Ray is a city in Williams County,

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, United States. The population was 740 at the 2020 census.

History

Ray was founded in 1902. The city was named in honor of William G. Ray, a railroad official. A post office has been in operation at Ray since 1902.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 740 people, 283 households, and 187 families residing in the city. There were 361 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 89.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.8% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.1% from some other races and 7.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any race were 2.8% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 592 people, 276 households, and 163 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 301 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.9%

, 2.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 1.2% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 276 households, of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.9% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age in the city was 46.1 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.3% were from 25 to 44; 35% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.2% male and 46.8% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 534 people, 232 households, and 154 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 296 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.06%

, 0.56% Native American, and 0.37% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.56% of the population. There were 232 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were

living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,563, and the median income for a family was $41,771. Males had a median income of $34,063 versus $18,125 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,064. About 2.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including none of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

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Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...

, which operates between

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, passes through the town on

BNSF BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

tracks, but makes no stop. The nearest stations are located in Williston, to the southwest, and

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

, to the east.

Education

It is within the Nesson School District (Ray Public School).

Notable people

* Delbert F. Anderson, farmer and member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

, was born in Ray. *

Mary Sherman Morgan Mary Sherman Morgan (November 4, 1921 – August 4, 2004) was an American rocket fuel scientist credited with the invention of the liquid fuel Hydyne in 1957, which powered the Jupiter-C rocket that boosted the United States' first satellite, Ex ...

, inventor of

Hydyne Hydyne is a mixture of 60% unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and 40% diethylenetriamine (DETA), developed in 1957 at Rocketdyne for use in liquid-fuel rockets.Morgan, GeorgeAmerica's First Lady of Rocketry Caltech News, California Institute of ...

, which was combined with liquid oxygen to propel the first US rocket into orbit (1958), was born in Ray. * Erin Oban, member of the

North Dakota Senate The North Dakota State Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative distri ...

and

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

Rural Development State Director of North Dakota, lived in Ray. * Claudia Meier Volk, member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, lived in Ray.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Cities in Williams County, North Dakota Cities in North Dakota Populated places established in 1902 1902 establishments in North Dakota