Editing Hamilton, Indiana

{{for|other Hamilton communities in Indiana|Hamilton, Madison County, Indiana|Hamilton, Clinton County, Indiana|Hamilton, St. Joseph County, Indiana}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Hamilton, Indiana
| settlement_type    = [[Town]]
| image_blank_emblem = Logo of Hamilton, Indiana.png
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| nickname           = 
| motto              = "Life is better in Hamilton, Indiana"
| mapsize            = 250x200px
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_map          = File:DeKalb County and Steuben County Indiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Hamilton Highlighted 1830594.svg
| map_caption        = Location of Hamilton in DeKalb County and Steuben County, Indiana.
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_18.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Indiana]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Indiana|Counties]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Steuben County, Indiana|Steuben]], [[DeKalb County, Indiana|DeKalb]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[List of townships in Indiana|Township]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Otsego Township, Steuben County, Indiana|Otsego]], [[Franklin Township, DeKalb County, Indiana|Franklin]]
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = Joseph D. Sanders{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = c. 1837
| established_title1 = Incorporated
| established_date1  = 1914
| population_footnotes = 
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_note    = 
| population_total   = 1529
| population_density_sq_mi = 727.75
| population_density_km2 = 281.02
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| area_land_km2      = 5.44
| area_water_km2     = 2.47
| area_total_km2     = 7.91
| area_total_sq_mi   = 3.05
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.10
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.95
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 912
| coordinates        = {{coord|41|32|27|N|84|55|13|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 46742
| area_code          = [[Area code 260|260]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 18-30594<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2396982<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2396982}}</ref>
| footnotes          = 
| website            = {{URL|https://hamiltonindiana.org/}}
}}
'''Hamilton''' is a town located on the border of [[Steuben County, Indiana]] and [[DeKalb County, Indiana]].<ref name=gnis/>  In Steuben County, it is in [[Otsego Township, Steuben County, Indiana|Otsego Township]], and in DeKalb County it is in [[Franklin Township, DeKalb County, Indiana|Franklin Township]]. The population was 1,529 at the 2020 census.

== History ==
In the late 1830s, the land that present-day Hamilton was built on was sold by the owner Niconar Munson to Dr. Samuel Tuttle, who was the first to plat the town. The original name of the town was "Enterprise".<ref>{{cite book|author=Federal Writers' Project|title=Indiana: A Guide to the Hoosier State|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2r22OGS6yeAC&pg=PA287|year=1941|publisher=WPA|isbn=978-1-62376-013-7|page=287}}</ref> Dr. Tuttle went to [[New York (state)|New York]] shortly thereafter, where he met Fisher Howe, president of a syndicate of capitalists. Dr. Tuttle sold all but one-sixteenth of the plat to him for $15,000. In the spring of 1838, Howe sent Sidney Gambia, an agent, to Enterprise to sell goods and develop the settlement. However, Enterprise was heavily ladened with illness that year, to such an extent that it became known for it. To improve the settlement's reputation, the name was changed to Hamilton. Eventually the town was sold to Sidney Gambia for $1 (and for other terms), and the name was officially recorded as the Town of Hamilton in 1844.

A post office was established under the name Enterprise in 1837, and was renamed to Hamilton in 1844. The post office remains in operation.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=IN&county=Steuben | title=Steuben County | publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | access-date=September 29, 2016}}</ref>

Hamilton was incorporated as a town in 1914.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Early Hamilton Historical Marker |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=196563 |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=www.hmdb.org |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the 2010 census, Hamilton has a total area of {{convert|3.15|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|2.39|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (or 75.87%) is land and {{convert|0.76|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (or 24.13%) is water.<ref name="census-g001">{{cite web
  |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1830594
  |title=G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1
  |access-date=July 16, 2015
  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]
  |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213055156/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1830594
  |archive-date=February 13, 2020
  |url-status=dead
  }}</ref>

The town is served by Indiana Highway 1, Indiana Highway 427, and Bellefontaine Road, which connects to Old US 27 in Pleasant Lake. The town is mainly a resort town that sees an influx of vacationers known colloquially as "lakers" during the summer months. The town is served by the Hamilton Police Department and the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department. The main feature of the town is its namesake lake which the town was built around. Author [[Edward Eager]] vacationed here as a child in the 1920s, and featured the lake and local places like the hotel at Cold Harbor in one of his children’s books, “Magic by the Lake”.

A few years ago,{{When|date=January 2024}} the Flegal Brothers Gravel Pit, located on the Northwest end of the lake, was shut down and sold. After getting the go-ahead from state and federal officials, the closed pits were allowed to flood and then the portion of land separating the old gravel pit from the lake was removed and the newly created additions to the lake were named Crystal Bay and Crystal Cove and were sold off to a developer for the construction of new homes.

Neighborhoods in the town include Russels Point, Oakwood, Penn Park, Forest Park, and Island Park.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1920= 387
|1930= 357
|1940= 392
|1950= 376
|1960= 380
|1970= 537
|1980= 587
|1990= 684
|2000= 1233
|2010= 1532
|2020= 1529
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 11, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,532 people, 684 households, and 445 families living in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|641.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 1,165 housing units at an average density of {{convert|487.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 98.4% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.3% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.3% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 0.8% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 684 households, of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.9% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.76.

The median age in the town was 47.2 years. 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.3% were from 25 to 44; 32.9% were from 45 to 64; and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,233 people, 517 households, and 348 families living in the town. The population density was {{convert|744.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 680 housing units at an average density of {{convert|410.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 98.62% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.08% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.24% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.08% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.08% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.32% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.57% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.54% of the population.

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:hamiltonaerial.jpg|thumb|250px|left|'''Hamilton''' from the air in 1946.]] -->

There were 517 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,391, and the median income for a family was $47,917. Males had a median income of $36,346 versus $22,219 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $19,834. About 6.2% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

==Education ==
The town of Hamilton lies in the school district of [[Schools in DeKalb County|Hamilton Community Schools]]. The local schools' town residents attend are:
*Hamilton Elementary School
*Hamilton Junior-Senior High School

==Notable people==
* [[Edgar Buell|Edgar "Pop" Buell]], humanitarian aid worker in [[Laos]] in the 1960s and 1970s.
* [[James I. Farley]], member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1933–1939, was born on a farm near Hamilton.

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://hamiltonindiana.org/ Town of Hamilton, Indiana website]
* [http://www.hamiltonlakechamber.org/ Hamilton Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.hamiltonlake.org Hamilton Lake Association]

{{DeKalb County, Indiana}}
{{Steuben County, Indiana}}
{{Fort Wayne Metro}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Steuben County, Indiana]]
[[Category:Towns in DeKalb County, Indiana]]
[[Category:Towns in Indiana]]
[[Category:1844 establishments in Indiana]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1844]]