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. Orono was home to a large pulp and paper mill. A defunct railroad spur extending from downtown to the Stillwater Community of Old Town is now the Stillwater River Trail. There has been a bridge over the Stillwater River since the 1830s; the current one was constructed in the early 1990s. Between 1895 and 1940 a trolley service ran through town including over the Stillwater River. A Penobscot River crossing ferry operated in the 19th century.

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. It contains the census-designated place of the same name.