Jay is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Essex County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 2,506 at the 2010 census. The town is named after

John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...

, governor of New York when the town was formed. The town is on the northern border of Essex County and is southwest of

Plattsburgh Plattsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding (and separately in ...

, south of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, and north of Albany. Jay is located inside the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...

History

The area was originally known as "Mallory's Bush", after the principal settlement, based on early settler Nathaniel Mallory, who arrived around 1797.. The town of Jay, named in honor of New York Governor John Jay, was formed in January 1798 from part of the town of

Willsboro Willsboro is a town in Essex County, New York, United States, and lies south of the city of Plattsburgh. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 1,905. The town is named after early landowner William Gilliland. History During the A ...

. Afterwards, part of Jay was used to form, in whole or part, the towns of Keene (1808), Elizabethtown and Wilmington (1821). In 1822, the town was increased by territory from the town of Chateaugay (now in Franklin County), and the town of

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

(now in

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

Lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

production and

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

ore extraction were important to the early economy of the town.

Land of Makebelieve The Land of Makebelieve was an amusement park located in the hamlet of Upper Jay, New York, United States. It was in operation from 1954 until 1979. The park was designed and built by Arto Monaco. Monaco initially wanted to call the park Stor ...

, an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

(1954–1979), was located in Upper Jay.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.62%, is water. The northern town line, partly defined by the

Ausable River Au Sable, Ausable or Aux Sable may refer to a documentary film or various places: * Au Sable (documentary), a film about the Michigan river, canoe race and people Illinois * Aux Sable Township, Grundy County, Illinois Michigan *Au Sable Town ...

, is the border of

. The East Branch of the Ausable River flows northward the length of the town near the western town boundary.

New York State Route 9N New York State Route 9N (NY 9N) is a north–south state highway in northeastern New York in the United States. It extends from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 (US 9), NY 29, and NY 50 in the city of Saratoga S ...

is a north-south highway through the town, following the course of the East Branch of the Ausable.

New York State Route 86 New York State Route 86 (NY 86) is a long state highway located within Adirondack Park in northern New York, in the United States, linking Franklin County to Essex County. The western terminus of the route is at NY 30 in the h ...

leads west from NY-9N at the hamlet of Jay.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,306 people, 918 households, and 651 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,443 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.44%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.30%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.17%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population. There were 918 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.92. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,612, and the median income for a family was $39,954. Males had a median income of $29,145 versus $21,438 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,673. About 6.9% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations within the town

*Au Sable Acres – A private residential community in the northwestern part of town, comprising several hundred year-round inhabitants and seasonal residents. It is south of the West Branch of the Ausable River. * Au Sable Forks – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

on the northern town line, extending north into the town of Black Brook in

. The hamlet is centered around the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the West and East Branches of the

. *Green Street – A hamlet in the northeastern part of town, southeast of Au Sable Forks. *North Jay – A hamlet in the northeastern section of the town, located on Stickney Bridge Road. It is south of Au Sable Forks and northeast of Jay hamlet. *Jay (formerly "Mallory's Bush") – The hamlet of Jay was originally known as Lower Jay. It is on New York State Route 9N by the East Branch of the Ausable River and is considered the oldest settlement in the town. It is well known for its 1857 covered bridge which was located below the village green near the rapids, a very popular swimming hole. The 1857 bridge was deemed unsafe by the New York Department of Transportation and was closed, then removed. The new covered bridge has many original hand-hewed beams in the interior of the new construction and was officially opened as a footbridge in October 2007. *Jersey Section – This small residential community is located across the Jersey Bridge at the end of Main Street in the south part of Au Sable Forks. *Rome Section – A small residential area west of Au Sable Forks on the West Branch of the Au Sable River. The J & J Rogers Co. Pulp Mill and earlier Hydro Dam were located at the end of this road. *Slab City A tiny community clustered along Rt.9N as you leave The Forks, and travel toward Jay. It was the site of a couple of former Lumber Mills... hence the name "Slab City". *The Grove – Small community of residential homes along the main confluence of the Au Sable River, a half mile east of Au Sable Forks. This area had suffered recurring floods and ice jams since 1856. It was the first hamlet within the town of Jay to successfully secure a FEMA buyout in 1997 due to the massive devastation from November 9, 1996, flood. The Grove was oroginal known as The Flats until the name was changed after the deadly 1856 Great Freshet. *Upper Jay (formerly "Mallory's Bush") – A hamlet in the southwestern corner of the township on NY-9N, on the East Branch of the Au Sable River. It was the location of the

amusement park by

Arto Monaco Arto Monaco (November 15, 1913 in Elizabethtown, New York – November 21, 2003 in Upper Jay, New York) was an artist, theme park designer, toy designer, and cartoonist. Arto is buried in Mountain View Cemetery located in Upper Jay. His mother was ...

. The park was lost due to recurring flooding and ice jams along the river. The Keith and Branch Ford Motors Factory and Showroom, Wells Memorial Library, and Wellscroft are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Notable people

Earl Finch Earl Pierce Finch (October 27, 1830June 11, 1888) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 33rd speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and represented the city of Oshkosh. Biography Born in the town ...

(October 27, 1830 – June 11, 1888), Wisconsin State Assemblyman and lawyer * Isaac Finch (October 13, 1783 – June 23, 1845),

congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

* Chris Ortloff (September 20, 1947 – Present), Former New York State Assembly Member, convicted sex offender

References

External links

Town of Jay official website

{{authority control Towns in Essex County, New York Towns in New York (state)