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Fort Gay, West Virginia
Location of Fort Gay in Wayne County, 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
 (2010)
 • Total 705
 • Estimate 
(2019)
689
 • 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

Fort Gay is a town in Wayne County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Tug Fork and Big Sandy rivers. The town adjoins Louisa, Kentucky. The population was 705 at the 2010 census.

History

The Fort Gay community traces back to 1789, when 11 people established a settlement at the junction of the Tug and Big Sandy rivers, across from what is now Louisa. In 1875, it was chartered as Cassville; though it was simultaneously known as Fort Gay. In 1932, the town's name was officially changed to Fort Gay. There is no evidence as to why the name was changed, there are several prevalent theories: that either the railroad company or post office did not want two Cassvilles on the same route/state (there is another Cassville, West Virginia), or that a Civil War nurse named Gay became synonymous with the town.

Fort Gay is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649.

The Norfolk Southern Railway's Kenova District goes through the western edge of town.

Geography

Fort Gay is located at 38°7′3″N 82°35′41″W / 38.11750°N 82.59472°W / 38.11750; -82.59472 (38.117528, -82.594620).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.89 square miles (2.31 km2), of which, 0.84 square miles (2.18 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water.

Demographics

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%
2019 (est.) 689 −2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 705 people, 323 households, and 197 families living in the town. The population density was 839.3 inhabitants per square mile (324.1/km2). There were 380 housing units at an average density of 452.4 per square mile (174.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.6% White, 0.6% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population.

There were 323 households, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.0% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.79.

The median age in the town was 43.2 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 29.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.1% male and 53.9% female.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Fort Gay (Virginia Occidental) para niños

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