Orange County
Orange County has been called "the people-friendly gateway to Texas." Located on Interstate 10 on the Texas-Louisiana border, Orange County and the city of Orange are the first Texas locations visited by westbound travelers on the freeway.

Orange County ranked 40th in population in the state with 84,582 people according to the July 2001 census bureau figures.

County officials:

• John Kimbrough, District Attorney
• Mike White, Sheriff
• Carl K. Thibodeaux, County Judge

Precinct 1:

• James Stringer, Commissioner
• Keith Merritt, Constable
• Joe Parkhurst, Justice of the Peace

Precinct 2:

• Owen Burton, Commissioner
• Parker Thompson, Constable
• Derry Dunn, Justice of the Peace

Precinct 3:

• John Dubose, Commissioner
• John Ford, Constable
• Janice Menard, Justice of the Peace

Precinct 4:

• Beamon Minton, Commissioner
• Weldon Peveto, Constable
• Sherry Smith, Justice of the Peace

The City of Orange
The city of ORANGE originated in 1836, the same year Texas won its independence from Mexico. Originally known as Green's Bluff, the people of the town changed the name to Orange. The city received its state charter as a home rule city in 1914 and adopted the council manager system of government in 1954.

City officials:

• Brown Claybar, Mayor
• Theresa Beauchamp, Place 1 Councilwoman
• Ben Culpepper, Place 2 Councilman
• Cynthia Jackson, Place 3 Councilwoman
• Charles Guillory, Place 4 Councilman
• Sam Kittrell, Police Chief and City Manager
• Kerry Kittrell, City Secretary

Bridge City
Originally called Prairie View, BRIDGE CITY was incorporated July 7, 1970,
and the first election was held in 1973. The town acquired its present name after the Rainbow Bridge over the Neches River was constructed. The population is 8,671.

Officials:

• Bobbie Burgess, Mayor
• Don Fields, City Manager
• Sherry Tisdale, City Secretary
• Kirk Roccaforte, Council Member
• George Navarro, Council Member
• Beverly Perry, Council Member
• Steve Brinson, Council Member
• H.N. Litton, Council Member
• Mark Philpott, Council Member

City of Pine Forest
PINE FOREST, located on the northern side of Orange County and Vidor, was incorporated in 1960. The 1.6 square mile town has a population of 632.

Officials:

• Joey Peno, Major
• Jody Crump, Council Member
• Mike Millican, Council Member
• James Carr, Council Member
• Larry Nagel, Council Member
• Mark Ferguson, Council Member

City of Pinehurst
PINEHURST is located along Adams Bayou to the west of Orange and north of MacArthur Drive. The city of 1.9 square miles was incorporated in 1955. Pinehurst's population is 2,275.

Officials:

• Jerry Hussey, Mayor
• C.R. Nash, City Administrator

Rose City
ROSE CITY, located on Interstate 10 between Vidor and the Neches River has a population of 630. The 1.7-square mile town was incorporated in 1973.

Officials:

• David Bush, Mayor
• Debbie Stephenson, Council Member
• Betty Yates, Council Member
• Bess Allen, Council Member
• Ruth Dubuisson, Council Member
• Veronica Jerrell, City Secretary
  

City of Vidor
VIDOR began in 1902 along the Kansas City Southern Railroad as a logging camp for the Miller-Vidor Lumber Co. The town was named for C.S. Vidor, the father of pioneer movie director King Vidor, who grew up in Galveston. The director visited the town in the 1950s when he was honored with a parade. The city, which covers about 10.6 square miles, has a current population of 11,440.

Officials:

• Joe Hopkins, Mayor
• Michael Decker, Mayor pro tem
• Don Eicher, Council Member
• Mike Harris, Council Member
• Lanny Brown, Council Member
• Dale Madeley, Council Member
• Ray Long, Council Member
• Shawn Oubre, City Manager
• Rhonda Haskins, City Secretary

City of West Orange
The city charter of WEST ORANGE was adopted in 1956, and the first election of officers was held in 1967. The population of West Orange is 4,111.

Officials:

• Roy McDonald, Mayor

Five independent school districts provide public elementary and secondary education in Orange, along with two private schools.

Public Schools:

• Bridge City ISD -- 5 campuses, 2,600 students
• Little Cypress-Mauriceville ISD -- 6 campuses, 3,665 students
• Orangefield ISD -- 3 campuses, 1,650 students
• Vidor ISD -- 7 campuses, 5,066 students
• West Orange-Cove CISD -- 6 campuses, 3,146 students

Private Schools:

• Community Christian School -- prekindergarten through grade 12; 330 students
• St. Mary's Catholic School -- prekindergarten through grade eight

Culture, entertainment and recreation continue to be a part of the Orange area.

Cultural venues

• Heritage House Museum and Heritage House Museum of Orange County
• The Brown Center of Lamar State College-Orange
• W.H. Stark House
• Bridge City Historical Museum
• Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts
• Orange Community Playhouse
• Stark Museum of Art

Recreational opportunities

• Golfing
• Boating
• Fishing -- saltwater and freshwater
• Water skiing -- river, bayous, Sabine Lake
• Bird watching
• Hunting
• High school football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, track, cross
  country, golf, powerlifting, soccer and tennis
• Organized sports leagues, including junior football, soccer, youth baseball and softball, Little League and tennis
• Fitness activities, including aerobics, fitness workouts, men's exercise, karate,
  slimnastics, Tai Kwon Do, body sculpting and aquacise

Festivals

• Lions Club Carnival -- September into October
• Mauriceville -- Crawfish Festival -- March
• Orange County Area Go Texan Committee Barbecue Cookoff -- November
• Vidor -- Barbecue Festival -- April
• St. Mary's Spring Festival -- April
• Fourth of July Freedom Fest --July
• Mardi Gras Ball Festival and Parade-- February
• Heritage House Museum Past Times -- October
• Art in the Park Festival -- October
• Go Texan Days -- October
• West Orange Holiday in the Park Festival -- October
• Jaycees Christmas Parade -- December
• Heritage House Museum Candlelight Tours and Visits with Santa -- December