Hamilton is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Madison County,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, United States. The population was 6,379 at the 2020 census.
The town is named after American Founding Father
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
and is a
college town
A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...
, with
Colgate University
Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...
dominating the town's employment, culture and population.
The town of Hamilton contains a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
also named
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
.
History
The location was formerly called "Payne's Corners". The town of Hamilton was established in 1795, before the county was formed, from the town of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in
Oneida County. The original town was reduced to create new towns in the county.
The
Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm
The Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm (M.O.V.P.E.R.), often known as "The Grotto," is a Masonic body founded in 1889 by Herman LeRoy Fairchild and the members of Hamilton Lodge in Hamilton, New York. M.O.V.P.E.R. describes ...
, an
appendant body in
Freemasonry
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
, was founded in Hamilton in 1890.
Geography
The southern town line is the border of
Chenango County. The
village of Hamilton is in the northwest corner of the town, and the village of
Earlville sits on the county line, with half of the village in the southwest corner of the town.
New York State Route 12
New York State Route 12 (NY 12) is a state highway extending for through central and northern New York (state), New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in New York, U.S. Route 11 (U ...
crosses the southern and eastern parts of the town, leading northeast to
Utica and south to
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
.
State Route 12B runs along the western edge of the town, connecting Earlville in the south with Hamilton village in the north; it continues south from Earlville to State Route 12 in
Sherburne and north from Hamilton village to
Madison.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the town of Hamilton has a total area of , of which , or 0.28%, is water.
The town is within the watershed of the
Chenango River
The Chenango River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissec ...
, which briefly enters the town near its southwest corner. The
Sangerfield River crosses the town from northeast to southwest and joins the Chenango south of Earlville. Pleasant Brook, another tributary of the Chenango, crosses the southeast part of the town.
Demographics
At the
2000 census there were 5,733 people, 1,546 households, and 935 families in the town. The population density was . There were 1,725 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the town was 93.65% White, 1.99% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 2.46% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.83%.
Of the 1,546 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 29.6% of households were one person and 12.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96.
The age distribution was 15.7% under the age of 18, 40.8% from 18 to 24, 16.8% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% 65 or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.
The median household income was $38,917 and the median family income was $50,565. Males had a median income of $31,500 versus $26,643 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,564. About 5.1% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Hamilton
*Beekman Corners – A location between Hamilton village and East Hamilton.
*Brooks Corners – A hamlet
[Though the term "hamlet" is not defined under the ]Administrative divisions of New York
The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local government, local services in the American New York (state), state of New York. The state is divided into boroughs of New York City, boroughs, co ...
law, many people in the state use the term hamlet to refer to a community within a town that is not incorporated as a village. Because a hamlet has no government of its own, it depends upon the town that contains it for municipal services and government. Hamlets often have names corresponding to the names of a local school district, post office, or fire district - though the boundaries are often not identical. Many hamlets are served, at least in part, by post offices and school districts with the names of adjacent hamlets, villages, towns, or cities. Though hamlets do not have official boundaries, the New York State Department of Transportation does put hamlet names on rectangular green signs with white lettering at locations of its choosing. The NYSDOT also provides community identification signs on some scenic byways to be placed at the boundaries of hamlets, as decided by the byway. in the south part of the town on Route 12.
*
Colgate University
Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...
is in the northwest part of the town, on a hill in the southeast corner of Hamilton village.
*Darts Corner – A location between Hamilton village and East Hamilton.
*
Earlville – Part of the village of Earlville is located on the southern town line.
*East Hamilton – A hamlet on Route 12, east of Hamilton village.
*Excell Corners – A location northeast of South Hamilton.
*
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
– The village of Hamilton is in the northwestern part of the town.
*Hamilton Center – A hamlet southeast of Hamilton village.
*Hubbardsville – A hamlet north of East Hamilton village.
*Loomis Corners – A location northwest of South Hamilton.
*Poolville – A hamlet north of Brooks Corners.
*Shores Corners – A location between Hamilton village and East Hamilton.
*South Hamilton – A hamlet in the southeastern part of the town.
Notable people
*
John Vincent Atanasoff
John Vincent Atanasoff (October 4, 1903 – June 15, 1995) was an American physicist and inventor credited with inventing the first electronic digital computer. Atanasoff invented the first electronic digital computer in the 1930s at Iowa Stat ...
(1903-1995), inventor of the first digital computer
*
Cordelia Throop Cole (1833–1900), social reformer
*
Charles Josiah Galpin (1864-1947), academic and early researcher into rural sociology
*
Harold O. Whitnall (1877–1945), geology professor at Colgate University and member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
References
External links
*
Hamilton Public Library & Hamilton Historical Commission on New York Heritage Digital Collections from ''History of Madison County, State of New York'' by L. M. Hammond (Syracuse NY, 1872)
{{authority control
Syracuse metropolitan area
1795 establishments in New York (state)
Towns in Madison County, New York
Towns in New York (state)
Populated places established in 1795