"This city is famous as the site of  the defeat of the Tuigan Horde by the armies of the western alliance.  The orc soldiers from the Zhent army settled in this area and have adapted remarkably well.  Some work on farms, some have purchased small farms of their own, and others work as mercenaries, laborers, and guards.  The other orcs in Thesk work as miners in the Thesk Mountains, returning here to visit with their old tribesmates.  Some of the orcs have married local women, but the rest are still looking for wives, drawing a steady flow of half-orc women to this area in search of strong husbands of a more civilized mindset than they might find in an orc tribe." 1

1) D&D "Forgotten Realms" Campaign Setting, WotC, Reynolds, Greenwood, Williams, Heinsoo, p. 209