Editing Gays Mills, Wisconsin

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Gays Mills, Wisconsin
| settlement_type    = [[Village (United States)|Village]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = GaysMillsWisconsinDowntownEastWIS171.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Looking east at downtown Gays Mills in 2010
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = File:Crawford County Wisconsin Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Gays Mills Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Gays Mills in Crawford County, Wisconsin.
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Wisconsin}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Wisconsin|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Crawford County, Wisconsin|Crawford]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_55.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 12.69
| area_land_km2      = 12.62
| area_water_km2     = 0.07
| area_total_sq_mi   = 4.90
| area_land_sq_mi    = 4.87
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.03

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2020 Census">{{cite web |date=May 2023 |title=Census Bureau profile: Gays Mills village, Wisconsin |url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=Gays%20Mills%20village,%20Wisconsin |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 19, 2024}}</ref>
| population_total   = 523
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = auto

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
| elevation_m        = 214
| elevation_ft       = 702
| coordinates        = {{coord|43|19|6|N|90|50|48|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code          = [[Area code 608|608]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 55-28450<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1565448<ref name="GR3" />
| website            = {{URL|http://www.gaysmills.org}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Gays Mills''' is a village in [[Crawford County, Wisconsin|Crawford County]], [[Wisconsin]], United States. The population was 523 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].

== History ==
[[File:AppleOrchardsGaysMillsWisconsinWIS171.jpg|thumb|left|Orchards east of Gays Mills]]
In 1847 James B. Gay, a native of Indiana, built a dam and a sawmill on the [[Kickapoo River]], which proved to be a flourishing success. When his health started to fail, James convinced his brothers John and Thomas to move to the area. In 1865 John  Gay built the first flour mill south of the saw mill.  In 1872 Thomas Gay and family organized the First Congregational Church, the first church in Gays Mills and in 1898 the church building itself was finished. In the years between 1848 and 1865, many families moved into the community, which came to be known as Gays Mills in honor of the founder and his brothers.

Gays Mills was also the home of the Twining apple-growing family. One of the Twinings took his apples to the World's Fair, where they were a great success, generating mild fame for Gays Mills.  Twining and his companions are honored with a historical marker on a hill overlooking the village. Consequently, apples are grown heavily in Crawford County, with numerous commercial orchards surrounding the village.<ref>[http://www.gaysmills.org/history.html History of Gays Mills, Wisconsin - Apple Capital of Wisconsin.<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

===Flooding===
[[File:GaysMillsFloodDamage2010.jpg|thumb|left|Flood damage in 2010]]
[[File:GaysMillsWisconsinRelocation2010WIS131.jpg|thumb|left|Relocation beginning in mid-2010]]
Almost 60 homes were substantially damaged by flooding on the Kickapoo River in 2007 and 2008.<ref name="PostCrescent20081021" /> In 2008, a meeting was held to discuss moving the village to higher ground because of repeated flooding, which damaged the local economy.<ref>[http://www.channel3000.com/news/16644466/detail.html?rss=c3k&psp=news Channel3000.com WISC-TV]{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} article: More Than 200 Attend Meeting On Moving Gays Mills: Board Member Says Decision Could Go To Referendum</ref> In October 2008, the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA) released a 72-page report asking residents and businesses to relocate from the Kickapoo River flood plain.<ref name="PostCrescent20081021">{{cite news|title=Study gives Gays Mills relocation options|date=October 21, 2008|publisher=[[The Post-Crescent]]|page=A-4}}</ref> Relocation is estimated to cost $1.7 million to purchase {{convert|30|acre|m2}} {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} north of the existing location.<ref name="PostCrescent20081021" /> About 150 of the village's 230 houses lie in the flood plain.<ref name="PostCrescent20081021" /> As of October 2008, village leaders were considering what course to take.<ref name="PostCrescent20081021" />

In March 2010, a grant of $4.31 million was awarded by the [[Economic Development Administration]] to the Village of Gays Mills and the Redevelopment Authority of Gays Mills to develop a strategy for relocating the Village’s commercial district outside of the floodplain.<ref>[http://www.eda.gov/NewsEvents/PressReleases/WIcombo032610] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328220941/http://www.eda.gov/NewsEvents/PressReleases/WIcombo032610|date=March 28, 2010}}</ref>

In September 2016, July 2017, and August 2018 Gays Mills was once again hit by flooding.

==Geography==
Gays Mills is located at {{coord|43|19|6|N|90|50|48|W|type:city}} (43.318241, -90.846554).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the village has a total area of {{convert|4.90|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|4.87|sqmi|sqkm|2}} of it is land and {{convert|0.03|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 25, 2012 }}</ref>
{{wide image|Gays Mill, Wisconsin aerial-2.jpg|400px|[[Kickapoo River]], [[Wisconsin Highway 171|Wis-171]], and [[Wisconsin Highway 131|Wis-131]] run through town|100%|center
|alt=Gays Mill, Wisconsin}}

==Climate==

According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Gays Mills has a [[hot-summer humid continental climate]], abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Gays Mills was {{convert|103|F|C|1}} on August 14, 1998, while the coldest temperature recorded was {{convert|-48|F|C|1}} on February 3&ndash;4, 1996.<ref name = NOWData />

