Orange County

Orange County, established on March 31, 1752, has a population of 144,946 and a total employment of 70,946 (48.9%). It is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Combined Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to almost 2 million residents.

The county seat is Hillsborough, located about 40 miles northwest of NC State’s main campus.

The county’s most profitable agricultural product is poultry/eggs, while the largest product by acreage is forage land for grain production. By total number, the largest livestock produced is egg-laying chickens.

The largest manufacturer is General Electric, which manufactures lighting panels. GE is the 10th largest employers and has almost 1,000 workers.

Orange County is served by Durham Technical Community College’s Orange County campus and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the second largest institution in the UNC system and the co-flagship of the system with NC State. The UNC System general administration, which oversees operations at all 17 member institutions, is located in Chapel Hill.

NC State is Here

A Joint Department

The NC State College of Engineering partners with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s College of Medicine in the Biomedical Engineering Department. Students who graduate from this program get joint degrees from both universities. [Read more about the joint Biomedical Engineering Department.]

A Cool Breeze

NC State’s foothold in Orange County, located northwest of main campus in Hurdle Mills, is the 269-acre Breeze Farm Incubator, a training ground for young farmers given to the university by alum Col. William C. Breeze, an Orange County native and conservationist.

Serving the growing community of those looking for local sources for food, the incubator allows new farmers a pathway to creating profitable, sustainable growing options without breaking into the existing food supply chain. Aspiring new farmers learn how to grow organically, without the aid of man-made chemicals to grow food and control insects and disease, and how to develop direct relationships with consumers. [Read more about the Breeze Farm Incubator.]

 

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