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Political Profile County commissioners are responsible for establish-
<br /> ing the annual property tax rate. Property taxes are
<br /> Orange County is considered a progressive county, charged to residential and commercial entities (or
<br /> voting primarily Democratic. In the 2016 presidential persons)that own land in the county. The median prop-
<br /> election, 72.8%voted for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic erty tax in Orange County is $2,829 for a home worth
<br /> candidate, as opposed to 22.5% who voted for Donald a median value of$258,000. This is compared to $933
<br /> Trump, the Republican candidate. According to the NC in Brunswick County, $1,257 in Buncombe County, and
<br /> State Board of Elections, as of November 30, 2019, there $1,394 in New Hanover County, Orange County's peer
<br /> were 108,426 registered voters in Orange County. The counties. This puts Orange County as having the high-
<br /> party affiliations and racial/ethnic demographics, of est median property tax in the U.S. The average yearly
<br /> those registered, are listed below.6 property tax paid by Orange County resident's totals
<br /> about 3.31%of their yearly income.? Property taxes are
<br /> Table 6: Orange County Political Profile used to fund county and municipality infrastructure and
<br /> operations, including public schools.
<br /> AFFILIATION •
<br /> History
<br /> Democratic 50,282 r'—
<br /> On September 9, 1752,
<br /> Republican 14,817 Orange County was
<br /> founded and named after
<br /> Green 36 William V of Orange.
<br /> Hillsborough, the county PA,
<br /> Constitution 26 seat, was founded in 1754
<br /> Libertarian 693 and had several names
<br /> over the years. Its first name was Corbin Town, then
<br /> Unaffiliated 42,572 Childsburgh, and in 1766 the town's final name became
<br /> Hillsborough. Hillsborough is an old and interesting
<br /> Demographic Count town located on land where the Great Indian Trading
<br /> White 77,494 Path crossed the Eno River and was the center of much
<br /> colonial activity. The county is divided into the seven
<br /> African American 12,006 townships of Bingham, Cedar Grove, Chapel Hill, Cheeks,
<br /> Eno, Hillsborough, and Little River'
<br /> American Indian 258
<br /> Originally home to a succession of Native American
<br /> Other 18,668 tribes that included the Haw, Eno, Occaneechi, and
<br /> others, the area including what is now Orange County
<br /> Hispanic 3,670 covered 3,500 square miles. This large area also in-
<br /> Male 45,988 cluded all of present day Alamance, Caswell, Person,
<br /> Durham and Chatham counties as well as parts of Wake,
<br /> Female 55,191 Lee, Randolph, Guilford and Rockingham counties.
<br /> County Infrastructure
<br /> Faith and Spirituality
<br /> There are hundreds of places to worship in Orange
<br /> Similar to other NC counties, Orange County is gov- County, including churches, mosques, synagogues and
<br /> erned by aseven-member board of commissioners who other faith organizations. These institutions provide a
<br /> are elected to four-year terms by district and at-large source of spiritual nourishment, community support
<br /> partisan elections. The results of the 2019 CHA found and resources to the residents of Orange County. As
<br /> that county residents had varying concerns related to residents face the challenge of trying to stay connect-
<br /> county government and infrastructure including: tax ed to their community in an area where the population
<br /> burden, transportation and traffic issues, over-develop- is growing and changing quickly, their spiritual homes
<br /> ment, and increased population density. become sources of social interaction, information ex-
<br /> change, and health care.
<br /> 6 2019 COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT
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