ORLEANS

county, northwestern New York state, U.S., comprising a lowland region that is bordered by Lake Ontario to the north. It is intersected by the New York State Canal System (and its constituent Erie Canal) and by Oak Orchard Creek. The primary species of tree is oak. Attractions include Lakeside Beach State Park, Oak Orchard State Marine Park, Medina Terminal State Canal Park, and Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Erie and Seneca Indians inhabited the region when European settlers first arrived. Orleans county was formed in 1824 and named for Orleans, France. The principal towns are Medina, Albion (the county seat), and Holley. County residents engage primarily in agriculture (vegetables, wheat, and hogs). Area 392 square miles (1,014 square km). Pop. (1990) 41,846; (1996 est.) 44,979. capital of Loiret dpartement and of the Centre rgion, north-central France, south-southwest of Paris. The city stands on the banks of the Loire River in a fertile valley on the edge of the Beauce plain. Orlans, which derives its name from the Roman Aurelianum, was conquered by Julius Caesar in 52 BC. It became an intellectual capital under Charlemagne, emperor from 800 to 814, and in the 10th and 11th centuries it was the most important city in France after Paris. In 1429, during the Hundred Years' War (13371453), after it had been besieged for seven months by the English, the French national heroine St. Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orlans, and her troops delivered it. The victory continues to be celebrated annually (see Orlans, Siege of ). Orlans was a Huguenot (Protestant) centre during the 16th-century Wars of Religion, but the Roman Catholics took control of the city in 1572 after the Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day in which about 1,000 Protestants were killed. It was occupied in 1870 by the Prussians after a long siege. The city was severely bombed in World War II. Many buildings of historical and artistic interest were destroyed, including the Jeanne-d'Arc Museum and the Church of St. Paul. The Loire divides the town into two unequal parts. To the south lies the small Saint-Marceau quarter, a market-gardening centre. The main part of the city stands on the northern bank of the Loire. The old quarter, surrounded by pleasant wide boulevards and quays along the river, was largely destroyed during World War II. It has been rebuilt in keeping with the style of the old 18th-century town, with consideration for the imperatives of modern traffic. Beyond the boulevards new districts were built in the 1970s along the main roads leading out of the town. Orlans is the centre of a modern road network; the railway junction just outside the city at Les Aubrais is one of the most important in France. The university, founded in 1305, was abolished during the French Revolution, but the new one was established at La Source (source or springs of the Loire River) in 1962. Traditionally a centre for market gardening and horticulture (Orlans roses are famous), it has benefited from the decentralization of Paris, which took place after World War II, and has developed new industries. These include textiles, food processing (nearly half France's production of vinegar), and the manufacture of machinery (automobile accessories, agricultural equipment). The Sainte-Croix Cathedral, begun in the 13th century, was largely destroyed by the Protestants in 1568. Henry IV, king of France from 15891610, gave funds for its reconstruction, and it was faithfully rebuilt (17th19th century) in Gothic style. The 18th-century towers were damaged in World War II but were later restored. The cathedral is about the same size as Notre-Dame of Paris. The stone and brick Renaissance Htel de Ville (154955) was restored and enlarged in the 19th century. Pop. (1990) 107,965. county, northern Vermont, U.S., bordered to the north by Quebec, Can., and to the west by the Green Mountains. It consists mostly of a piedmont region that rises in the west to such summits as Jay and North Jay peaks and Belvidere and Haystack mountains. The county contains many waterways, notably Seymour and Caspian lakes, the southern portion of Lake Memphremagog, and the Black, Barton, and Missisquoi rivers. The region, abundant in wildlife, is wooded with spruce, fir, white pine, and maple. Recreational areas include Crystal Lake State Park and Willoughby and Jay Peak state forests. Orleans county was created in 1792 and probably was named for Louis-Philippe-Joseph, duc d'Orlans. The city of Newport, the county seat, developed as a railroad and logging centre. The Haskell Free Library and Opera House straddles the international border between Derby Line, Vt., and Rock Island, Que.; the players perform on the stage in Canada, while the patrons sit in the auditorium in the United States. Notable landmarks include the Congregational Church (built 1820) in Craftsbury Common and the Old Stone House Museum (built c. 1835) in Brownington. Other communities are Orleans, Barton, North Troy, and Irasburg. The county's natural resources support tourism, dairy farming, and forest-related industries such as logging, cabinetry, and maple sugar production. Area 697 square miles (1,805 square km). Pop. (1990) 24,053; (1996 est.) 25,117.