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BHistory
History · Orange

Orange dates to 1822, and 4 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #134 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

Most of Orange was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1964. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 40 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1830.

1822founded
4on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Orange’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Orange began

When was Orange founded?

1822

Orange dates its founding to 1822 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1830.

First census: 1,341 in 1830204 years

How historic is Orange?

B

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Orange’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Orange is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #134 of 155 in Connecticut. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Orange’s overall grade.
Founding era1822, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19407.0% of homes (±2.4) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register4 listings, 45 historic buildings, 31.4 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 62%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 14%

Connecticut towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Connecticut town has 73.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Orange’s 31.4 sits below most of its state (30% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 45 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1822.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Orange’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1920 and 1930, then grew 9-fold.On the map since 18896 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1984. Watch Orange change.A historic districtThe Orange Center Historic District takes in 40 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Orange’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Orange’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBlack Horse Inn, Route 1, Orange. Conn …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Orange, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00018,000185019001950200016,614 in 1920Low: 1,530

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1920 and 1930, then grew 9-fold.

20 censuses, 1830–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Orange’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Orange on the map, 1889 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Orange. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Orange on the 1889 USGS mapOrange on the 1891 USGS mapOrange on the 1953 USGS mapOrange on the 1964 USGS mapOrange on the 1972 USGS mapOrange on the 1984 USGS map1889Derby sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Orange.

The story

How Orange came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Orange.

Read it all →

The Paugussett and Algonquian people previously inhabited the region that is now Orange. In 1639, Rev. Peter Prudden purchased the land from the Native Americans for six coats, ten blankets, one kettle, twelve hatchets, twelve hoes, two dozen knives and a dozen small mirrors. When originally settled by English colonists, Orange was the northern and eastern district of the now neighboring city of Milford; however, by 1822, the population of the area had grown to the point where residents desired to form their own separate community, thus forming the town of Orange.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Orange, 1822 to 1930

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1822
    FoundingOrange is established
  3. 1829Post officeThe North Milford post office opens
  4. 1829Post officeThe North Milford post office closes
  5. 1844Post officeThe Orange post office opens
  6. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 20th century
  8. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 16,614
  9. 1930In the archiveBlack Horse Inn, Route 1, Orange. Conn (85044)
By decade

Orange, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s3 items
Black Horse Inn, Route 1, Orange. Conn (85044)c. 1930Black Horse Inn, Route 1, Orange. Conn (85044)Oasis Restaurant (82173)c. 1930Oasis Restaurant (82173)S.D. Woodruff and Sons, Inc., Orange, Connecticut. Tuf Turf Lawn Seed (82485)c. 1930S.D. Woodruff and Sons, Inc., Orange, Connecticut. Tu…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today15 recent
H. Lender's - Bost Post Road2013H. Lender's - Bost Post RoadH. Lender & Sons2013H. Lender & SonsAsaPlattHouse2013AsaPlattHouseStone-Otis House 1142012Stone-Otis House 114Pez Visitor's Center 2082012Pez Visitor's Center 208Hurricane-Tropical Storm - Orange, Conn. , September 8, 2011 --FEMA Applicant Services Program Specialist, Mandy McNatt…2011Hurricane-Tropical Storm - Orange, Conn. , September …Orange CT lg2010Orange CT lgUS Route 1 - Connecticut2009US Route 1 - ConnecticutQuiet Brook in Summer in Connecticut2009Quiet Brook in Summer in ConnecticutOrange CT town hall2009Orange CT town hallOrange CT historic marker2009Orange CT historic markerCase memorial library2009Case memorial libraryOrange-ct-the-academy2007Orange-ct-the-academyOrange ct congregational church2007Orange ct congregational churchCtOrangeTownLocatorMap2007CtOrangeTownLocatorMap
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Black Horse Inn, Route 1, Orange. Conn (85044)
Retake this viewBlack Horse Inn, Route 1, Orange. Conn (85044), c. 1930

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Orange’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

4 listings protect 45 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
45
each building in a district counts
first listed
1989
Orange Center Historic District
Orange Center Historic DistrictHenry F. Miller HouseWilliam Andrew HouseCol. Asa Platt House
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Early Republic2
Federal2
Greek Revival1
Late Victorian1
Stick1
Queen Anne1
Orange Center Historic DistrictEarly Republic
Henry F. Miller HouseInternational
William Andrew HouseGeorgian
Col. Asa Platt HouseEarly Republic

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Orange’s post office has been open since 1844. Another post office, North Milford, opened and closed inside today’s town.

North Milford
1829–1829
Orange
1844–today
18201920today
Gone or out of use
Woodmont Stationlocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Orange
Congregation Bethel of AnsoniaOrange Center

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

West Haven5 historic placesBMilford11 historic placesADerby6 historic placesBWoodbridge6 historic placesB+Shelton3 historic placesB−New Haven69 historic placesA+

Questions about Orange’s history

What year was Orange founded?

In 1822, according to Wikidata. Orange’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1830 counted 1,341 people here.

How does Orange rank for history?

Orange is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #134 of 155 in Connecticut. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Orange?

4 listings: 3 buildings and 1 historic district, the Orange Center Historic District, with 40 contributing buildings. 45 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Orange?

7% of Orange’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1964.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.