Hamilton, Massachusetts

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Hamilton, Massachusetts
nickname =
motto =

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imagesize = 250px
image_caption = Hamilton Town Hall
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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Essex County in Massachusetts


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Massachusetts
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Essex
established_title = Settled
established_date = 1638
established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = 1793
established_title3 =
established_date3 =
government_type = Open town meeting
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 38.7
area_total_sq_mi = 14.9
area_land_km2 = 37.8
area_land_sq_mi = 14.6
area_water_km2 = 0.9
area_water_sq_mi = 0.3
population_as_of = 2000
settlement_type = Town
population_total = 8315
population_density_km2 = 220.0
population_density_sq_mi = 569.7
elevation_m = 152
elevation_ft = 500
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = Eastern
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 42 |latm = 37 |lats = 10.95 |latNS = N
longd = 70 |longm = 51 |longs = 17.24 |longEW = W
website = [http://www.hamiltonma.gov/ www.hamiltonma.gov]
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 01936/01982 (South)
area_code = 978
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 25-27900
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0619446
footnotes =

Hamilton is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,315 at the 2000 census.

History

Hamilton was first settled in 1638 and was originally a section of Ipswich known as “The Hamlet.” The Town was incorporated on June 21, 1793 and named for Alexander Hamilton, whose portrait became the town seal in 1903. Mr. Hamilton was most likely chosen for his importance in American history.

Overview

The Town of Hamilton is located in the eastern central portion of Essex County, in Eastern Massachusetts. Currently the town has no manufacturing industry and no industrially-zoned land. Hamilton is primarily considered a suburban bedroom community. Its North Shore location provides easy access to the Atlantic seashore with its preserves, beaches and boating. The town's surroundings typify quaint, rural New England and include many handsome historic houses. Large areas of open and agriculturalland encompassing the Audubon preserve, Bradley Palmer State Park, Myopia Hunt Club and several large estates and farms create a pastoral environment.

The town has a rich equestrian heritage, which remains strong today. Thus, the visitor to Hamilton is likely to share the back roads with horseback riders. The town also has Chebacco Lake within its boundaries, offering additional recreational activities.

Situated on a beautiful hill in the town is the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and nearby is Gordon College.

Hamilton shares a regional school system with the Town of Wenham.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.9 square miles (38.7 km²), of which, 14.6 square miles (37.8 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (2.28%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 8,315 people, 2,668 households, and 2,142 families residing in the town. The population density was 569.7 people per square mile (219.9/km²). There were 2,825 housing units at an average density of 193.5/sq mi (74.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.19% White, 0.47% African American, 0.17% Native American, 4.26% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.

There were 2,668 households out of which 66.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $72,000, and the median income for a family was $79,886. Males had a median income of $51,776 versus $37,013 for females. The per capita income for the town was $33,222. About 3.4% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Home to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, an interdenominational evangelical theological seminary located in South Hamilton.

Hamilton is also where the majority of the schools in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District are located. Only Buker Elementary School is located outside the town, in neighboring Wenham, Massachusetts.

The Pingree School, a private secondary school, is located on the historic Pingree Family Estate in South Hamilton.

Transportation

* MBTA Commuter Rail provides service from Boston's North Station with the Hamilton/Wenham station on its Newburyport branch of the Newburyport/Rockport Line.

Notable Residents

*General Patton, known for his exploits in World War II, resided in Hamilton, MA. This is the reason for Patton Park, a park made famous by the installation of a full-sized World War II tank on which many children and young adults play.
* Actor David Morse was born in Hamilton.
* David McWane of the ska band Big D and the Kids Table is originally from Hamilton.
* Famous internet comedian Bo Burnham resides in Hamilton.

Myopia Hunt Club

Myopia Hunt Club is a foxhunting and private country club at 435 Bay Road in South Hamilton, Massachusetts founded in 1882. The five founders of the Hunt Club all wore glasses, hence its name, Myopia. Today, the Myopia Hunt Club is a drag hunt, meaning that the hounds follow a laid scent rather than live fox.

Polo:Myopia boasts the oldest continually running polo field in the nation. Polo is still played on Sunday afternoons (gates open at 1:30; games begin at 3:00) and is open to the public for a small fee.

Golf: This is the only course in the United States to have been listed by "GOLF Magazine" as having two of the United States's top 100 signature holes, Myopia's fourth and ninth. The U.S. Open was held at the club in 1898, 1901, 1905, and 1908.

External links

* [http://www.hamiltonma.gov/ Town of Hamilton]
* [http://www.hwcsc.org/ Citizens for a Strong Community]

*Anderson, Philader. [http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=HAMILTON.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1830&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1830&pageprefix= 1831 Map of Hamilton.]

*Beers, D.G. [http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_results.asp?ImageType=index&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872 1872 Atlas of Essex County.] [http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PLATE_0073.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&pageprefix= Town of Hamilton Map - Plate 75.] Click on map for a very large image.
* [http://docs.unh.edu/towns/HamiltonMassachusettsMapList.htm Old USGS maps of Hamilton.]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~machamil/ Historical Resources for Hamilton.] At Rootsweb.