The Oranges
The Oranges are a group of four municipalities in
Essex County,
New Jersey, all of which have the word
Orange in their name. All of these communities were named for the ruler of
England,
William III of England, also known as William of
Orange. The four municipalities are the
City of Orange Township,
East Orange City,
South Orange Village Township and
West Orange Township.
Orange was initially a part of the city of
Newark, and remained such until
November 27,
1806, when the territory now encompassing all of the Oranges was detached. On
April 13,
1807, the first government was elected, but not until
March 13,
1860, was
Orange officially incorporated as a city. Almost immediately, the new city began fragmenting into smaller communities, primarily because of local disputes about the costs of establishing paid police, fire, and street departments.
South Orange was organized on
January 26,
1861, Fairmount (later to become part of West Orange) on
March 11,
1862,
East Orange on
March 4,
1863, and
West Orange (including Fairmount) on
March 14,
1863.
Today, the different municipalities of the Oranges are quite different from one another. Orange and East Orange remain relatively urban and working-class, while South Orange and West Orange are affluent suburban enclaves. In addition, the residents of Orange (75.1%) and East Orange (89.5%) are predominantly
African American, while those of South Orange and West Orange are predominantly
White (with sizeable African American minorities, 31.3% and 17.5% respectively).
While each community has its own independent government, and the four municipalities have no shared governance (other than Essex County), the term is often used to refer to the area, including on highway exit signs. Signage for Exit 47A on
Interstate 80 and on
Interstate 280 refer to "The Oranges" as a destination.
*
The Amboys*
The Caldwells*
The Ridgefields*
The Wildwoods
