# Orono, Maine

Orono (/ˈɒrənoʊ/ ORR-ə-noh) is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by American colonists in 1774. They named it in honor of Chief Joseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenous Penobscot nation who long occupied this territory.
In the 19th century, the town became a center of the lumber industry. Sawmills on the rivers were powered by the water, and logs were floated downriver on the Penobscot for shipping and export from coastal ports.
Since 1865, it has been the location of the University of Maine, established as a land-grant institution and the state's flagship educational institution. In the fall of 2018, the university enrolled 11,404 students at Orono. Not including university residents, the town's population was 11,183 at the 2020 census.

## Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 19.60 square miles (50.76 km$^2$), of which 18.19 square miles (47.11 km$^2$) is land and 1.41 square miles (3.65 km$^2$) is water. The town is divided by the Stillwater River, a branch of the Penobscot River. It occupies part of Marsh Island, as well as some smaller islands such as Ayers Island, which is surrounded by the Penobscot and the Stillwater rivers, and the remainder of the town is on the mainland. The Orono Dam impounds the Stillwater River at its confluence with the Penobscot River near downtown Orono.

### Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Orono has a warm-summer humid continental climate, according to the Köppen Climate Classification system is "Dfb", thus abbreviated ed in on climate maps.
Climate data for Orono (University of Maine), elevation: 47 m or 154 ft, 1981–2010 normals, extremes and average extremes 1893–2005 :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) | 63 (17) | 83 (28) | 89 (32) | 99 (37) | 100 (38) | 102 (39) | 104 (40) | 97 (36) | 90 (32) | 78 (26) | 64 (18) | 104 (40) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 46.2 (7.9) | 46.7 (8.2) | 58.2 (14.6) | 72.2 (22.3) | 83.8 (28.8) | 89.5 (31.9) | 92.0 (33.3) | 90.1 (32.3) | 84.3 (29.1) | 73.7 (23.2) | 60.8 (16.0) | 49.5 (9.7) | 92.0 (33.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 28.7 (−1.8) | 33.6 (0.9) | 41.5 (5.3) | 54.5 (12.5) | 67.3 (19.6) | 76.0 (24.4) | 81.0 (27.2) | 79.6 (26.4) | 70.3 (21.3) | 56.9 (13.8) | 44.8 (7.1) | 33.5 (0.8) | 55.6 (13.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 19.9 (−6.7) | 24.2 (−4.3) | 32.4 (0.2) | 44.5 (6.9) | 55.9 (13.3) | 64.5 (18.1) | 70.0 (21.1) | 68.8 (20.4) | 59.8 (15.4) | 48.0 (8.9) | 38.1 (3.4) | 26.4 (−3.1) | 46.0 (7.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 11.1 (−11.6) | 14.8 (−9.6) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 34.5 (1.4) | 44.4 (6.9) | 53.0 (11.7) | 59.0 (15.0) | 57.9 (14.4) | 49.3 (9.6) | 39.2 (4.0) | 31.4 (−0.3) | 19.4 (−7.0) | 36.4 (2.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −14.8 (−26.0) | −12.9 (−24.9) | −1.18 (−18.43) | 19.1 (−7.2) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 37.7 (3.2) | 45.4 (7.4) | 41.3 (5.2) | 31.0 (−0.6) | 23.0 (−5.0) | 10.9 (−11.7) | −8 (−22) | −14.8 (−26.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −40 (−40) | −32 (−36) | −25 (−32) | 3 (−16) | 19 (−7) | 29 (−2) | 34 (1) | 30 (−1) | 22 (−6) | 13 (−11) | −8 (−22) | −31 (−35) | −40 (−40) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.98 (76) | 2.48 (63) | 3.15 (80) | 3.13 (80) | 3.41 (87) | 3.52 (89) | 3.01 (76) | 3.27 (83) | 3.56 (90) | 3.64 (92) | 4.03 (102) | 4.21 (107) | 40.39 (1,025) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 18.7 (47.5) | 17.8 (45.2) | 11.3 (28.7) | 3.9 (9.9) | 0.2 (0.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | trace | 0.4 (1) | 4.6 (11.7) | 56.9 (144.5) |
| Average precipitation days | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 111 |
| Average snowy days | 6.3 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 1.2 | trace | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 4.6 | 22.4 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 70 | 68 | 65 | 61 | 65 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 74 | 72 | 72 | 75 | 70 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 6.2 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 5.9 | 7.5 | 9.4 | 9.8 | 9.0 | 6.5 | 6.9 | 6.9 |
| Source: WRCC, Weatherbase (snowfall, precipitation and snow days), Meteoblue (sun days) and timeanddate.com (humidity) ||||||||||||||
Climate data for Orono (University of Maine), elevation: 47 m or 154 ft, 1961–1990 normals and average extremes :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 34.8 (1.6) | 42.2 (5.7) | 47.2 (8.4) | 56.4 (13.6) | 72.3 (22.4) | 79.3 (26.3) | 85.7 (29.8) | 81.2 (27.3) | 75.1 (23.9) | 61.8 (16.6) | 48.5 (9.2) | 40.3 (4.6) | 85.7 (29.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.0 (−2.8) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 38.8 (3.8) | 50.7 (10.4) | 64.2 (17.9) | 73.6 (23.1) | 79.2 (26.2) | 76.3 (24.6) | 66.4 (19.1) | 54.9 (12.7) | 41.9 (5.5) | 30.4 (−0.9) | 52.7 (11.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 17.2 (−8.2) | 19.2 (−7.1) | 29.8 (−1.2) | 40.8 (4.9) | 52.3 (11.3) | 61.7 (16.5) | 67.5 (19.7) | 64.9 (18.3) | 55.8 (13.2) | 45.3 (7.4) | 34.7 (1.5) | 21.9 (−5.6) | 42.6 (5.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.5 (−13.6) | 9.3 (−12.6) | 20.8 (−6.2) | 30.9 (−0.6) | 40.6 (4.8) | 49.6 (9.8) | 55.6 (13.1) | 53.8 (12.1) | 45.0 (7.2) | 36.0 (2.2) | 27.5 (−2.5) | 13.6 (−10.2) | 32.5 (0.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −1.5 (−18.6) | −0.4 (−18.0) | 12.9 (−10.6) | 27.2 (−2.7) | 34.6 (1.4) | 46.6 (8.1) | 49.2 (9.6) | 46.3 (7.9) | 37.9 (3.3) | 32.3 (0.2) | 21.9 (−5.6) | −2.1 (−18.9) | −2.1 (−18.9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.87 (72.9) | 2.63 (66.8) | 2.74 (69.6) | 3.00 (76.2) | 3.43 (87.1) | 3.41 (86.6) | 3.52 (89.4) | 3.48 (88.4) | 3.56 (90.4) | 3.28 (83.3) | 4.05 (102.9) | 3.82 (97.0) | 39.79 (1,010.6) |
| Source: NOAA and WRCC (average extremes) ||||||||||||||

