Gays, Illinois Explained

Gays, Illinois
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:USA
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pushpin Label:Gays
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the United States
Coordinates:39.4583°N -88.4964°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Moultrie
Subdivision Type3:Township
Subdivision Name3:Whitley
Established Title:Founded
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Title1:Village president
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:1.00
Area Total Sq Mi:0.39
Area Land Km2:1.00
Area Land Sq Mi:0.39
Area Water Km2:0.00
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Elevation Ft:755
Population As Of:2020
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:218
Population Density Km2:218.07
Population Density Sq Mi:564.77
Timezone1:CST
Utc Offset1:-6
Timezone1 Dst:CDT
Utc Offset1 Dst:-5
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:61928
Area Code:217
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:17-28807
Blank1 Name:GNIS ID
Blank1 Info:2398948
Blank2 Name Sec2:Wikimedia Commons
Blank2 Info Sec2:Gays, Illinois

Gays is a village in Moultrie County, Illinois, United States. The population was 218 at the 2020 census,[2] down from 281 in 2010.

Geography

Gays is in the southeast corner of Moultrie County, along Illinois Route 16, which leads east 6miles to Mattoon and west-southwest to Shelbyville. Sullivan, the Moultrie county seat, is to the northwest.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gays has a total area of 0.39sqmi, all land.[1]

Climate

Gays is located in Central Illinois, with a humid climate. Winters are cold and dry, spring brings severe weather, including the threat of tornadoes.

Demographics

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 259 people, 99 households, and 76 families residing in the village. The population density was 633.5sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 104 housing units at an average density of 254.4sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the village was 98.46% White and 1.54% Pacific Islander.

There were 99 households, out of which 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $42,813. Males had a median income of $29,688 versus $21,944 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,131. About 2.5% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

Arts and culture

A two-story outhouse is located in the town. It was built in 1869 for apartments that were attached to a general store. The top floor was used by the apartment dwellers while the bottom floor was used by patrons of the store. Although the store and apartments were demolished, the outhouse remained. Each level has two seats, so the outhouse could be used by four at a time. Waste from the top level dropped behind a false wall into a pit.[4] It is located at the corner of N Pine Street and Front Street.

West of the outhouse is the former site of what was claimed to be Hitler's bicycle. A rusty bicycle once hung on a pole with a sign that read "Hitler's Bike (1932)".[5]

References

  1. Web site: 2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Illinois . United States Census Bureau . April 5, 2023.
  2. Web site: P1. Race – Gays village, Illinois: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171). U.S. Census Bureau. April 5, 2023.
  3. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  4. Web site: Two-Story Outhouse, Gays, Illinois. RoadsideAmerica.com. en. August 18, 2019.
  5. Web site: The Memphis Flyer: Travel - June 11, 1998. www.memphisflyer.com. August 18, 2019.