Luray, Virginia

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Luray is a town in Page County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,871 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Page County^GR6. Luray is located in northern Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley southwest of Front Royal. It serves as the headquarters for Shenandoah National Park, the Luray Caverns are nearby, and it is home to the 2006 Valley Baseball League Champion Luray Wranglers.

One of the dominant hills in the small town of Luray is home to the Grand Old Mimslyn Inn, a 1931 classic Southern mansion style hotel.

[edit] Geography

Luray is located at 38°39′51″N, 78°27′16″W (38.664097, -78.454531)^GR1.

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.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 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.

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