange County's population increased by 173%. The policy question is whether these trends are desirable and whether we should work to alter them in the future. ORANGE COUNTY POPULATION Source: US Census As of 1990 57.4 % of county residents lived within the municipal limits of the county's four towns: Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and Mebane (Orange Co. portion only). On a township basis, Chapel Hill Township contained the largest percentage of persons (66 %) and Little River the lowest (2 %). The population distribution in the other townships was: Bingham 5 %, Cedar Grove Township 4 %, Cheeks 6 %, Eno 6 %, and Hillsborough 11%. Housing Growth Approximately 91% of the county's housing stock was built after W.W. II and 61 % was constructed after 1970. Between 1950 and March 1990, the number of housing units in Orange County increased from 8,422 to 38,683, an addition of 30,261 dwelling units. This increase was in response to countywide population growth experienced during the same time period. Between 1950 and March 1990 the number of households in Orange County increased by 364%, an actual increase of 28,322 households. The majority of housing added in the county was concentrated in what are now municipal portions of the county. For every 1 rural dwelling constructed between 1950 and 1990, approximately 2 were built in municipalities. X, Source: US Census: 1950 -1990 Within the municipalities residential development has largely been focused in Chapel Hill, which has accounted for 64% of all residences built in municipal portions of the county, between 1950 and 1990. The numbers for Carrboro, Hillsborough, and the Orange County portion of Mebane, have been 28 %, 7% and 0.69% respectively. Comparative information on local housing costs is shown below: