Hamilton is a town located on the border of Steuben County, Indiana and DeKalb County, Indiana. In Steuben County, it is in Otsego Township, and in DeKalb County it is in Franklin Township. The population was 1,233 at the 2000 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". Dr. Tuttle went to 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 is 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.

Geography

Hamilton is located at (41.534845, -84.916515).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 kmē), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.3 kmē) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (0.9 kmē) of it (17.82%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,233 people, 517 households, and 348 families residing in the town. The population density was 744.5 people per square mile (286.8/kmē). There were 680 housing units at an average density of 410.6/sq mi (158.2/kmē). The racial makeup of the town was 98.62% White, 0.08% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population.

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 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 Hamilton Community Schools. The local schools town residents attend are:

• Hamilton Elementary School
• Hamilton Junior-Senior High School

Notable Natives and Former Residents

• James I. Farley (1871-1948), member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1933-1939, was born on a farm near Hamilton.

References

External links

• Town of Hamilton
• Hamilton Community Schools
• Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
• Hamilton Lake Association

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