Orleans

Orleans was first settled in 1693 by Pilgrims from the Plymouth Colony. Originally the southern parish of neighboring Eastham, Orleans was officially incorporated in 1797. Orleans was named in honor of Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, in recognition of France's support for the 13 colonies during the American Revolution. In 1898, the French Cable Company built a 3,200-mile-long (5,100 km) transatlantic cable to Orleans. The town's tourism industry was helped in 1961 with the creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore by President John F. Kennedy. Orleans is located on the inner "elbow" section of Cape Cod. Bogs and ponds dot the western part of town, while there are many inlets, islands and harbors along the eastern coast of the town, including Town Cove, Nauset Harbor, Pleasant Bay, and Little Pleasant Bay. Orleans has a mild summer Humid continental climate (Dfb). The plant hardiness zone is 7.a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 4.0 °F15.6 °C. The average snowfall total in February is around 30 cm (76 cm), which corresponds to the annual nor'easter activity peak in February. The nearest regional air service can be reached in nearby Chatham, and the nearest national and international airport is Logan International Airport in Boston. The population was 6,307 at the 2020 census, and is expected to rise to 6,500 by the end of the decade.

History

Orleans was first settled in 1693 by Pilgrims from the Plymouth Colony. Originally the southern parish of neighboring Eastham, Orleans was officially incorporated in 1797. Orleans was named in honor of Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, in recognition of France's support for the 13 colonies during the American Revolution. In 1898, the French Cable Company built a 3,200-mile-long (5,100 km) transatlantic cable to Orleans. The town's tourism industry was helped in 1961 with the creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore by President John F. Kennedy. In July 1918, the town was shelled by a German submarine; the only attack on the continental U.S. during World War I. It is located in the 1834 Universalist Meeting House, which is now the town's historical society. It was also the site of the American Civil War Battle of Bunker Hill, which took place in 1864 and 1865. It has been home to the Orleans Historical Society since the late 1800s, when it was founded by members of the local Congregational Church. It also has a museum, which was built in the early 20th century to commemorate the American War of 1812-1815. It now houses a collection of historic photographs, as well as a museum of local history, including the 18th-century French-American settlement of Orleans, and the 1820s-1930s French-Canadian settlement of the same name.

Geography

Orleans is located on the inner "elbow" section of Cape Cod. It is located 27 miles (43 km) south of Provincetown, 22 miles (35 km) east of Barnstable, and 90 miles (140 km) southeast of Boston. Orleans is bordered by Eastham to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Pleasant Bay and the town of Chatham to the south, Harwich to the southwest, Brewster to the west, and Cape Cod Bay to the northwest. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.7 square miles (58.7 km²), of which 14.1square miles (36.6 km²) is land and 8.5square miles(22.0km²), or 37.59% is water. The town is home to the Cape Cod National Seashore, which lies along the coast as well as several inlets, islands and harbors along the eastern coast of the town, including Town Cove, Nauset Harbor, and Pleasant Bay. Rock Harbor is located in the "crease" of the inner elbow and provides boating access to Cape CodBay. The city of Orleans has a population of 2,816. It has a post office with a ZIP code of 6054. It was founded in 1838. The current mayor of Orleans is John A. O'Neill, who was elected to a second term in 2010.

Transportation

The town line between Eastham and Orleans is the site of the termini of Massachusetts Routes 6A and 28. The two routes join in the Orleans town center and end at a rotary with Route 6 at the EasthAm town line. Other than two small non-outleted lanes, only Route 6 and Bridge Road pass northward into Easth am. Orleans has no rail or air service in town, and the nearest national and international airport is Logan International Airport in Boston. Massachusetts Route 39, which traces a portion of the Brewster town line, ends in the southern part of Orleans at Route 28.

Climate

The town of Orleans has a mild summer Humid continental climate (Dfb) The plant hardiness zone is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 4.0 °F (15.6 °C) The average seasonal (Nov.Apr.) snowfall total is around 30 in (76 cm). The average snowiest month is February which corresponds to the annual peak in nor'easter activity. The town has a population of 2,000 people. The average annual average temperature is 4.0 °F (15.6 °C) and the average annual snowfall is 30 in (76 cm) The town is located on the Mississippi River, which runs through the town. It has an average yearly temperature of 4  °C (15 6°F) and an average monthly snowfall of 30 in (76 cm) It has a dry summer and a dry winter, with average annual temperatures of 3.7°C (8.0°F). The town also has a wet summer, with an average annual temperature of 3 °S (7.7 °F) The city's average annual precipitation is around 2.5 inches (50 cm), with the average yearly snowfall total of 30 ins (76cm) being around 30 cm. The city has a warm spring and a cool summer, average temperatures of 3.5°C (8.5 °F), and an average annual temperature of 4.6°C.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,341 people, 3,087 households, and 1,771 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 97.57% White, 0.58% Black or African American,0.17% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0%.14% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population. The town's population was spread out with 13.8% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 17.3% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 36.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females, there are 87.4 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over, there is 84.2 males. The average household income was $42,594, and the median income for a family was $62,909. The per capita income for the town is $29,553. About 2.7% of families and 6.5%. of the residents were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under 18 and 5. 6.6. of those age 65 or over. It is located in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Corps of Engineer District of New Mexico, which is part of the National Guard.

