This rural community was originally the northern part of Wepawaug, purchased from the Paugussett Indians in 1639 by the Reverend Peter Prudden's Milford Colony, which became part of New Haven Colony in 1643. The area was settled shortly after 1700 and was early known as Bryan's Farms. In 1804, the Ecclesiastical Society of North Milford was chartered here. The Town of Orange was incorporated on May 28, 1822, from North Milford and the adjacent parish of West Haven, which separated as a town in 1921. Orange was named after William, Prince of Orange, in appreciation for benefits received by the Connecticut Colony.