Orleans

Formed November 5, 1792 (11^th county)

Orleans County (27,402), Newport (4,452)

The 1886 red brick Romanesque and Queen Anne Revival facility is on Main Street at 2^nd Street.  United States Highway 5 passes in front of the courthouse.  Lambert Packard is the architect.  Craftsbury (1792), Browington (1800), Irasburg (1812) and Newport (1886) have all served as the county seat.  Orleans County was organized on November 5, 1792 from Chittenden and Orange counties as the 11^th county.  It is named for the town in France.  The county seat is named for its location on Lake Memphremagog.  Orleans County is the birthplace of 2 Vermont Governors, Carroll S. Page and George H. Prouty. 

Orleans County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk but doesn’t have a unified government as each township governs.  One Superior Court Judge serves Orleans County.  The county is on the northern border with Canada.  Burlington, Vermont is southwest and Montreal, Canada is northwest of the county.  The county center is 6.3 miles South of Newport near Coventry.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Canada and Essex, Caledonia, Lamoille, and Franklin counties. 

The area of the county is 697 square miles.  It is 5 out of 14 in the state.  It ranks 11 out of 14 in population in the state.  It has a density of 39.3 persons per square mile making it 13 out of 14 in the state.  Orleans County has 29.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 91 originates in the county and goes southeast into Caledonia County.  United States Highway 5 parallels Interstate Highway 91 from origin to Caledonia County.  The county resembles a bouquet of flowers.  Newport is located in the northern quarter of the county.  Newport is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 16.3% of the county population.

Orleans