Rayne is a city in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, in

Acadia Parish Acadia Parish (french: link=no, Paroisse de l'Acadie) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 57,576. The parish seat is Crowley. The parish was founded from parts of St. Landry Parish in ...

. With a population of 7,326 at the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, it is nicknamed the "Frog Capital of the World", as well as the "Louisiana City of Murals". Rayne is part of the

Crowley Crowley may refer to: Places * Crowley, Mendocino County, California, an unincorporated community *Crowley County, Colorado * Crowley, Colorado, a town in Crowley County *Crowley, Louisiana, a city * Crowley, Oregon (disambiguation) * Crowley, Te ...

micropolitan statistical area, and within the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area in

Acadiana Acadiana ( French and Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane''), also known as the Cajun Country (Louisiana French: ''Le Pays Cadjin'', es, País Cajún), is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that has historically contained mu ...

History

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

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.18%, is water. The city is located in

, and forms part of the Lafayette metropolitan area.

Demographics

As of the

, there were 7,236 people, 2,834 households, and 1,879 families residing in the city. The 2019

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

estimated 8,041 people and 2,834 households resided in the city. In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 58.0% non-Hispanic or Latino white, 37.6% Black or African American, 3.3%

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

, and 1.1% Hispanic and Latin American of any race. At the

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 65.55%

White American White Americans are Americans who identify as and are perceived to be white people. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States. As of the 2020 Census, 61.6%, or 204,277,273 people, were white alone. This represented ...

, 33.52% African American, 0.11%

American Indian and Alaska Native Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States (Indigenous peoples of Hawaii, Alaska and territories of the United States are ...

, 0.16%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.19% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races; Hispanic and Latin Americans of any race were 0.81% of the population. From 2015 to 2019, the largest Hispanic and Latin American groups were

Mexican Americans Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

and stateside Puerto Ricans (0.3% each). There were 2,834 households and 3,463 housing units at the 2019 American Community Survey. Of the 1,569 occupied housing units, 879 were married couples living together, 97 were male households with no female present, and 137 female households with no male present. The average family size was 3.34, up from 3.22 at the 2000 census, and 38.0% of the population were never married. In the city, the population was spread out, with 10.9% aged 5 and under, 76.0% aged 18 and older, and 16.6% aged 65 and older. The median age was 40.2 years, up from 34 years in 2000. The largest ancestry groups among the population were French (18.8%),

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

(6.6%), sub-Saharan African (2.1%),

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

(1.9%),

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

(1.4%), Scottish (0.9%), and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

(0.7%). An estimated 10.1% spoke a language other than

at home, and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

was spoken by 1.1% of the population; other

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...

were spoken by 8.7% of the population. At the 2019 American Community Survey, the median household income was $32,266 and the median income for a family was $41,721; married couples had a median income of $53,373 and non-family households were $17,917. About 30.4% of the population lived at or below the poverty line, and 38.2% of the city aged under 18 lived at or below the poverty line; 32.4% of the population aged 65 and older were at or below the poverty line.

Arts and culture

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 Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

, attracts thousands of visitors.www.rayne.org "City of Rayne"
/ref> As of 2015, the festival is held

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...

weekend.

Education

The

Acadia Parish School Board Acadia Parish School Board is a school district headquartered in Crowley, Louisiana, United States. The district serves all of Acadia Parish. Current Board members *District One – Dr. James W. Proctor *District Two – Douglas J. LaCombe *Dist ...

serves the city. Rayne High School, home of the Mighty Wolves, is located in Rayne. Other schools in Rayne include: *Central Rayne Kindergarten *Martin Pettijean Elementary *South Rayne Elementary *Armstrong Middle School *Rayne Catholic Elementary

Notable people

*Cajun musicians

Harry Choates Harry Henry Choates (December 26, 1922 – July 17, 1951) was an American Cajun music fiddler known as the "Fiddle King of Cajun Swing" and the "Godfather of Cajun music." The scholar Barry Jean Ancelet called Choates "undoubtedly the most popul ...

Joe Falcon Joseph Falcón (September 28, 1900 – November 19, 1965) was an accordion player from southwest Louisiana, best known for producing the first recording of a Cajun song, " Allons à Lafayette," in 1928. He and his wife Cléoma Breaux left f ...

Jo-El Sonnier Jo-El Sonnier (; born Joel Sonnier; October 2, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and accordionist who performs country music and Cajun music. Originally signed to Mercury Nashville Records, Sonnier charted several minor singles on the '' B ...

, Amedée Breaux,

Johnnie Allan Johnnie Allan (born John Allen Guillot, March 10, 1938) is an American pioneer of the swamp pop musical genre. Career Born in Rayne, Louisiana, United States, Allan, a Cajun, grew up in a musical family, and at age six obtained his first guit ...

Lawrence Walker Lawrence Walker (September 1, 1907 – August 15, 1968) was a Cajun accordionist. He is known for his original songs, including Reno Waltz, Evangeline Waltz, Bosco Stomp, and Mamou Two Step. Biography Lawrence Walker was born September 1, 1907 ...

, and

Tony Thibodeaux Antoine "Tony" Thibodeaux (2 June 1938 – 30 September 2010) Yule 2009, p. 314. was a prominent Cajun fiddler born south of Rayne, Louisiana. His parents were Mary G. Thibodeaux and Nestor Thibodeaux. History Mr. Thibodeaux was a lifelong res ...

Joshua Benton Joshua Benton (born 1975) is an American journalist and writer. He is director of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University, which he founded in 2008. Before moving to Harvard, Benton was an investigative reporter and columnist for ''The Dal ...

, director of

Nieman Journalism Lab The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University is the primary journalism institution at Harvard. It was founded in February 1938 as the result of a $1.4 million bequest by Agnes Wahl Nieman, the widow of Lucius W. Nieman, founder of ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

* Mike Heinen, professional golfer *

Donnie Meche Donnie James Meche (born October 10, 1974 in Rayne, Louisiana) is an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. Donnie Meche won his first race at Evangeline Downs in May 1993. He was the top apprentice rider at Louisiana Downs in 1994. He i ...

and

Gerard Melancon Gerard Melancon (born May 10, 1967 in Rayne, Louisiana) is an American jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. ...

, jockeys * Byron Mouton, former standout basketball player at Tulane and Maryland *

Gerald Paddio Gerald James Paddio (born April 21, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played in three National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons for five different teams – the Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle SuperSonics, Indiana ...

, basketball player *

Josh Reed Joshua Blake Reed (born May 1, 1980) is a former professional American football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons during the 2000s. He played college football for Louisiana State Universi ...

, LSU standout and NFL wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. *

Ed Zaunbrecher Ed Zaunbrecher (born March 1, 1950) is an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Northeast Louisiana University, now the University of Louisiana at Monroe, from 1994 to 1998, compiling a record of 20–36. He is current ...

, American football coach *

Addison Rae {{Infobox person , name = Addison Rae , image = Addison Rae - Pandora 2021 3.jpg , alt = , caption = Rae in an interview for Pandora in 2021 , birth_name = Addison Rae Easterli ...

(Easterling), American social media personality and dancer

Gallery

File:Rayne-frog1.JPG, Frog mural File:DepotSquareRayne.jpg, Depot Square with one of many Rayne rice mills in the background File:RayneHighSchool.jpg, Rayne High School

References

External links

City of Rayne official website
{{Authority control Populated places established in 1883 Cities in Louisiana Cities in Acadia Parish, Louisiana 1883 establishments in Louisiana Cities in Lafayette, Louisiana metropolitan area