Jay, Florida
15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1943 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Jay census division. It lies in ZIP code area 32565. The Survey maps it on the Jay quadrangle. 524 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 256 feet above sea level.
Then and now
1943 to 1981The same ground, surveyed 38 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


On record in Jay
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
- Fidelis Schoollisted 2021
Population over time
2 figuresJay fell from 533 to 524 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 533 | |
| 2020 | 524 | -9 (-2%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 15 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1943 USGS Jay quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1957 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000
- 1978 USGS Jay quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1981 USGS Bay Minette quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
195 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 195 fires within 5 miles of Jay between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,032 acres in total. 5 started naturally. 23 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 50 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 |
| Debris and open burning | 36 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 29 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 23 |
| Natural | 5 |
| Other causes | 4 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 29 September 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 29 September 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 28 September 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 26 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 26 September 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 53 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 26 September 1995 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 25 September 1999 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 12 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 23 September 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Jay: 2 unknowns, 1 past producer, 1 plant, 1 producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Sulfur, Petroleum (Oil), Sand. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward M. Chadburn, Inc. - Jay Mine | Sand | Unknown | ||
| Jay | Petroleum (Oil), Sulfur | Unknown | ||
| Escambia Pits | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Flomaton Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Jayfield Sulfer Plant | Sulfur | Plant |
Storms near this place
36 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Jay in 36 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 24 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 3 flash flood, 1 lightning. The reports record 5 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | 2 hurt, $25,000 | High winds caused minor damage to three homes along State Road 87 just northeast of Jay. Trees and power lines were also blown down. Several vehicles suffered damage from the fallen trees. Two persons suffered minor injures. The damage appeared to have been caused from a microburst of 70 to 80 mph. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | 2 hurt | Large hardwood trees uprooted or snapped aloft with power lines also down near Jay High School. Residential damage also reported on Watermill Rd with 2 people transported to the hospital with injuries. |
| September 1996 | Lightning | Jay | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| April 1996 | Flash Flood | Jay | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $25,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down along Highway 4 between Jay and Munson. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $20,000 | High winds from a thunderstorm blew down several trees and damaged some farm machinery just south of Jay. |
| March 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $15,000 | Several trees were blown down by high thunderstorm winds just north of Jay. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $15,000 | High thunderstorm winds damaged a barn and downed trees and power lines throughout the community. |
| March 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $15,000 | High winds damaged several light weight structures near Jay. A couple of barns received roof damage and an old barn fell on a truck parked in it. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $15,000 | Winds from a thunderstorm blew several trees down along HWY 4 west of Jay. The thunderstorm then moved southeast and a microburst blew a barn down 4 miles southwest of Jay. The storm continued moving southeast and outflow from the storm then damaged a house about 6 miles south of Jay. Several residents reported hearing a loud roar but observed damage was consistent with outflow from a thunderstorm. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $8,000 | High winds from a thunderstorm blew down several trees near Jay. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $8,000 | High winds damaged a home south of Jay. A metal shed was blown away, an awning was blown from a trailer and the back porch to the home was damaged. |
| April 2008 | Flash Flood | Jay | $8,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $8,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $7,000 | Trees were down and a tin roof was damaged in Jay as thunderstorms moved through the area. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several trees around the community. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $2,000 | Several trees were blown down just north of State HWY 4, northwest of Jay. |
| December 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $500 | Santa Rosa 911 reported a garage/shed was damaged on J.H. Carr Road near Jay. |
| September 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | $500 | Strong thunderstorm winds blew down several large tree limbs and power lines south of Jay. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | - | Measured wind gust to 66mph 1 mile west of Jay. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | - | Mesonet 1 mile west of Jay reports thunderstorm wind gust of 66mph. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | - | High winds downed multiple trees. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | - | High winds damaged trees and large limbs were snapped southwest of Jay. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | - | High winds from a thunderstorms downed a tree with caused damage to house and fence. |
| April 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | - | Social media reports of multiple trees down across the city of Jay. |
| April 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | - | A large oak tree fell on a home and knocked power lines down on Highway 89. |
| January 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jay | - | Trees an power lines on Dixonville Road. |
| September 2020 | Flash Flood | Jay | - | Hurricane Sally produced 20 to 30 inches of rain over southern Santa Rosa County and 10 to 20 inches in northern Santa Rosa County. This resulted in extensive and major flash flooding and flooding across the area. There were numerous water rescues. Even after the rain stopped Wednesday morning, numerous small streams, creeks, and rivers continued to rapidly rise. Numerous homes and vehicles were flooded and road closures were widespread. The Big Coldwater Creek near Milton crested at 21.5 feet which is the second highest crest on record. |
| August 2007 | Funnel Cloud | Jay | - | The public reported a funnel cloud along State Highway 87 near the Florida-Alabama state line. The funnel never touched down and dissipated. |
| May 2000 | Hail | Jay | - | Quarter sized hail was reported near Jay. |
| May 1999 | Hail | Jay | - | Dime size hail was reported just east of Jay. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Jay | - | no account filed |
| February 2021 | Hail | Jay | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Jay | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Jay | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Jay | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Carmel | 2.6 miles | 14 | |
| Cobbtown | 5.1 miles | 14 | |
| Brownsdale | 6.3 miles | 15 | |
| Fidelis | 6.8 miles | 14 | |
| Whitfield | 7.2 miles | 14 | |
| Berrydale | 8.2 miles | 14 | |
| New York | 8.3 miles | 13 | |
| Simmons Crossing | 10.3 miles | 13 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Jay | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q962926 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 284731. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.





