Gays, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gays, Illinois
|
|
|---|---|
Gays water tower
|
|
Location in Moultrie County, Illinois
|
|
 Gays, Illinois
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| County | Moultrie |
| Township | Whitley |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.39 sq mi (1.00 km2) |
| • Land | 0.39 sq mi (1.00 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 755 ft (230 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 218 |
| • Density | 564.77/sq mi (218.07/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
61928
|
| Area code(s) | 217 |
| FIPS code | 17-28807 |
| GNIS ID | 2398948 |
| Wikimedia Commons | Gays, Illinois |
Gays is a small village located in Moultrie County, Illinois, in the United States. In 2020, about 218 people lived there. This was a bit fewer than the 281 people counted in 2010.
Contents
Geography of Gays, Illinois
Gays is found in the southeast part of Moultrie County. It is located along Illinois Route 16. This road goes east about 6 miles (10 km) to Mattoon. It also goes west-southwest about 17 miles (27 km) to Shelbyville. Sullivan, which is the main town of Moultrie County, is about 14 miles (23 km) to the northwest.
The U.S. Census Bureau says that Gays covers a total area of about 0.39 square miles (1.00 square kilometer). All of this area is land.
Climate in Gays
| Weather chart for Gays, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: The Weather Channel |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Metric conversion
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gays is in Central Illinois and has a humid climate. Winters are usually cold and dry. Springtime often brings strong weather, including the chance of tornadoes.
Population Changes in Gays
| 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% | |
| 2020 | 218 | −22.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In the year 2000, a census counted 259 people living in Gays. There were 99 households and 76 families. The village had about 633.5 people per square mile (244.6 per square kilometer). There were 104 housing units, with about 254.4 units per square mile (98.2 per square kilometer). Most of the people living in the village (98.46%) were White.
About 41.4% of the households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (65.7%) were married couples. The average household had 2.62 people, and the average family had 3.00 people.
The population was spread out by age. About 27.8% were under 18 years old. About 32.4% were between 25 and 44 years old. The median age was 34 years. This means half the people were younger than 34 and half were older. For every 100 females, there were about 112.3 males.
In 2000, the average income for a household in Gays was $42,500. For families, the average income was $42,813. The average income for each person in the village was $19,131. A small number of families (2.5%) and people (3.6%) lived below the poverty line. This included 5.6% of those under 18.
Interesting Places in Gays
One unique spot in Gays is a two-story outhouse. It was built in 1869. This outhouse was made for apartments that were connected to a general store. People living on the top floor of the apartments used the upper level of the outhouse. Customers of the store used the bottom level.
Even though the store and apartments were later taken down, the outhouse stayed. Each level has two seats, so four people could use it at the same time. Waste from the top level went down behind a hidden wall into a pit. You can find this interesting outhouse at the corner of N Pine Street and Front Street.
West of the outhouse, there used to be a rusty bicycle hanging on a pole. A sign next to it said "Hitler's Bike (1932)". This was a local curiosity.
See also
In Spanish: Gays (Illinois) para niños
