Orange County

The original Orange County, North Carolina was formed in 1752 from parts of Bladen County, Granville County and Johnston County. It was named for the infant William V of Orange, whose mother, Anne, daughter of King George II of Great Britain, was then regent of the Dutch Republic. Today's Orange County is part of a metropolitan area in North Carolina called the Research Triangle, which is comprised of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and many other smaller communities. The region is highly rated as a place to live and to do business.

Orange County has a population of 120,952 (in 2001) and includes the towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, plus a portion of the city of Mebane. Orange County has many features that make it attractive to visitors. In roughly 400 square miles of land, most of which is undeveloped, you'll see acres of lush foliage, gently rolling hills and scenic wooded areas, in addition to bustling business districts. Approximately 17% of our land mass — more than 45,000 acres — is used for farming. Area farmers produce Grade A milk, tobacco and field crops, eggs, nursery and greenhouse products, livestock and forestry products.

Chapel Hill

The Town of Chapel Hill is located principally in Orange County and slightly in Durham County in the north central portion of North Carolina on the Piedmont Plateau, approximately equidistant between Washington, DC, and Atlanta, Georgia. The area's topography is characterized by rolling hills. The town, which was incorporated in 1819, presently covers an area of 21.1 square miles and has a population of 52,440 according to the latest estimate issued by the State of North Carolina for July 2002. The town is the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation's oldest public university, established in 1789. Today, the University enjoys a reputation as one of the best public universities in the United States. Chapel Hill offers a variety of cultural attractions, great dining choices, UNC Hospital, and a bustling, lively downtown. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools District (CHCCS) operates two high schools, four middle schools, and eight elementary schools, which serve over 10,000 students. CHCCS is one of the top 37 school districts in the US and the top performing school district in the Southeast.

Parks and Recreation
Things to do
Chamber site

Carrboro

Carrboro, settled in 1882 around a railroad spur of UNC, was first known as West End because of its geographical location west of Chapel Hill. Incorporated in 1911 as Venable, the town made its final name change two years later in honor of Julian Shakespeare Carr, owner of the local textile mill. For the first 50 years after its incorporation, Carrboro remained a small mill town with a slow, steady pace of growth. In 1960, approximately 2,000 people lived in the town. By the year 2000, the town's population had grown to over 16,000 residents. Today Carrborro is know for its arts center, nightlife, and music.

Hillsborough

There has been a village on this site for hundreds of years, beginning with three successive Native American villages spanning from AD 1000 to 1710. Orange County was founded in 1752. Two years later Hillsborough was laid out by William Churton on land where the Great Indian Trading Path crossed the Eno River. The street names — Tryon, Wake, King, Queen, Churton — still recall this early history. William Churton first laid out the town of Hillsborough, then called Orange. Hillsborough took its present name in 1766 after the Irish peer, William Hill, Earl of Hillsborough, Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1768 to 1772 under George III in 1754. Hillsborough was a center of political activity during the Colonial and Revolutionary period. Several royal and elected governors lived here, as did a signer of the Declaration of Independence, William Hooper, whose house still stands. Many historical events occurred in Hillsborough such as the state's constitutional Convention of 1778, which demanded that a Bill of Rights be added to the U.S. Constitution; and five General Assemblies (1778, 1780, 1782-1784). General Cornwallis raised the Royal Standard here in 1781. Hillsborough remained a political and cultural center in the nineteenth century. There remain more than 100 late eighteenth and nineteenth century structures that illustrate the Town's early history. In addition, there are numerous secondary buildings, bridges, mill sites and dams along the Eno, and Native American relics from the locations of ancient towns stretching back thousands of years. Today's Hillsborough is a thriving modern community whose residents work at high-tech jobs in RTP or at one of the area's prestigious universities. An abundance of diversions await its residents and visitors include the historic shopping districts, Farmer's Market, Eno River State Park adventures, Chatwood Gardens, golf, and many dining options.