Hamilton, Massachusetts
Image:Hamilton, MA Seal.jpg Seal
Location in Essex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°37′10.95″N 70°51′17.24″W / 42.6197083, -70.8547889
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Essex
Settled	1638
Incorporated	1793
Government
- Type	Open town meeting
Area
- Total	14.9 sq mi (38.7 km²)
- Land	14.6 sq mi (37.8 km²)
- Water	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km²)
Elevation	500 ft (152 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	8,315
- Density	569.7/sq mi (220.0/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01936/01982 (South)
Area code(s)	978
FIPS code	25-27900
GNIS feature ID	0619446
Website: www.hamiltonma.gov

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 officially incorporated in 1793.

Overview

The Town of Hamilton is located in the eastern central portion of Essex County, in Eastern Massachusetts. Many Hamilton residents commute to Boston, 24 miles away, while others are employed in area communities. Currently the town has no manufacturing industry and no industrially-zoned land. Hamilton's identity as a predominantly suburban bedroom community is assured.

Hamilton has special appeal as an upscale residential 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 agricultural land 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 an excellent regional school system with the Town of Wenham and its educational resources are an attraction for the town.

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 census^[1] 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.

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.

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

• Town of Hamilton
• Citizens for a Strong Community

• Anderson, Philader. 1831 Map of Hamilton.

• Beers, D.G. 1872 Atlas of Essex County. Town of Hamilton Map - Plate 75. Click on map for a very large image.
• Old USGS maps of Hamilton.
• Historical Resources for Hamilton. At Rootsweb.

• Hamilton, Massachusetts is at coordinates 42°37′11″N 70°51′17″W / 42.619708, -70.854789 (Hamilton, Massachusetts)Coordinates: 42°37′11″N 70°51′17″W / 42.619708, -70.854789 (Hamilton, Massachusetts)

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