Orrington was the first town in Penobscot County, incorporated on March 21, 1788 from New Worcester Plantation, also known as China Plantation. In the 19th century it ceded land to Brewer (1812 and 1841) and annexed land from Bucksport (1816 and 1850).
The first settler in the area was Colonel John Brewer in 1770 who made his home at the mouth of the Sededunkehunk Stream, now just over the line in Brewer.
Orrington is the only town to belong to the counties of Lincoln, Hancock, then Penobscot as those boundaries changed with the creation of new counties.
The town, on the east bank of the Penobscot River, is a suburb of the Bangor-Brewer area, showing moderate but consistent growth in recent decades.
