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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.

Jay within Santa Rosa County

Then and now

1943 to 1981

The 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.

Topographic sheet of Jay, surveyed 1981
Topographic sheet of Jay, surveyed 1943

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

Population over time

2 figures

Jay 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.

YearPeople Change
2010533
2020524-9 (-2%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 15 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

195 since 1992

Regional 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 use50
Missing data/not specified/undetermined39
Debris and open burning36
Railroad operations and maintenance29
Arson/incendiarism23
Natural5
Other causes4
Recreation and ceremony4
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Smoking2
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
4 September 1999Equipment and vehicle use3.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
29 September 2006Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
29 September 1993Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
28 September 2006Arson/incendiarism26 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
26 September 2008Arson/incendiarism53 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
26 September 1995Equipment and vehicle use4.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
25 September 1999Railroad operations and maintenance12 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
23 September 1997Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Santa Rosa County

Mines and quarries near this place

5 within 5 miles

Regional 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Edward M. Chadburn, Inc. - Jay MineSandUnknown
JayPetroleum (Oil), SulfurUnknown
Escambia PitsSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Flomaton Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Jayfield Sulfer PlantSulfurPlant

Every working recorded in Santa Rosa County

Storms near this place

36 since 1993

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
November 1997Thunderstorm WindJay2 hurt, $25,000High 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 2024Thunderstorm WindJay2 hurtLarge 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 1996LightningJay1 hurtno account filed
April 1996Flash FloodJay$30,000no account filed
July 2000Thunderstorm WindJay$25,000Numerous trees and power lines were blown down along Highway 4 between Jay and Munson.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindJay$20,000High winds from a thunderstorm blew down several trees and damaged some farm machinery just south of Jay.
March 2001Thunderstorm WindJay$15,000Several trees were blown down by high thunderstorm winds just north of Jay.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindJay$15,000High thunderstorm winds damaged a barn and downed trees and power lines throughout the community.
March 1999Thunderstorm WindJay$15,000High 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 1997Thunderstorm WindJay$15,000Winds 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 2004Thunderstorm WindJay$8,000High winds from a thunderstorm blew down several trees near Jay.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindJay$8,000High 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 2008Flash FloodJay$8,000no account filed
July 2000Thunderstorm WindJay$8,000no account filed
July 2000Thunderstorm WindJay$7,000Trees were down and a tin roof was damaged in Jay as thunderstorms moved through the area.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindJay$5,000Thunderstorm winds downed several trees around the community.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindJay$2,000Several trees were blown down just north of State HWY 4, northwest of Jay.
December 2009Thunderstorm WindJay$500Santa Rosa 911 reported a garage/shed was damaged on J.H. Carr Road near Jay.
September 1993Thunderstorm WindJay$500Strong thunderstorm winds blew down several large tree limbs and power lines south of Jay.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindJay-Measured wind gust to 66mph 1 mile west of Jay.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindJay-Mesonet 1 mile west of Jay reports thunderstorm wind gust of 66mph.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindJay-High winds downed multiple trees.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindJay-High winds damaged trees and large limbs were snapped southwest of Jay.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindJay-High winds from a thunderstorms downed a tree with caused damage to house and fence.
April 2021Thunderstorm WindJay-Social media reports of multiple trees down across the city of Jay.
April 2021Thunderstorm WindJay-A large oak tree fell on a home and knocked power lines down on Highway 89.
January 2020Thunderstorm WindJay-Trees an power lines on Dixonville Road.
September 2020Flash FloodJay-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 2007Funnel CloudJay-The public reported a funnel cloud along State Highway 87 near the Florida-Alabama state line. The funnel never touched down and dissipated.
May 2000HailJay-Quarter sized hail was reported near Jay.
May 1999HailJay-Dime size hail was reported just east of Jay.
June 2023HailJay-no account filed
February 2021HailJay-no account filed
May 2009HailJay-no account filed
May 2003HailJay-no account filed
July 2000HailJay-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Santa Rosa County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Mount Carmel2.6 miles14
Cobbtown5.1 miles14
Brownsdale6.3 miles15
Fidelis6.8 miles14
Whitfield7.2 miles14
Berrydale8.2 miles14
New York8.3 miles13
Simmons Crossing10.3 miles13

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 JayAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q962926The 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.