Orange County NC Website
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<br />3 <br /> <br />County Description <br /> <br /> Orange County is a diverse vibrant community centrally <br />located between the Research Triangle Park and the Triad <br />(Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point) with <br />Interstates 85 and 40 providing primary transit linkages. <br />With a population of approximately 140,000 people, <br />Orange County includes historic Hillsborough, the county <br />seat; Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina <br />(the oldest state-supported university in the United <br />States); Carrboro and parts of Mebane, both of which are <br />former railroad and mill towns. The diversity of our <br />people make the county interesting and lively - dairy <br />farmers and professors; small business people and <br />corporate executives; developers and horse breeders; <br />resettled refugees and students. <br /> <br />In 2015, we ranked number one in the state for the first <br />time for both Health Outcomes and Health Factors <br />according to the County Health Rankings. As in other <br />parts of North Carolina (NC) and the United States (US), <br />health status depends in part on where one lives and their racial, ethnic, and economic status. Orange <br />County is governed by a seven-member board of commissioners who are elected to four-year terms by <br />district and at-large in partisan elections. <br /> <br />General Population <br />The population of Orange County has more than doubled in the past four decades, with a population <br />increase of 5% since 2010 and a 19% increase since 2000 (shown in figure 1). <br /> <br />Figure 1: Orange County Population Growth <br /> 1940-2020* <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 <br /> <br />154,000 <br />23,072 34,445 42,970 <br />57,707 <br />77,055 <br />93,851 <br />115,531 <br />133,702 <br />140,420 <br />*Projected <br />Year