Rayne, Louisiana

Rayne, Louisiana
City
Downtown Rayne
Nickname: Frog Capital of the World
Louisiana City of Murals
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish Acadia
Elevation 36 ft (11 m)
Coordinates 30°14′15″N 92°16′05″W / 30.23750°N 92.26806°W / 30.23750; -92.26806Coordinates: 30°14′15″N 92°16′05″W / 30.23750°N 92.26806°W / 30.23750; -92.26806
Area 9.89 km2 (3.82 sq mi)
 - land 9.87 km2 (4 sq mi)
 - water 0.02 km2 (0 sq mi)
Population 7,953 (2010)
Density 805.5 / km2 (2,086.2 / sq mi)
Mayor Chuck Robichaux (elected 2014).
Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code 337
Location of Rayne in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website: www.rayne.org

Rayne is a city in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,953 at the 2010 census,[1] down from 8,552 in 2000. It is nicknamed the "Frog Capital of the World", as well as the "Louisiana City of Murals".

Rayne is part of the Crowley Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Roland Boudreaux, a Democrat, was elected mayor of Rayne in the general election held on December 8, 2012. He defeated his Republican opponent, Chuck Robichaux by a 13-vote margin, 1,355 (50.2 percent) to 1,342 (49.8 percent).[2]

Geography

Rayne is located at 30°14′15″N 92°16′5″W / 30.23750°N 92.26806°W / 30.23750; -92.26806 (30.237379, -92.268175).[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.9 km2), of which 0.0077 square miles (0.02 km2), or 0.18%, is water.[1]

Tornado disaster

An EF2 tornado hit Rayne on Saturday, March 5, 2011, injuring at least twelve people and killing one person, leveling homes and causing natural gas leaks that prompted evacuations.[4][5][6][7]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890569
19001,00777.0%
19102,247123.1%
19202,72021.1%
19303,71036.4%
19404,97434.1%
19506,48530.4%
19608,63433.1%
19709,51010.1%
19809,066−4.7%
19908,502−6.2%
20008,5520.6%
20107,953−7.0%
Est. 20148,039[8]1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
Depot Square with one of many Rayne rice mills in the background

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 8,552 people, 3,183 households, and 2,228 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,476.1 people per square mile (957.1/km²). There were 3,480 housing units at an average density of 1,007.6 per square mile (389.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.55% White, 33.52% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.81% of the population.

There were 3,183 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.

One of many frog murals throughout the city

The median income for a household in the city was $22,369, and the median income for a family was $27,991. Males had a median income of $27,140 versus $14,980 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,588. About 24.5% of families and 29.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.2% of those under age 18 and 24.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Acadia Parish School Board serves the city. Rayne High School, home of the Mighty Wolves, is located in Rayne.

Other schools in Rayne include:

Notable people

Events

Rayne holds a yearly Frog Festival the second full weekend in November as of 2008. The festival, which used to be held on the first full weekend of September following Labor Day, attracts thousands of visitors.[11] As of 2015, the festival is held Mother's Day weekend. In February 2016 a tornado struck through the town and killed at least 1 and left 12 others injured.

Frog murals

References

External links

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