The town of Hillsborough was laid out by William Churton in 1754. At the time it was called Orange. The town took its current name in 1766 after William Hill, who was the secretary of state for the colonies under King George III.
The town has a number of historical attractions. It was the home of one of the signers of the Declarations of Independence, William Hooper, and his house still stands today. The town is also home to the Orange County Historical Museum.
Hillsborough is a major site for government in Orange County. It is the home of the courthouse, the district attorney’s office, the county board of elections, the board of commissioners and the board of education.
“I love that this will be sort of correcting a preconceived notion that it was the Europeans to set up trade when in reality, there had been trade, very organized trade, for hundreds and hundreds of years right through this area,” Day said.
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Over 150 Hillsborough community members contributed to a mural as part of the #LoveHillsborough Community Art project.
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Sarah Shore, who lives along Old NC Highway 86, said her property and livelihood would both be impacted by the development. “It would be 250 feet from my back porch to this six-story warehouse,” she said. “And it would directly impact the safety of my children. I wouldn’t be comfortable having them play outside when semi-trucks are constantly going in and out of the park.”
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When the Northern Orange NAACP met over Zoom on July 26, someone quickly hijacked the event, an example of a phenomenon commonly referred to as 'Zoombombing.'
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With several farmers' markets closed due to the coronavirus, local farmers are developing new creative ways to sell their produce.
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Protesters gathered in front of the Orange County Courthouse on July 4 and called for racial justice in Hillsborough and beyond. Speakers encouraged residents to vote, and for leaders to address educational and sentencing law disparities.
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Orange County has mandated facial coverings in any public space where a social distance of 6 feet cannot be maintained until at least Aug. 31. Residents in need can receive free masks at several distribution sites throughout the county.
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Having lost many parts of their final year of high school to COVID-19, including prom, awards nights and other senior activities, many Orange County seniors are relying on their graduation to be one final hurrah.
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Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue said his own department has focused on educating, not punishing, residents who they find may be in violation of the order.
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Ran Northam, community safety communications specialist for the Town of Chapel Hill, confirmed in an email that Chapel Hill police have increased their patrols near student housing areas, but there haven’t been any increases in break-ins since spring break.
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Instead of addressing a room full of people, Mayor Jenn Weaver gave her first State of the Town Address to an empty board meeting room.
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During March, OWASA will use chlorine to disinfect drinking water instead of a combination of chlorine and ammonia, called chloramines. North Carolina requires water systems that use chloramines to remove ammonia one month of every year to ensure a high level of disinfection in water systems.
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The portrait of former N.C. Chief Justice Thomas Ruffin was removed from Orange County Courthouse after it was found he was an enslaver, a slave trader and the author of State v. Mann.
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Orange County Emergency Services provided updates on their efforts to keep residents safe, including their efficiency in transporting patients and their partnership with fire stations across the county.
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Many important topics were discussed at the last Orange County School Board meeting.
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It's been a rough year for Chapel Hill-Carrboro businesses. Vote for the best of the best to win a Carolina's Finest award.
