Orange, Virginia
| Orange, Virginia | |
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| Town | |
Restored train depot in Orange, now used as a visitors center
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 Location of Orange, Virginia |
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| Coordinates: 38°14′45″N 78°6′35″W / 38.24583°N 78.10972°WCoordinates: 38°14′45″N 78°6′35″W / 38.24583°N 78.10972°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Orange |
| Incorporated | 1834; Officially in 1872 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.32 sq mi (8.6 km2) |
| • Land | 3.31 sq mi (8.56 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 522 ft (159 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 4,721 |
| • Density | 1,400/sq mi (550/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 22960 |
| Area code(s) | 540 Exchanges: 661,672 |
| FIPS code | 51-59496 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1498525 |
| Website | Town of Orange official website |
Orange is a town in, and county seat of, Orange County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,721 at the 2010 census, representing a 14.5% increase since the 2000 census. Orange is 28 miles northeast of Charlottesville, 88 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., and 4 miles east of James Madison's plantation of Montpelier.
This area of the Piedmont was occupied by Siouan-speaking peoples at the time of European encounter. Tribes located in coastal areas generally spoke Algonquian languages.
The present-day Town of Orange was known as the Town of Orange Court House prior to the late-nineteenth century. Following the establishment of Culpeper County from a part of Orange County in 1749, the courthouse was relocated to Orange Court House from elsewhere in the county. The court convened in the house of man named Timothy Crosthwait until 1752; after Crosthwait deeded the 2 acres to the county, it constructed a new courthouse on the property. The town at that time consisted of the courthouse and its related public buildings, a few houses and stores, a tavern and little else. The first U.S. Post Office was constructed in the town in 1796. In 1801-1804 the courthouse was replaced with a new building, clerk’s office and, later, a new jail.
In 1799 Paul Verdier purchased the property of William Bell, an 18th-century farm that included much of the modern-day Town of Orange adjacent to Main Street, near present-day Bellevue and Peliso avenues. Verdier divided the land into lots, which helped shape the town’s pattern of development. His house, which he named Montpeliso, still stands on the land. Growth continued into the nineteenth century as new roadways were constructed through the town. Along with expanding agricultural markets, the roads helped transform Orange Court House into a regional center. In 1834 the Virginia General Assembly to pass an act allowing for the incorporation of the Town of Orange Court House. But, the act never had implementing legislation.
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