Rayville is a town in and the parish seat of Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,347 in the 2020 census, down nearly 21 percent from 4,234 in 2000.
The City Hall, located next to the U.S. Post Office across from U.S. Highway 80, is named for former Rayville Mayor Joe Kalil (1922–1996).
Contents
History
Rayville was named for John Ray.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (5.9 km2), of which 2.2 square miles (5.8 km2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km2) (1.32%) is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Rayville had a population of 3,347. The median age was 38.3 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 79.1 males age 18 and over.
There were 1,336 households in Rayville, including 892 family households. Of all households, 33.9% had children under the age of 18, 21.0% were married-couple households, 21.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 48.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 1,479 housing units, of which 9.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%.
Education
Public schools in Richland Parish are operated by the Richland Parish School Board. Three campuses serve the town of Rayville - Rayville Elementary School (Grades PK-6), Rayville Junior High School (Grades 7–8), and Rayville High School (Grades 9–12). Rayville is also served by Riverfield Academy (Grades PK-12) a non-denominational private school.
Notable people
Ralph Abraham, politician
William L. Kirk, Four Star General U S Air Force
George Ballas; invented of the “Weed Eater” line trimmer
Garland Boyette, football player
Reggie Burnette, football player
Charles "Bubba" Chaney, state representative from Rayville
Hardy Fox, co-founder and primary composer of the avant-garde music group The Residents
Bunny Greenhouse, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers whistleblower
Elvin Hayes, Hall of Fame basketball player
Edgar Jones, Baltimore Ravens football player
Ernie Ladd, professional wrestler and football player
Roosevelt Potts, Indianapolis Colts football player
Stanley Williams, one of the early leaders of the Crips.