ORANGE COUNTY
County Offices
112 W. Main Street
Orange 540-672-3313
http://orangecountyva.gov
Chamber of Commerce
103 N Madison Rd
Orange 540-672-5216
www.orangevachamber.com
Rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage, scenic Orange County maintains strong ties to traditional agricultural activity while supporting manufacturing, retail, and service sectors. The county is steeped in historic significance, crowned by Montpelier—the home of America’s fourth president, James Madison. US Routes 15, 522, and 30 combine with State Routes 3 and 20 to provide access to regional destinations and interstate connections. Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Airport provides the closest commercial airline service.
Services
New residents will be pleased at the quality of educational opportunities in and near Orange County, beginning with a public school system that continually maintains, improves, and expands facilities and programs. Options for private education are available in the town of Orange or four miles away at the Woodberry Forest School in neighboring Madison County. Woodberry Forest is an exceptional boarding school for highly motivated boys from grades 9 through 12 and an international student body. Germanna Community College with a campus in Locus Grove, and Piedmont Virginia Community College with its flagship campus in Charlottesville, provide a wide variety of opportunities for vocational, career, and transfer-degree programs. Charlottesville is also home to the University of Virginia, an internationally recognized public-private research institution that attracts students from all 50 states and 150 countries. UVA offers more than 120 majors across 8 schools and 3 professional programs with highly ranked graduate programs in the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, Curry School of Education, School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Law, and School of Medicine. Other public and private colleges within a 50-mile radius of Orange County include James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisburg, Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, and Randolph College in Ashland.
World-class healthcare facilities and services are easily accessible from Orange County, but residents can also meet most of the routine needs close to home. Options include skilled professionals in private practice or multi-specialty centers like the new UVA Medical Center in the town of Orange. Advanced care is available in nearby hospitals that include the 70-bed UVA Culpepper Memorial Hospital. The flagship hospital for UVA Health System in Charlottesville offers a 570-bed Magnet® hospital with a Level I Trauma Center and UVA Children’s Hospital. UVA Hospital and UVA Health consistently earn top rankings in publications such as US News & World Report and national Top Doctor lists. Charlottesville is also home to Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, a 176-bed facility with a patient-centered philosophy and all private rooms. Orange County residents also have access to helicopter transit to the 1,125-bed VCU Medical Center in Richmond, serving as a statewide referral center.
Lifestyle
Combining the best of small-town charm, country serenity, and easy access to celebrated urban amenities, Orange County offers the best of all worlds. Lake Anna State Park is less than 40 minutes away, offering a beach, a fishing pond, and a boat launch on one of Virginia’s most popular recreational lakes. The park provides campsites, cabins, picnic areas, and more than 15 miles of scenic trails for hiking, cycling, and horseback riding. Lake Orange offers a 124-acre water surface for public fishing in a scenic setting of hardwood forests and rolling farmland just a few miles from the town of Orange. Year-round activities for all ages are available through Orange County Department of Parks & Recreation Department, while golfers can perfect their backstroke at top-rated regional courses including Meadows Farms at Locust Grove. Colorful festivals are another attraction to Orange County, home to such popular events as the Orange and Gordonsville street festivals, the Orange County Fair, Montpelier Hunt Races, and the Montpelier Wine Festival to name a few.
The scenic Orange County countryside is home to prestigious wineries and historic treasures like Wilderness Battlefield National Historic Park and James Madison’s Montpelier. Home to America’s “First Couple,” President James Madison and Dolley Madison, the Montpelier estate features the mansion and garden along with historic buildings, exhibits, archaeological sites and forests trails. Madison is often hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” and an architect of the Bill of Rights. Orange County is also the proud home of Central Virginia’s longest continuously operating community theater in the small village of Barboursville. In addition to producing masterful life-stage productions, Four County Players serves as the county’s cultural hub and artistic and educational center. Nearby Charlottesville offers world-class dining, cozy cafes, a lively pedestrian Downtown Mall, a lively music scene, and performance centers from intimate to grand. Families appreciate the interactive exhibits that focus on exploration, the arts and sciences, nature, and humanities at The Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center and the Virginia Discovery Museum. With its country charm, attractive housing selection, and natural beauty, Orange County is a wonderful place to call home in Central Virginia.
COMMUNITIES
Orange
Town Offices
540-672-5005
www.townoforangeva.org
Chamber of Commerce
540-672-5216
www.orangevachamber.com
The steadily growing town of Orange is nestled amid rolling landscapes that command spectacular Blue Ridge mountain views. Serving as the seat of county government as well as its business center, Orange is just four miles from the celebrated attraction of Montpelier, the plantation home of James and Dolley Madison. Located in an area steeped in historic significance, Orange is home to 7 of the 33 structures that the county lists on the National Register of Historic Places. Community highlights include the private Grymes Memorial School, the gallery and classes at the Art Center in Orange, and the 1909 Colonial Revival-style Orange Train Station depot as well as local shopping and antique dealers, restaurants, and eateries. The surrounding countryside offers popular wineries and wonderful markets that take advantage of the region’s natural bounty.
Gordonsville, Boswells Tavern
Town Offices
540-832-2233
www.townofgordonsville.org
Chamber of Commerce
540-672-5216
www.orangevachamber.com
The charming rural town of Gordonsville welcomes newcomers to the intimacy of small-town life with its slower pace and naturally beautiful surroundings just 18 miles northeast of the vibrant City of Charlottesville. Stepped in early American history, the town is situated between the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier. This charming community offers quaint shops, fine galleries, critically acclaimed restaurants, and the notable Civil War Medical Museum. Nearby, the Boswell’s Tavern area surrounds the historic site of that name, an 18th century tavern that was a popular meeting place for Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Patrick Henry. Boswell’s Tavern is part of the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District, encompassing the surrounding countryside and several important homes from the 18th and 19th centuries. Access to premier outdoor recreational sites is plentiful, but golfers will appreciate a quick trip to Spring Creek Golf Club in the Zions Crossroads area, rated among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest.
Barboursville
County Offices
540-672-3313
http://orangecountyva.gov
Chamber of Commerce
540-672-5216
www.orangevachamber.com
The unincorporated rural community of Barboursville stretches between Orange and Albemarle counties. The town is probably most famous as the birthplace of the renowned American military commander President Zachary Taylor, but it was also the home of Virginia’s 19th Governor James Barbour. The progressive spirit of Barbour’s farming practices are being honored today at historic Barboursville Vineyards, where Gianni Zonin managed to achieve the goal that Thomas Jefferson tried and repeatedly failed to reach at Monticello. Celebrated in its own right, the winery is largely credited for launching the region’s famous wine industry. Steeped in historic charm and surrounded by famous historic districts, Barboursville offers a culturally rich small-town atmosphere anchored by Four County Players community theater. In addition to outstanding live-stage performances, the theater serves as an arts education and cultural hub for Orange County talent.
