Though Orange County is primarily rural in character,
manufacturing has played a significant role in its
local economy for more than 80 years, beginning
when American Woodmark's predecessor began creating
wood products here in 1921. Agribusiness also contributes
to the commercial vitality of Orange County, which
lies between the headwaters of the York and Rappahannock
rivers in the northcentral Piedmont region. Other
business facts include the following:
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Orange County is the top producer of grapes
in Virginia and is home to two major wineries,
Horton Vineyards and Barboursville Vineyards. |
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Since
1999 the County has operated a business incubator
program to provide office space and support
services to new companies. It also owns a
155-acre industrial park. |
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Tourism
is a growing industry for Orange County. Its
Visitors Bureau recently received recognition
as one of four accredited programs in the
state. |
| • |
In
close proximity to major markets: 72 miles
northwest of state capital Richmond; 85 miles
southwest of Washington D.C.; and 160 miles
northwest of port city Norfolk. |
• 2004 Population: 28,685
• Projected Population for 2010: 29,801
• Per Capita Personal Income: $21,107 (1999)
• Unemployment Rate: 2.6% (April 2004)
• Educational Attainment: 75.2% of population
25 years and older are high school graduates;
16.1% of population 25 years and older have earned
a bachelor's degree or higher (based on 2000 census).
Orange County is home to several nationally recognized
industry leaders in such diverse sectors as periodicals,
plumbing tools and production molding. Its largest
local employers are:
• Aerojet (defense contractor): 100-299 employees
(projected)
• American Press, Inc. (commercial printing):
100-299 employees
• American Woodmark Corp. (kitchen cabinets):
100-299 employees
• General Shale (brick): 50-99 employees
• RIDGID Products (industrial machinery):
100-299 employees
• Timber Truss (roof and floor trusses):
50-99 employees (projected)
• Von Holtzbrinck Publishing Services (book
distributor): 100-299 employees
• Zamma (finished laminate home products):
100-299 employees
Orange County is served by two interstates, I-64
(10 miles south) and I-95 (15 miles east), along
with U.S. Routes 15 (north-south), 522 (north-south)
and 33 (east-west). Other modes of transport:
• Motor Carriers: 23 trucking firms serve
the area
• Commercial Air Service: Charlottesville/Albemarle
Airport (31 miles)
• General Aviation Service: Orange County
Airport, Gordonsville Municipal Airport
• Freight Rail Service: CSX Transportation,
Norfolk Southern Corporation
• Port: Richmond (72 miles), Norfolk (160
miles)
• Overnight Package Delivery: Federal Express,
Airborne and U.S. Mail Express serve this area.
• Electric: Dominion Virginia Power, Central
Virginia Electric Cooperative, Rappahannock Electric
Cooperative
• Natural Gas: Columbia Gas of Virginia
• Telecommunications: Verizon Communications
(local service)
• Water: Town of Orange, Rapidan Service
Authority
• Waste Water Treatment: Town of Orange,
Rapidan Service Authority
• Solid Waste Disposal: Orange County Landfill
Among the numerous financial firms serving Orange
County is a credit union, Philips Federal Credit
Union, which is a division of Philips Electronics.
Local financial services providers include the
following:
• Philips Federal Credit Union
• Virginia National Bank: $76.2 million (1999
assets)
• First Virginia Bank-Blue Ridge: $524.7
(1999 assets)
• Second Bank & Trust: $255.0 million
(1999 assets)
• Virginia Community Bank: $117.2 million
(1999 assets)
• Bank of America (headquartered outside
Virginia)
• SunTrust Bank (headquartered outside Virginia)
• Wachovia Bank (headquartered outside Virginia)
• Orange County has a county administrator
and a five-member board of supervisors.
• The County has a comprehensive plan and
zoning and subdivision ordinances.
• Orange is the county seat. Gordonsville
is another incorporated town.
• Local Real Estate Tax Rate: $0.84 per $100.00
of assessed value (click here for more local tax
info)
One of Orange County Schools' most innovative
initiatives is Hornet Technologies, a program
that provides students with technical training
in a real-life work environment. Some students
have sought careers in the computer technologies
field as a result.
Orange County schools at a glance:
Public Schools
• 5 Elementary Schools with a Fall 2002 Enrollment
of 2,054
• 1 Middle School with a Fall 2002 Enrollment
of 749
• 1 High School with a Fall 2002 Enrollment
of 1,193
• Elementary Student Teacher Ratio (2001-02):
11:1
• Secondary Student Teacher Ratio (2001-02):
16:1
• Per pupil expenditure (2001-02): $6,759
• Percentage of 1996-97 ninth grade membership
graduating (2001-02): 79.8%
• Percentage of high school graduates continuing
education (2001-02): 46.6%
Private
Schools
• Grymes Memorial School (PK-8)
Vocational
Training
• Orange County High School
• Piedmont Technical Education Center
Higher
Education
• University of Virginia: 19,643 (Fall 2003
enrollment)
• Piedmont Virginia Community College: 7,000
(Fall 2002 enrollment)
• Germanna Community College: 3,856 (Fall
2000 enrollment)
• Institute of Textile Technology: 21 (Fall
2000 enrollment)
Click
here to go to Orange County's website.
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