Editing Jay, Oklahoma

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Jay, Oklahoma
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline            = 
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = 
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map                = OKMap-doton-Jay.PNG
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location of Jay, Oklahoma
| image_map1               = 
| mapsize1                 = 
| map_caption1             = 
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Oklahoma]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Oklahoma|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Delaware County, Oklahoma|Delaware]]

<!-- 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="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude            = 
| area_total_km2            = 8.63
| area_land_km2             = 8.63
| area_water_km2            = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi          = 3.33
| area_land_sq_mi           = 3.33
| area_water_sq_mi          = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of          = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes      = 
| population_total          = 2425
| population_density_km2    = 281.00
| population_density_sq_mi  = 727.79

<!-- 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"/>
| elevation_ft         = 1027
| coordinates          = {{coord|36|25|38|N|94|47|44|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type     = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code          = 74346
| area_code            = [[area codes 539 and 918|539/918]]
| blank_name           = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info           = 40-37650<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name          = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info          = 2410135<ref name="GR3">{{GNIS|2410135}}</ref>
| website              = {{URL|https://www.cityofjay.city/|City website}}
| footnotes            = 
| pop_est_as_of        = 
| pop_est_footnotes    = 
| population_est       = 
| name                 = 
| population_demonym   = Jayite
}}

'''Jay''' is a city and [[county seat]] of [[Delaware County, Oklahoma|Delaware County]], [[Oklahoma]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=2011-06-07 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=2011-05-31 }}</ref>  The population was 2,448 at the [[United States Census, 2010|2010 census]], compared to 2,482 at the [[United States Census, 2000|2000 census]], a decrease of 1.4 percent.<ref>[http://www.muninetguide.com/states/oklahoma/jay/ MuniNet Guide. Jay, Oklahoma. Retrieved October 27, 2011] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712171803/http://www.muninetguide.com/states/oklahoma/jay/ |date=July 12, 2014 }}</ref>  Almost 40% of its residents are Native American, thus Jay is home to numerous Cherokee tribal offices and a health clinic for the Delaware District of the Cherokee Nation. Jay has a council-manager system of government. Becki Farley is the mayor with Kyle Stump serving as Vice Mayor.

The city is celebrated as the Huckleberry Capital of the World and has been host to the annual [[Huckleberry]] Festival each July 4 weekend since 1967.<ref name="EOHC-Jay">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=JA014 Dale Denney, "Jay."  ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.] Retrieved July 27, 2012.</ref>

==History==
Jay was named for Jay Washbourne, a nephew of [[Stand Watie]] and grandson of an early-day [[Cherokee]] missionary.<ref>Shirk, George H. (1966). ''Oklahoma Place Names'', p. 111. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press.</ref> The town is the [[county seat]] of [[Delaware County, Oklahoma|Delaware County]], having won that distinction from [[Grove, Oklahoma]] in a special county seat election on December 8, 1908.  The 1910&ndash;11 Legislature made Grove a County Court Town, and provided for two court terms each year. On June 27, 1911, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma ruled in favor of Jay, and on January 5, 1912, the County Commissioners ordered the records to be moved to Jay.<ref name="EOHC-DelCo">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=DE010  Rose Stauber, "Delaware County,"]  ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Retrieved July 18, 2012. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100219170807/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/D/DE010.html |date=2010-02-19 }}</ref> On May 10, 1913, the courthouse in Jay was burned, destroying most of the county records.  The [[post office]] was established May 19, 1909.<ref>Helbock, Richard W. (1987). ''Oklahoma Post Offices'', p. 97. Lake Oswego, Oregon: La Posta Publications.</ref>  Jay incorporated in 1939.<ref name="EOHC-Jay" />

==Geography==
[[File:Delaware courthouse facade.jpg|thumb|left|upright|East facade of Delaware County Courthouse. Built 1941.]]
Jay is located in the oak and hickory forests of the Ozark Plateau.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|3.2|sqmi|km2}}, all land. The Cherokee name for Jay is Dlaygvi (Bluejay Place).

Jay is at the intersection of [[U.S. Route 59 in Oklahoma|U.S. Route 59]] and [[Oklahoma State Highway 20]], southeast of [[Grand Lake of the Cherokees]] and northeast of [[Lake Eucha]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.mapquest.com/search/results?query=jay,%20oklahoma&boundingBox=44.96479793033101,-109.7314453125,31.466153715024294,-86.2646484375&page=0 |title=Jay, Oklahoma|publisher=Mapquest|access-date=June 26, 2020}}</ref>

Jay is atypical in Oklahoma history because the townsite and layout were located and platted specifically for its purpose as a county seat. It is not located on a river, major road or railway line as were most Oklahoma towns of the late 1800s and early 1900s. 
[[File:Lake eucha.JPG|thumb|upright|Spavinaw Creek as it spills into Lake Eucha. Five miles south of Jay on Highway 10.]]
Around 1908, the Delaware County Improvement Association hired a survey team to pinpoint the exact location of the center of the county. They pinpointed allotment land belonging to Thomas Oochaleta, a full-blood Cherokee. Since acquiring title to a full-blood's allotment would require a lengthy federal legal procedure, the committee shifted their attention to the allotment adjoining Oochaleta's on the east, a parcel belonging to committee member Claude L. "Jay" Washbourne. As a mixed-blood Cherokee, Washbourne was exempt from the federal policy restricting the sale or transfer of his land. He gave ten acres on which to construct a town. The town was designed, reserving a central block for a courthouse. The committee quickly constructed a frame building and then applied to the U.S. Postal Service for a post office, submitting the required three town names for consideration. The names submitted were "Center," "Jay," and "Washbourne." Postal authorities chose Jay for its brevity.<ref name="EOHC-Jay"/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1940= 741
|1950= 697
|1960= 1120
|1970= 1594
|1980= 2180
|1990= 2220
|2000= 2482
|2010= 2448
|2020= 2425
|align-fn=center
|footnote=[https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html U.S. Decennial Census]
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 2,482 people, 954 households, and 609 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|767.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,051 housing units at an average density of {{convert|324.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 54.43% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.56% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 36.50% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.04% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.89% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 6.57% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.55% of the population.

There were 955 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,875, and the median income for a family was $25,592. Males had a median income of $20,212 versus $17,039 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $10,700. About 21.4% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 35.1% of those under age 18 and 22.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
It is in the [[Jay Public Schools]] school district.<ref name=SDMap2020>{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st40_ok/schooldistrict_maps/c40041_delaware/DC20SD_C40041.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Delaware County, OK|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2025-04-04}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st40_ok/schooldistrict_maps/c40041_delaware/DC20SD_C40041_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Linda Hughes O'Leary]], Cherokee politician 
* [[Tommy Morrison]], former world [[heavyweight]] [[boxing]] champion
* [[Ty Powell]], former [[NFL]] [[Linebacker]]
* [[Buzz Wetzel]], baseball player
* [[Jessy Grizzle]], robotics engineer

==See also==
{{Portal|Oklahoma}}
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Delaware County, Oklahoma]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.jaychamber.org/ Jay Chamber Of Commerce]
* [https://archive.today/20121224141148/http://www.jay.k12.ok.us/pages/Jay_Public_Schools Jay Public Schools]
* [http://www.jayamericaradio.com Jay America Radio Network, an online radio station for Jay, America!]

{{Delaware County, Oklahoma}}
{{Oklahoma county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Cities in Delaware County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:County seats in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Cherokee towns in Oklahoma]]