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3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT <br /> Section 3 provided background information relating to the project study area which will allow for <br /> impact evaluation of the "No-Action", Alternative Land Uses and the Expansion Alternatives. <br /> Information presented in Section 3 includes: socio-economic characteristics, land use, cultural <br /> resources, natural resources, and physical environment, <br /> 3.1 Socio-Economic Characteristics <br /> 3,1.1 Orange County <br /> The population of Orange County has grown since 1970 and it is expected that this trend will <br /> continue through 2010. Table 3.1 lists U.S. Census population figures for 1970, 1980 and 1990 <br /> along with projections for the years 2000 and 2010, <br /> TABLE 3.1 <br /> POPULATION OF ORANGE COUNTY (1970-2010) <br /> YEAR POPULATION % CHANGE/YEAR <br /> 1970 57,567 <br /> 1980 77,055 +2.95 <br /> 1990 93,851 +1.99 <br /> 2000 101,241 +0.76 <br /> 2010 110,511 +0.88 <br /> Sources: U.S. Census Bureau <br /> N.C. State Office of Budget and Management <br /> Orange County Planning Department <br /> Of the four municipalities in Orange County, Carrboro and Chapel Hill are the largest. With a <br /> combined 1990 U.S. Census population of 50.272, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro metropolitan area is <br /> the largest urban area within Orange County and the main employment center. The three largest <br /> employers in the county are located in Chapel Hill and together employ more than 12,000 <br /> persons. These employers are: The University of North Carolina with 7,400 employees; North <br /> Carolina Memorial Hospital with 3,522 employees; and Blue Cross and Blue Shield with 1,181 <br /> employees. <br /> American Stone Company currently employs twenty people at the Orange County plant site. The <br /> 3-1 <br />