Hamilton County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 9,429. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

. The county was named for

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 ...

, the first

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

in the new United States government. Hamilton County is included in the Grand Island metropolitan area. In the Nebraska license plate system, Hamilton County is represented by the prefix 28 (it had the 28th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

The first permanent settlers arrived in Hamilton County in 1866. Hamilton County was created in 1867, and was organized in 1870. It was named for

Geography

The Platte River flows northeastward along the northwest side of Hamilton County, forming the northwestern boundary line with Merrick County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 80 * US 34

U.S. Highway 34 * N-2

Nebraska Highway 2 * N-14

Nebraska Highway 14 * N-66

Nebraska Highway 66

Adjacent counties

* Polk County – northeast * York County – east * Clay County – south * Adams County – southwest * Hall County – west * Merrick County – north

Protected areas

* Gadwall State Wildlife Management Area * Nelson Federal Waterfowl Production Area * Pintail State Wildlife Management Area * Rainwater Basin Wildlife Management District * Springer Federal Waterfowl Production Area * Troester Federal Waterfowl Production Area * Deep Well State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 9,403 people, 3,503 households, and 2,676 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 3,850 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.43%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.18%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.12% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 3,503 households, out of which 37.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.40% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.60% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.07. The county population contained 29.10% under the age of 18, 5.90% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,277, and the median income for a family was $45,659. Males had a median income of $29,238 versus $20,308 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $17,590. About 5.90% of families and 7.50% 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 9.80% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

(county seat)

Villages

* Giltner * Hampton * Hordville * Marquette * Phillips * Stockham

Census-designated place

* Overland

Politics

Hamilton County voters have long been reliably Republican. In only one national election since 1916 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

References

External links

Hamilton County Online
{{Coord, 40.88, -98.02, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NE_source:UScensus1990 Nebraska counties 1870 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1870