Ray_City,_Georgia
Ray City, Georgia
City in Georgia, United States
Ray City is a city in Berrien County and Lanier County, Georgia, United States. The population was 956 in 2020.[4]
Ray City, Georgia | |
|---|---|
Ray City Municipal Building | |
Location in Berrien County and the state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 31°4′32″N 83°11′51″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| Counties | Berrien, Lanier |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Brenda Exum |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.15 sq mi (2.97 km2) |
| • Land | 1.15 sq mi (2.97 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 190 ft (58 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 956 |
| • Density | 834.21/sq mi (322.03/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 31645 |
| Area code | 229 |
| FIPS code | 13-63728[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0332800[3] |
Early variant names were "Ray's Pond" and "Ray's Mill".[5] The community was named after Ray M. Thomas, the proprietor of a local mill.[6]
Ray City is in southern Berrien County, with a small portion extending south into Lanier County. U.S. Route 129 passes through the city, leading north 10 miles (16 km) to Nashville, the Berrien county seat, and east 8 miles (13 km) to Lakeland, the Lanier county seat. Georgia State Route 125 leads south from Ray City 18 miles (29 km) to Valdosta, and State Route 37 leads west 14 miles (23 km) to Adel.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Ray City has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.0 km2), of which 0.52 acres (2,119 m2), or 0.07%, are water.[7] Beaverdam Creek flows through the middle of the city, and Batterbee Branch flows through the west side. The two streams join west of Ray City to form Cat Creek, a south-flowing tributary of the Withlacoochee River, part of the Suwannee River watershed.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 300 | — | |
| 1920 | 700 | 133.3% | |
| 1930 | 602 | −14.0% | |
| 1940 | 638 | 6.0% | |
| 1950 | 576 | −9.7% | |
| 1960 | 713 | 23.8% | |
| 1970 | 617 | −13.5% | |
| 1980 | 658 | 6.6% | |
| 1990 | 603 | −8.4% | |
| 2000 | 746 | 23.7% | |
| 2010 | 1,090 | 46.1% | |
| 2020 | 956 | −12.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 621 | 64.94% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 205 | 21.44% |
| Native American | 1 | 0.1% |
| Asian | 9 | 0.94% |
| Other/Mixed | 39 | 4.08% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 81 | 8.47% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 956 people, 484 households, and 313 families residing in the city.
- Ray City Hotel, circa 1912
- Historic Ray City High School
- Fire Department
- Juanelle Wilson Senior Citizen Center
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- "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 185. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
- "Ray City". GeorgiaGov. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- "U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: Places: Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.