Jay, Florida

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Coordinates: 30°57′4″N 87°9′7″W / 30.95111, -87.15194
Jay, Florida
Location in Santa Rosa County and the state of Florida
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Santa Rosa
Area
- Total	1.6 sq mi (4.1 km²)
- Land	1.6 sq mi (4.1 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation	256 ft (78 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	579
- Density	361.9/sq mi (141.2/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	32565
Area code(s)	850
FIPS code	12-35425^[1]
GNIS feature ID	0284731^[2]

Jay is a town in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 579 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 650 [1].

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Industry
4 Recreation
5 Services
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Jay is located at 30°57′4″N, 87°9′7″W (30.951183, -87.152043)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), all of it land. The town lies on high ground on the east bank of the Escambia River. There are two river access points/boat ramps, both outside the city limits.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 579 people, 230 households, and 147 families residing in the town. The population density was 365.8 people per square mile (141.5/km²). There were 278 housing units at an average density of 175.6/sq mi (67.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.58% White, 0.35% African American, 1.21% Native American, 0.17% Asian, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population.

There were 230 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,500, and the median income for a family was $40,250. Males had a median income of $26,719 versus $21,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,949. About 13.8% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Industry

Jay is a farming community, with cotton, soybeans, peanuts and hay being major crops. Jay is also the site of a minor natural gas and oil field. Exxon has a small refinery located off of Florida State Road 4. Exxon sold the refinery to Quantum Resources Management LLC March 2004.

[edit] Recreation

Jay is home to the Jay Peanut Festival, held each Autumn, and also hosts several local rodeo events. For the last three years (2004-07) the 4th of July celebration has been headlined by country singer Eric Agnew from Nashville, TN. The nearby Escambia River provides fishing opportunities, and both the Escambia River WMA and the Blackwater State Forest provide public, licensed hunting.

[edit] Services

Jay has a Combined Elementary/Middle School (Grades K-6), and a combined Middle/High School (Grades 7-12). The 55 bed Jay Hospital [2] serves the area, and is an affiliate of Baptist Health System.

There are several banks and credit unions. There is one grocery store. The nearest Walmart stores are in Brewton, AL (small store) and Pace, Fl (Supercenter). There are several private airstrips, and the nearest full service passenger airport is the Pensacola Regional Airport (Approximately 40 miles SSW).