Government

Orleans is governed by the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a town secretary and a board of selectmen. The town has its own police and fire departments, both headquartered south of the Route 6A Route 28 intersection. Orleans is the site of a county courthouse, which serves much of the lower Cape. The Snow Library, named for the original benefactor of the library, is located in Orleans Center. Orleans also operates several beaches, boat landings, and small parks, and has a historical society and museum called the Centers for Culture and History in Orleans which meets in the town's original meeting house (across the street from the current Town Hall) Orleans is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Fourth Barnstable district, which includes (with the exception of Brewster) all the towns east and north of Harwich on the Cape. On the national level, Orleans is part of Massachusetts's 9th congressional district, currently represented by William R. Keating. The state's senior (Class I) member of the U.S. Senate, elected in 2012, is Elizabeth Warren. The junior (Class II) member,elected in 2013, is Ed Markey. The town is patrolled by the Second (Yarmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police. There are three post offices, in East Orleans, Orleans Center and South Orleans. Orleans has a public library, supported by the Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing (CLAMS) library network.

Education

Orleans, along with Brewster, Eastham and Wellfleet, belongs to the Nauset Regional School District. Each town provides schooling for their own elementary students, and collectively send their middle and high school students to regional schools. Orleans operates the Orleans Elementary School for students from kindergarten through fifth grade. The town is home to Nausett Regional Middle School, which serves students from sixth through eighth grade for the district. High school students attend Nausets Regional High School in North Easthams. Cape Cod Regional Technical High School is free of charge for high schoolers in Harwich, the town of Harwich.

Attacks in wartime

Orleans, being on Cape Cod, and thus an exposed portion of the coast, has been a target in wartime. In 1814 its residents repelled an invasion of British marines from HMS Newcastle. Nauset Beach was the only United States site hit by foreign munitions during World War I. The shells were apparently aimed at barges close off shore. This was the first time a foreign entity had fired artillery upon United States soil since the Siege of Fort Texas in 1848. It was also the first attack on U.S. soil by a foreign force since the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. It is the only attack on the United States since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1968. It also was the last on American soil until the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. It has been the site of several other attacks, including one on the USS Constitution in 1941, which was fired on from the USS Arizona. The attack was the deadliest on American shores since the end of the Second World War. It killed more than 2,000 people, including 1,000 Americans, and wounded more than 3,000. The death toll has risen to more than 4,000 since the start of the Korean War in 2003. The United States has suffered more than 1,500 casualties in the war, more than any other country in the world, including the loss of more than 100,000 soldiers. The number of wounded has also risen to over 2,500. The U.N. estimates the death toll from the war at more than 6,000, including 2,200 Americans.

Orleans Arena Theater

The Orleans Arena Theater was founded by Betsy (born 1922) and Gordon Argo (born 1924) in 1950 for performing summer stock theater in the round. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. wrote a play, Penelope, that was performed at the theater. Penelope later became Happy Birthday, Wanda June, a feature film released in 1971. By 1976 the Argos had long since divorced and for various reasons the theater was sold by Mrs. Argo. It is now known as the Academy of Performing Arts. The theater is located in the French Quarter of New York City and was founded in 1950 by Betsy Argo and her husband Gordon. The couple's three children, Allison, Elizabeth and Walter, grew up around the theater and helped their parents run it. The children also acted in some of the theater's productions. They are now living in New York and New Jersey and have three children of their own. They have a daughter, Allison Argo, and a son, Walter, who live in New Jersey. They also have a grandson, Walter Argo III, who lives in New Hampshire and has a daughter of his own, Elizabeth Argo, The theater was closed in 1976 and is now owned by a private company. It was sold for undisclosed reasons in the mid-1980s and is no longer in operation. It has been replaced by a new theater called the New York Theater Center. The New York Theatre Center is located on the corner of Broadway and Eutaw Street.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Orleans, Barnstable County, Massachusetts = 13. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 59. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Orleans = 3.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 1,094 individuals with a median age of 56 age the population grows by 5.89% in Orleans, Barnstable County, Massachusetts population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 446 residents per square mile of area (172.3/km²). There are average 1.88 people per household in the 938 households with an average household income of $37,082 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.80% of the available work force and has dropped -1.16% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 30.88%. The number of physicians in Orleans per 100,000 population = 262.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Orleans = 46.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 28.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 124. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 200. 75 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 24.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 58, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Orleans, Barnstable County, Massachusetts which are owned by the occupant = 42.36%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 32 years with median home cost = $344,320 and home appreciation of -4.20%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $9.92 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $10,148 per student. There are 9 students for each teacher in the school, 273 students for each Librarian and 943 students for each Counselor. 7.74% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 19.75% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 14.04% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).