Fort Gay, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fort Gay, West Virginia
|
|
|---|---|
Location of Fort Gay in Wayne County, West Virginia.
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Wayne |
| Chartered | 1875 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.87 sq mi (2.26 km2) |
| • Land | 0.82 sq mi (2.14 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) |
| Elevation | 580 ft (177 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 677 |
| • Estimate
(2021)
|
671 |
| • Density | 835.15/sq mi (322.62/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
25514
|
| Area code(s) | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-28516 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1554491 |
| Website | https://local.wv.gov/FortGay/Pages/default.aspx |
Fort Gay is a small town in Wayne County, West Virginia, USA. It sits right where the Tug Fork and Big Sandy rivers meet. The town is also right next to Louisa, Kentucky. In 2020, about 677 people lived there.
Contents
Fort Gay's History and Name
The story of Fort Gay began in 1789. Eleven people started a settlement where the Tug and Big Sandy rivers join. This spot was across from what is now Louisa, Kentucky.
How Fort Gay Got Its Name
In 1875, the town was officially named Cassville. But many people also called it Fort Gay at the same time. In 1932, the town's name was officially changed to Fort Gay.
No one knows for sure why the name changed. But there are a few ideas. One idea is that the railroad company or post office did not want two towns named Cassville. There was already another Cassville, West Virginia in the state. Another idea is that a nurse named Gay, who worked during the Civil War, became well-known in the town.
Fort Gay and the Huntington Area
Fort Gay is part of a larger area called the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area. This area includes cities and towns in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. In 2000, about 288,649 people lived in this larger area.
Railroad Connection
The Norfolk Southern Railway's Kenova District line runs through the western part of Fort Gay. This railway is important for moving goods and people.
A Mix-Up with a Video Game Company
In 2010, Fort Gay was in the news because of a misunderstanding. A person from Fort Gay had their Xbox Live account suspended by Microsoft. This happened because they listed "Fort Gay WV" as their location. Microsoft's rules at the time caused them to misunderstand the town's name.
Microsoft customer service at first did not believe Fort Gay was a real place. It took the town's mayor, David Thompson, and news stories to fix the problem. Microsoft then corrected the issue and apologized.
Geography of Fort Gay
Fort Gay is located at 38°7′3″N 82°35′41″W / 38.11750°N 82.59472°W. This means it's in the northern part of the world, west of the main line that divides east and west.
Town Size
According to the United States Census Bureau, Fort Gay covers about 0.89 square miles (2.31 km2) of land and water. Most of this area, about 0.84 square miles (2.18 km2), is land. The rest, about 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2), is water.
People of Fort Gay
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 253 | — | |
| 1890 | 266 | 5.1% | |
| 1910 | 457 | — | |
| 1920 | 617 | 35.0% | |
| 1930 | 664 | 7.6% | |
| 1940 | 645 | −2.9% | |
| 1950 | 714 | 10.7% | |
| 1960 | 739 | 3.5% | |
| 1970 | 792 | 7.2% | |
| 1980 | 886 | 11.9% | |
| 1990 | 852 | −3.8% | |
| 2000 | 819 | −3.9% | |
| 2010 | 705 | −13.9% | |
| 2020 | 677 | −4.0% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 671 | −4.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Population in 2010
In 2010, the census showed that 705 people lived in Fort Gay. There were 323 households and 197 families. The town had about 839.3 inhabitants per square mile (324.1/km2) people per square mile.
There were 380 housing units, which are homes or apartments. About 452.4 per square mile (174.7/km2) housing units were found per square mile.
Most people in Fort Gay were White (96.6%). A smaller number were Native American (0.6%), Asian (0.3%), or from other backgrounds. About 2.4% of people were from two or more races. About 0.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Households and Families
About 27.2% of households had children under 18 living there. Many households (43.0%) were married couples living together. Some households (14.2%) had a female head with no husband. A few (3.7%) had a male head with no wife. About 39.0% of households were not families.
Almost 36% of all households were made up of single individuals. About 14.6% of households had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household had 2.18 people. The average family had 2.79 people.
Age in Fort Gay
The average age in Fort Gay was 43.2 years old. About 19.7% of residents were under 18. About 7.8% were between 18 and 24. A quarter (25%) were from 25 to 44. About 29.6% were from 45 to 64. And 17.9% were 65 years old or older.
The town had slightly more females than males. About 46.1% of the population was male, and 53.9% was female.
See also
In Spanish: Fort Gay (Virginia Occidental) para niños
