Discover

'Luray' is a town located in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia in the United States. It is the county seat of Page County, and the population was 4,871 at the 2000 census and it has stayed about the same since^[1].

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Notable features

References and notes

External links

Geography

Luray is located at (38.664097, -78.454531).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.3 km² (4.8 mi²). 12.3 km² (4.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.21% is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,871 people, 2,037 households, and 1,332 families residing in the town. The population density was 396.8/km² (1,026.8/mi²). There were 2,191 housing units at an average density of 178.5/km² (461.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.45% White, 5.52% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.
There were 2,037 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,306, and the median income for a family was $39,972. Males had a median income of $30,039 versus $19,841 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,205. About 11.3% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
While there is still an agricultural base in the Luray-Page County area, many local residents commute "down country", that is, to the Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C. area. Seasonal tourism -- particularly during the fall leaf color and hunting seasons -- provides a part-time economic base, as well. However, even with this slightly mixed economic base, there is an extremely high unemployment rate.

Notable features

★ Luray Caverns is located in the western part of Luray.

★ Luray is the nearest town to the Thornton Gap entrance to Skyline Drive (to the east), as well as serving as the headquarters for Shenandoah National Park.

★ It is also home to the 2006 Valley Baseball League Champion Luray Wranglers.

★ One of the dominant hills in the town of Luray is the location of the Grand Old Mimslyn Inn, a 1931 classic Southern mansion style hotel. The hotel is a popular site for wedding receptions.

★ The only high school in Luray is Luray High School, home of the Bulldogs.

★ The town is also home to the Page News and Courier, the major newspaper for the county.

★ The community's closeness to the South Fork of the Shenandoah River provides recreational opportunities connected with boating, white water rafting, and fishing as well as hunting in the fall.

References and notes

1. Luray, VA Profile IDcide - Local Information Data Server

External links

★ Town of Luray official site

★ shenandoahvalleyweb.org

★ 'Page County, Virginia' (unofficial) - Luray, Stanley, Shenandoah. Page County's source for local information, job information and freebies!