On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Orange Township is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Orange Township’s overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Orange Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±12.3 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Orange Township was settled in 1815 and established as a township in 1820. As part of the settlement of the Connecticut Western Reserve, Serenus Bumett was the first settler in the township. The name "Orange" was chosen because several of the early settlers had migrated from Orange, Connecticut. In 1831, Orange Township was the birthplace of President James A. Garfield. However, since then, Orange Township has been divided into five parts. These are Orange Village, Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills, Pepper Pike and Woodmere. Garfield's birth and early childhood occurred in modern-day Moreland Hills.
Orange Village, the southwest quadrant of the original township, was incorporated as a village in 1929.
Orange Township is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Orange Township?
31% of Orange Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.3 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (5), 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.
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