{{Weather box
|location = Gays Mills, Wisconsin, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1986–present
|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 60
|Feb record high F = 69
|Mar record high F = 84
|Apr record high F = 89
|May record high F = 96
|Jun record high F = 100
|Jul record high F = 102
|Aug record high F = 103
|Sep record high F = 98
|Oct record high F = 89
|Nov record high F = 75
|Dec record high F = 69

|Jan avg record high F = 45.8
|Feb avg record high F = 51.5
|Mar avg record high F = 66.4
|Apr avg record high F = 79.2
|May avg record high F = 86.3
|Jun avg record high F = 91.1
|Jul avg record high F = 92.1
|Aug avg record high F = 90.9
|Sep avg record high F = 87.3
|Oct avg record high F = 80.5
|Nov avg record high F = 64.5
|Dec avg record high F = 50.8
|year avg record high F = 94.1

|Jan high F = 27.3
|Feb high F = 32.1
|Mar high F = 44.8
|Apr high F = 58.3
|May high F = 70.1
|Jun high F = 79.7
|Jul high F = 83.2
|Aug high F = 81.5
|Sep high F = 74.2
|Oct high F = 60.9
|Nov high F = 45.3
|Dec high F = 32.7
|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 17.1
|Feb mean F = 21.5
|Mar mean F = 34.1
|Apr mean F = 46.4
|May mean F = 58.0
|Jun mean F = 68.2
|Jul mean F = 72.0
|Aug mean F = 70.2
|Sep mean F = 62.0
|Oct mean F = 49.1
|Nov mean F = 35.8
|Dec mean F = 23.9
|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 7.0
|Feb low F = 10.9
|Mar low F = 23.4
|Apr low F = 34.5
|May low F = 46.0
|Jun low F = 56.7
|Jul low F = 60.9
|Aug low F = 58.9
|Sep low F = 49.9
|Oct low F = 37.3
|Nov low F = 26.3
|Dec low F = 15.1
|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -20.4
|Feb avg record low F = -11.9
|Mar avg record low F = -0.4
|Apr avg record low F = 18.9
|May avg record low F = 29.8
|Jun avg record low F = 41.7
|Jul avg record low F = 49.1
|Aug avg record low F = 47.4
|Sep avg record low F = 34.0
|Oct avg record low F = 21.9
|Nov avg record low F = 8.2
|Dec avg record low F = -8.9
|year avg record low F = -24.8

|Jan record low F = -45
|Feb record low F = -48
|Mar record low F = -23
|Apr record low F = 10
|May record low F = 20
|Jun record low F = 34
|Jul record low F = 44
|Aug record low F = 38
|Sep record low F = 24
|Oct record low F = 9
|Nov record low F = -10
|Dec record low F = -33

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.32
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.17
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.03
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.89
|May precipitation inch = 4.24
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.56
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.83
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.43
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.90
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.68
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.10
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.55
|year precipitation inch = 37.70

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 8.1
|Feb precipitation days = 6.4
|Mar precipitation days = 7.6
|Apr precipitation days = 9.2
|May precipitation days = 10.7
|Jun precipitation days = 10.6
|Jul precipitation days = 8.4
|Aug precipitation days = 8.1
|Sep precipitation days = 8.2
|Oct precipitation days = 7.8
|Nov precipitation days = 6.6
|Dec precipitation days = 7.2

|Jan snow inch = 10.8
|Feb snow inch = 7.8
|Mar snow inch = 5.9
|Apr snow inch = 1.6
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.1
|Nov snow inch = 1.9
|Dec snow inch = 9.7
|year snow inch =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 6.0
|Feb snow days = 4.7
|Mar snow days = 3.0
|Apr snow days = 0.8
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.1
|Nov snow days = 1.7
|Dec snow days = 5.0

|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00473022&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Gays Mills, WI
|access-date = May 5, 2023
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=arx
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS La Crosse
|access-date = May 5, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1910 = 557
| 1920 = 652
| 1930 = 579
| 1940 = 737
| 1950 = 662
| 1960 = 634
| 1970 = 623
| 1980 = 627
| 1990 = 578
| 2000 = 625
| 2010 = 491
| 2020 = 523
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=November 18, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 491 people, 226 households, and 132 families residing in the village. The [[population density]] was {{convert|100.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 270 housing units at an average density of {{convert|55.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the village was 97.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], and 1.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.2% of the population.

There were 226 households, of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.6% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the village was 47.5 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.1% were from 25 to 44; 32.4% were from 45 to 64; and 20.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 45.8% male and 54.2% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 625 people, 261 households, and 169 families residing in the village. The [[population density]] was 136.0 people per square mile (52.5/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 289 housing units at an average density of 62.9 per square mile (24.3/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the village was 99.68% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.16% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]] and 0.16% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.48% of the population.

There were 261 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $29,250, and the median income for a family was $36,607. Males had a median income of $32,875 versus $18,295 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $17,786. About 11.2% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Images==
<gallery>
File:GaysMillsWisconsinDowntownWestWIS171.jpg|Looking west at downtown Gays Mills in 2010
File:GaysMillsWisconsinWelcomeSignWIS171.jpg|City welcome sign
File:GaysMillsSignWIS131.jpg|Sign for Gays Mills on [[Wisconsin Highway 131|WIS 131]]
File:Gays Mills dam.jpg|Dam on the [[Kickapoo River]]
File:GaysMillsFireDepartmentWIS131.jpg|Fire department
File:Gays Mills Village Hall.jpg|Village Hall, library, and community kitchen
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gays Mills, Wisconsin}}
* [http://www.gaysmills.org Gays Mills, Wisconsin village website]

{{Crawford County, Wisconsin}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Crawford County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Villages in Wisconsin]]