Have You Ever Wondered Why There’s No North Orange in Essex County?
Front and back covers of a very rare, and perhaps the earliest town publication, the 1880s Handbook of The Oranges. It included detailed descriptions of all the towns and their points of interest.
Photo credit: Joseph Fegan
By JOSEPH FAGAN, WEST ORANGE HISTORIAN
The Oranges of Essex County have an interesting and curious name, but it is not associated with a popular vitamin C fruit that makes juice. The obvious question also arises as to why there currently is no town named North Orange.
The answer is not simple or short and dates back nearly three centuries. Most would be surprised to learn that a New Orange actually did once exist in New Jersey but just not in Essex County. Equally surprising is that it pretended to be associated with the Oranges from the next county.
Read full article