Hamilton, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Hamilton Town Hall | |
 Seal | |
 Location inEssex County and the state ofMassachusetts. | |
| Coordinates:42°37′10.95″N70°51′17.24″W / 42.6197083°N 70.8547889°W /42.6197083; -70.8547889 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Essex |
| Settled | 1638; 387 years ago (1638) |
| Incorporated | 1793; 232 years ago (1793) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.9 sq mi (38.6 km2) |
| • Land | 14.2 sq mi (36.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.73 sq mi (1.9 km2) |
| Elevation | 49 ft (15 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,561 |
| • Density | 534/sq mi (206/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes | 01936 (Hamilton) 01982 (South Hamilton) |
| Area code | 351/978 |
| FIPS code | 25-27900 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0619446 |
| Website | www |
Hamilton is atown in the eastern central portion ofEssex County in easternMassachusetts, United States. At the2020 census, it had a population of 7,561.[1] Notably, the town has no industrially-zoned land.
Although Hamilton is a landlocked town in theNorth Shore region of Massachusetts, its proximity to it provides easy access to theAtlantic seashore with its reservations, beaches and boating.
Hamilton is closely tied to neighboringWenham, sharing a school system, library, recreation department,commuter rail station.
In June 1638,John Winthrop the Younger, son of the founder of theMassachusetts Bay Colony, bought most of present-dayEssex County fromMasconomet, chief of theAgawam Indians, for the sum of twentyEnglish pounds. A memorial stone on Sagamore Hill in southeastern Hamilton marks where Masconomet was buried with his gun and tomahawk around 1658.
Hamilton was first settled in 1638 and was originally a section ofIpswich known as "The Hamlet". The first recorded land grant in the Hamlet was Matthew Whipple's farm, dated 1638. Three years later the new stagecoach road fromBoston toNewburyport (Bay Road) was laid out through the Whipple land. Other early settlers of the Hamlet, including the Appletons, Winthrops, Lamsons, and Dodges, were attracted by countryside similar to the English farms and estates they had left behind.
The town was incorporated on June 21, 1793,[2] and named forAlexander Hamilton, whose portrait became the town seal in 1903. With the arrival of theBoston and Maine Railroad in 1839, the population center moved gradually southward toward the depot.
The farm village proved to be an attractive location for Boston groups seeking land for recreation and renewal. AMethodist ministers' association first held a camp meeting atAsbury Grove in 1859. In the 1880s, theMyopia Hunt Club, which had been named in jest for its nearsighted founders, moved fromWinchester, Massachusetts, to the Gibney Farm in Hamilton. Beginning as a lawn tennis and baseball club, it turned topolo, thehunt, andgolf as members built large summer estates in the area. Myopia donated the site for the GeneralGeorge S. Patton Memorial Park to the town of Hamilton. The park continues to be a recreation center for the town.
In 1921, the Mandell family built theCommunity House in memory of the eight men in Hamilton and Wenham who died in military service duringWorld War I, including their son, Sam. They commissionedGuy Lowell, a respected architect of Boston and New York, to design the building, and gave the Community House in trust for the use of the residents of both towns. Although in its early days the Community House offered activities such as bowling and a men's smoking room, it now features a wide range of classes and activities for all ages.[3][4][5]
The town also has a richequestrian heritage, which remains strong due to the influence of the many horse farms and theMyopia Hunt Club, which holds frequent equestrian events.[6] Motorists in Hamilton often share secondary roads with horse and pony riders.
In 2021, Hamilton became the first town in Massachusetts to mandate composting.[7][8]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.9 square miles (38.6 km2), of which 14.2 square miles (36.7 km2) is land and 0.73 square miles (1.9 km2), or 4.89%, is water.[9] Hamilton lies 5 miles (8 km) inland fromMassachusetts Bay, and both the eastern and western portion of town are bordered by water, with theIpswich River to the west andChebacco Lake and several other small ponds to the east. The highest point in town is found on Blueberry Hill inBradley Palmer State Park, with an elevation of at least 215 feet (66 m), according to the most recent (2011-2012) USGS 7.5-minute topographical map.[10] Several areas of town are protected, includingMyopia Hunt Club and parts of Bradley Palmer State Park, Appleton Farm Grass Rides, and the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary.
Patton Park, a center of activity for the town in downtown Hamilton, was named after GeneralGeorge S. Patton.
Hamilton is bordered byIpswich to the north,Essex to the east,Manchester-by-the-Sea to the southeast,Wenham to the south, andTopsfield to the west. It is located 12 miles (19 km) south ofNewburyport, 8 miles (13 km) north ofSalem and 23 miles (37 km) northeast ofBoston.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 889 | — |
| 1860 | 789 | −11.2% |
| 1870 | 790 | +0.1% |
| 1880 | 935 | +18.4% |
| 1890 | 961 | +2.8% |
| 1900 | 1,614 | +68.0% |
| 1910 | 1,749 | +8.4% |
| 1920 | 1,631 | −6.7% |
| 1930 | 2,044 | +25.3% |
| 1940 | 2,037 | −0.3% |
| 1950 | 2,764 | +35.7% |
| 1960 | 5,488 | +98.6% |
| 1970 | 6,373 | +16.1% |
| 1980 | 6,960 | +9.2% |
| 1990 | 7,280 | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 8,315 | +14.2% |
| 2010 | 7,764 | −6.6% |
| 2020 | 7,561 | −2.6% |
| 2024* | 7,670 | +1.4% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] | ||
As of thecensus[22] of 2000, there were 8,315 people, 2,668 households, and 2,142 families residing in the town. (Update: The population was 8251 in 2009, down less than 100 from the 8,315 of the 2000 census. Based on the total area, both land and water, the density is therefore 553.8 persons per square mile.) As of the 2000 census, there were 2,825 housing units at an average density of 193.5 per square mile (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% fromother races, and 0.53% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino 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% weremarried couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. Of all households, 15.7% 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.
Themedian income for a household in the town was $116,900. Theper capita income for the town was $50,599. About 7.4% of the population were below thepoverty line.
Hamilton is esteemed for the regional school district it shares with neighboringWenham, and Hamilton is where the majority of the schools in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District are located. The town serves two elementary schools; the Winthrop, and Cutler schools. The town only has one middle school; the Miles River Middle School. High School students attendHamilton-Wenham Regional High School.
ThePingree School, a private secondary school, is located on the historic Pingree Family Estate in Hamilton.
Hamilton is also home toGordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, aninterdenominationalevangelicaltheologicalseminary.
Municipalities and communities ofEssex County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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