Gays, Illinois

Gays is a village in Moultrie County, Illinois, United States. The population was 281 at the 2010 census.

Gays
Village
Water tower
Location of Gays in Moultrie County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 39°27′32″N 88°29′47″W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Moultrie
Township	Whitley
Area [1]
• Total	0.41 sq mi (1.05 km^2)
• Land	0.41 sq mi (1.05 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Elevation	753 ft (230 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	281
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	254
• Density	627.16/sq mi (242.10/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	61928
Area code(s)	217
FIPS code	17-28807
Wikimedia Commons	Gays, Illinois

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Gays has a total area of 0.41 square miles (1.06 km²), all land.[3]

Climate

Gays, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.4     35 20     2     40 24     3     52 33     3.8     65 43     4.4     74 54     4.1     83 62     4     86 66     3     85 64     3.1     79 56     3.7     68 45     4.1     52 35     3     38 24 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[4]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     60     2 −7     51     4 −4     77     11 1     98     18 6     111     23 12     104     28 17     101     30 19     77     29 18     79     26 13     93     20 7     104     11 2     76     3 −4 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

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

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	99		—
1910	322		—
1920	274		−14.9%
1930	306		11.7%
1940	261		−14.7%
1950	261		0.0%
1960	263		0.8%
1970	269		2.3%
1980	290		7.8%
1990	237		−18.3%
2000	259		9.3%
2010	281		8.5%
2019 (est.)	254	[2]	−9.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 259 people, 99 households, and 76 families residing in the village. The population density was 633.5 people per square mile (243.9/km²). There were 104 housing units at an average density of 254.4 per square mile (97.9/km²). 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

The Gays historical two-story outhouse

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.[7] It is located at the corner of N Pine St. and Front St. 39°27′32″N 88°29′44″W

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)."[8]

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
4. "Monthly Averages for Gays, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
7. "Two-Story Outhouse, Gays, Illinois". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
8. "The Memphis Flyer: Travel - June 11, 1998". www.memphisflyer.com. Retrieved 2019-08-18.

• Pohlen, J. (2000). Oddball illinois. Chicago: Chicago Review Press.