[6] Jay is located in the oak and hickory forests of the Ozark Plateau.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), all land.

[10] Jay is atypical in Oklahoma history because the townsite and layout were located and platted specifically for its purpose as a county seat.

It is not located on a river, major road or railway line as were most Oklahoma towns of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

They pinpointed allotment land belonging to Thomas Oochaleta, a full-blood Cherokee.

Since acquiring title to a full-blood's allotment would require a lengthy federal legal procedure, the committee shifted their attention to the allotment adjoining Oochaleta's on the east, a parcel belonging to committee member Claude L. "Jay" Washbourne.

As a mixed-blood Cherokee, Washbourne was exempt from the federal policy restricting the sale or transfer of his land.

Postal Service for a post office, submitting the required three town names for consideration.

32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.