Jay is a town in Santa Rosa County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States. Located in the

Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...

North Florida North Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida comprising the northernmost part of the state. Along with South Florida and Central Florida, it is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regi ...

, it is part of the

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

– Ferry Pass–

Brent, Florida Brent is a census-designated place (CDP) in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is considered to be a community within Pensacola. The population was 23,447 at the 2020 census, up from 21,804 at the 2010 census. It is a principal area of ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 524 at the 2020 census, down from 533 at the 2010 census.

History

19th century

In 1821, Spain formally yielded possession of

Spanish Florida Spanish Florida () was the first major European land-claim and attempted settlement-area in northern America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and th ...

to the United States and it became the

Florida Territory The Territory of Florida was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 30, 1822, until March 3, 1845, when it was admitted to the Union as the state of Florida. Originally the major portion of the Spanish ...

in 1822. Santa Rosa County was created in 1842, three years before Florida became a state in 1845. The Town of Jay was known in the early 1800s as "''Cobb Old Field''", but was later known as "''Pine Level''". It is located about 38 miles north of

and 27 miles north of

Milton, Florida Milton is a city and county seat of Santa Rosa County, Florida, Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. It is located within the Pensacola metropolitan area. The city was first Incorporated in 1844, however certain areas such as East Milton, ...

, and about 3 miles from the

Escambia County, Alabama Escambia County is a County (United States), county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 36,757. Its county seat is Brewton, Alabama, Brewton. ...

, state line. The Jernigan family were among some of the earliest pioneers in the "Pine Level" area of Santa Rosa County. Among them were such settlers as Van Jernigan, who arrived when Florida was still a territory. His homestead near the headbank at the southern bend of Cobb Creek was located on the eastern side of Milton-Pollard Road. As with many residents of the area, Jernigan's occupation was in the timber and logging industry. He also owned one of the area's largest range cattle herds, descendants of which continued to roam on the open range even many years after his death. Jerningan's estate sold them sometime in the 1890s. Eldridge Jernigan was another member of the Jernigan family who was an early settler in the area. He later moved to the nearby community of

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel (; ), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (; ), is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situat ...

20th century

In 1902, a committee was formed to select a name for the thriving farming community. James "Jay" Thomas Nowling submitted the name "Pine Level" but it was declined due to another Florida post office already using that same name. Nowling was asked to submit a second name and was turned down again due to the name being too long. He was asked to submit yet another name but the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

decided to name the new post office after his

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

("Jay") before he was able to submit another name, and then Nowling became the first

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

for the community that now had his

namesake A namesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another (e.g. John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake of John F. Kennedy). In common parlance, it may ...

. In 1922, at least 175 African-American residents of Jay left in a mass exodus after a fight between a black and a white farmer, leaving a legacy of Jay being known as a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combinati ...

. In a 1974 ''

Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute ...

'' article, the then-mayor of Jay, J.D. Bray said: "The sun doesn't set on a colored man in Jay, ... Come 4 o'clock, they're gone. They were run out of here back in the days of the turpentine still. And they know better than to come in here.". According to the

US Census The United States census (plural censuses or census) is a census that is legally mandated by the Constitution of the United States. It takes place every ten years. The first census after the American Revolution was taken in 1790 under Secretar ...

in 2010 and in 2020, the town still had only four African-American residents, but that was up from just two Black citizens on the 2000 US Census. The Town of Jay was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1951.

Geography

The approximate coordinates for the Town of Jay is located in northwest Santa Rosa County at . 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 , all land. The town lies on high ground on the east bank of the

Escambia River The Conecuh River (upper portion) and Escambia River (lower portion) are a single river in the southern United States, which flows from Alabama through Florida into the Gulf of Mexico. The Conecuh River rises near Union Springs, Alabama and flow ...

. There are two river access points/boat ramps, both outside the city limits.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, the Town of Jay has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

zone (''Cfa'').

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 524 people, 217 households, and 142 families residing in the town. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 533 people, 289 households, and 203 families residing in the town.

2000 census

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 579 people, 230 households, and 147 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 278 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.58%

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 ...

, 0.35%

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 ...

, 1.21% Native American, 0.17% Asian, and 0.69% 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 1.90% of the population. In 2000, there were 230 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% 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, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.07. In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $23,500, and the median income for a family was $40,250. Males had a median income of $26,719 versus $21,500 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 $13,949. About 13.8% of families and 16.5% 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 23.9% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Industry

Jay is a farming community, with cotton, soybeans, peanuts and hay being major crops. A small group of farmers began a livestock market there in 1940, with sales reaching $1 million within 10 years, but the market closed near the turn of the century. Oil was discovered in Jay in 1970. The Jay oilfield has approximately 67 oil wells - eleven within the town limits. Royalties from the oil have exceeded $400 million that funded a new city hall, fire department and recreation complex. Jay is also the site of the Jay oil field, which has produced over 330 million barrels since its discovery in 1970, but is now toward the end of its producing life. A small refinery is located off State Road 4. The refinery has had several owners since the 1970s—

ExxonMobil Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...

sold the refinery to Quantum Resources Management LL
Quantum Energy Partners : Quantum Resources, LP
March 2004. In January 2009, Quantum announced that they were ceasing production at the facility due to poor economics, and has terminated roughly half of the plant employees. Quantum resumed production shortly thereafter when oil prices increased.

Recreation

Jay is home to the Jay Peanut Festival, held each Autumn, and also hosts several local rodeo events. The nearby Escambia River provides fishing opportunities, and both the Escambia River WMA and the Blackwater State Forest provide public, licensed hunting.

Services

Jay has a combined elementary and middle school (grades K–6), and a combined middle-high school (grades 7–12). There are several banks and credit unions. There is one grocery store and one traffic light. The nearest Walmart stores are in

Brewton, Alabama Brewton is a city in and the county seat of Escambia County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 5,276. Brewton is located in south central Alabama, just north of the Florida Panhandle. ...

or Pace, Florida. There are several private airstrips, and the nearest commercial-service passenger airport is the

Pensacola International Airport Pensacola International Airport , formerly Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport and Pensacola Regional Airport (Hagler Field), and temporarily branded Pensacola Intergalactic Airport each February in recognition of the local Pensacon convent ...

(approximately 40 miles SSW). Jay Hospital is a 55-bed general

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

located in northern Santa Rosa County serving the residents of Jay and the surrounding areas of

Century A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. ...

, Flomaton, and other communities in the northwest Florida-south Alabama region. The Santa Rosa County Library System operates a branch in Jay.

Infrastructure

Jay is served by two main state highways: State Road 4, running east and west, and State Road 89, running north and south. The town and immediate surrounding communities are about two hundred seventy-five feet above sea level. There is no railroad or bus service available in Jay, Florida.

Notable people

* Brian Girard James,

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

also known as "The Road Dogg" Jesse James * Jackie Moore,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

Manager, coach and player. Managed the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

1984–1986 * Thomas Brent "Boo" Weekley, golfer * John Robert "Bob" Zellner, American civil rights activist, subject of the 2020 biographical drama '' Son of the South''.

References

External links

Official website for the Town of Jay

Jay, Florida
CityTownInfo.com
Jay Hospital
Hospital located in Jay, Florida {{authority control Towns in Santa Rosa County, Florida Towns in Pensacola metropolitan area Towns in Florida 1902 establishments in Florida Sundown towns in Florida