Blue Jay is an unincorporated community located near Lake Arrowhead at latitude”>34°14′46″N longitude”>117°12′32″W, elevation 5,203 ft (1,586 m).  It is well known as the “Gateway to Lake Arrowhead”

Blue Jay got its beginnings when William Caley operated his sawmill there in the 1860’s and ‘70’s.

The town started as the homestead of Art and Nora Wixom, who operated a store and a few rental cabins there in the early 1900’s. The area was then known as Wixom Corner.

Stoney DeMent leased Wixom Corner, built a market called the Blue Jay Market for the blue colored birds that live in the area.  This later became the name of the town.  The naming of the town is something of a misnomer: the local variety of jay is actually the Steller’s Jay, not the closely related Blue Jay. While this is widely known in the area, the name stuck.

The market had a dance floor upstairs, but this was converted to hotel rooms a few years later to accommodate the crowds of tourists who came in the summer.   The DeMent family came to own most of the town and in 1978 H.R. “Rick” Kaufman of Pioneer Chicken fame purchased the DeMent holdings for $3,000,000.00. During his tenure as owner, the Ice Castle and Cinema were constructed.

Today, Blue Jay Village today is home to 2314 residents. It is considered the entertainment district of the Lake Arrowhead community. It contains a shopping center, a number of restaurants, and many privately owned stores. The village also hosts many events including the Lake Arrowhead celebration of film, The Blue Jay Christmas parade, and the Blue Jay Jazz Festival.