## Conservation

The Orono Land Trust operates a number of protected areas in Orono. Piney Knoll Conservation Area, situated alongside the Penobscot River, is known for its walking trails and bird-watching. The University of Maine also owns a considerable amount of protected land in the town. Prominent parcels include Dwight B. Demeritt Forest.

## Demographics
### 2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,363 people, 2,831 households, and 1,229 families living in the town. The population density was 569.7 inhabitants per square mile (220.0/km$^2$). There were 3,089 housing units at an average density of 169.8 units per square mile (65.6 units/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the town was 93.7% White, 1.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.
There were 2,831 households, of which 17.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.9% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 56.6% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.77.
The median age in the town was 21.8 years. 8.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 55.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 12.2% were from 25 to 44; 13.1% were from 45 to 64; and 10.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.8% male and 48.2% female.

## Notable people

* Charles J. Dunn, Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court
* Wallace Rider Farrington, territorial governor of Hawaii
* Merritt Lyndon Fernald (1873–1950), botanist
* Constance Hunting, poet, publisher
* Frances Laughton Mace, poet
* Jonathan Norcross, inventor, 4th mayor of Atlanta
* Ralph Perkins, state legislator
* Elizabeth Schneider, state senator
* Joseph B. Treat, Wisconsin politician
* Nathaniel Treat, Maine politician
* Nathaniel B. Treat, Wisconsin politician
* Eva Valesh (1866–1956), labor journalist
* Israel Washburn Jr., US congressman, a founder of the Republican Party, 29th Governor of Maine
* Dorothy Clarke Wilson, novelist, playwright

## Points of interest

* University of Maine
* Fay Hyland Botanical Plantation
* Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden
* Old Fire Engine House
* Pat's Pizza
* Jeremiah Colburn House