Rayford

"This is the middle of nowhere, we left all those people behind for this?! Are you kidding me?"

- Zoey

"City of Rayford, they use to have Boiled Peanuts Festival here... oh man good memories."

- Coach

Rayford is a suburban town in Georgia and is located between Savannah and Griffin County (near Whispering Oaks Amusement Park). It is the main setting for all of the Survivors in both Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 as the town serves as a meeting point.

History
Rayford has some historic significance and likes to encourage both its residents and tourists to stop by and take interest in learning about its history, culture and heritage. Along with the town's history, it also displays a vibrant nightlife: several shops display neon signs and lights and play music.

Most of the town's residents liked the Midnight Riders, as they advertised the band in local bars and pool halls with posters and signs; preparations for a concert can also be found. Rayford's main source of income came from Rayford Port and shipping, where they sent and received goods by boat and train. There was also a Boiled Peanut festival that brought in seasonal income.

The town was trying to expand to other sources of income such as tourism, encouraging the people to purchase souvenirs from shops as well as take the scenic "Under the River" tour, which also provided work at the Brick Factory.

Current Status
After the initial Green Flu outbreak across the Eastern United States and hearing how CEDA and the military failed to maintain the quarantine, the citizens of Rayford preferred to survive the Infection on their own. Well-equipped Survivors were prepared to fight the Infected off and homemade weapons such as molotovs and pipe bombs were stockpiled in huge numbers, contained in footlockers. However, the sheer numbers of Infected finally overran the city piece by piece and many of the Survivors turned into Infected themselves, from the appearance of several Fallen Survivors in the east part of the city. Although the citizens preferred to hold out by themselves, they most likely had no choice but to allow CEDA to intervene.

It seems that CEDA tried to help the city, given the presence of several infected CEDA agents roaming the blocked streets in the Left 4 Dead 2 version of The Sacrifice, as well as the presence of several CEDA evacuation buses parked at various areas. CEDA tried to evacuate as much of the population as possible while establishing a defensive perimeter around Rayford Port; however, they failed and, eventually, neither the CEDA or the town's citizens' plans worked and the whole populace was taken by the Infection.

At one point, a live Tank specimen (seemingly an infected US Marine) was brought through the city. However, the train was stopped due to a destroyed bridge up ahead and the Infected derailed the train. Given how a Tank displays enough strength to easily break free of any binds, it is likely that this Tank mutated on the journey before killing his companions inside the train car. This Tank was released and killed by the original Survivors as they passed upon the train wreck as they had to get across.

Both groups of Survivors come through this city, making it the only location featured in both games. Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey enter from the north by a stolen military train that they took all the way from Millhaven, and are forced to stop at Rayford once the tracks end. They proceed through the port and industrial sections of the city. During the finale to raise the bridge, Bill jumps down to restart a generator when the bridge's engine stalls, leaving Francis, Louis and Zoey to cover him and finally fend for themselves once he dies to a swarm of multiple Tanks that converge in on him.

Coach, Ellis, Nick and Rochelle enter Rayford from the east, driving Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s stock car after stealing it from Liberty Mall and escaping Savannah. With the bridge raised by the original Survivors, who are unable to climb down and restart the generator, the Left 4 Dead 2 Survivors have to look for an alternate route to the other side of the bridge to restart it themselves. They manage to get to the other side through the Under the River tour, fill the generator with fuel, and the original Survivors lower the bridge, allowing them to continue their journey by car to New Orleans.

Landmarks in Rayford

 * Armed Forces Reserve Center
 * Rayford Bridge
 * Souvenir Shops and Internet café
 * Rayford Docks
 * Yacht Club
 * Rayford Park
 * Brick Factory
 * Renovating apartment building
 * Pool Hall
 * Tattoo Parlor
 * Jazz Club
 * Rayford Historic Underground Tour
 * Rayford Port and Shipping