Hamlet is a town in Davis and Oregon Townships, Starke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.[4] The population was 800 at the 2010 census.
Hamlet, Indiana | |
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Town | |
![]() Depot in Hamlet, circa 1910 | |
![]() Location of Hamlet in Starke County, Indiana. | |
Coordinates: 41°22′54″N 86°35′5″W | |
Country | United States |
State | Indiana |
County | Starke |
Township | Davis, Oregon |
Area | |
• Total | 0.97 sq mi (2.53 km2) |
• Land | 0.96 sq mi (2.50 km2) |
• Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
Elevation | 705 ft (215 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 773 |
• Density | 801.04/sq mi (309.21/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
ZIP code | 46532 |
Area code(s) | 574 and 219 |
FIPS code | 18-30708[3] |
GNIS feature ID | 435652 |
Hamlet was named after John Hamlet, who established the town in 1863.
Two railroad lines once ran through Hamlet, one being a division of the former mainline of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), running from Chicago, IL to Fort Wayne, IN, the other line being the New York Central's (NYC) Kankakee Belt, running from Elkhart, IN to Kankakee, IL. In 1968 these two railroads merged to become the Penn Central Railroad (PC). In 1976, due to bankruptcy, Penn Central, along with several other languishing eastern railroads, were part of the Federal Government's takeover, creating Conrail. Both rail lines continued to see heavy use until the late 1970s under Conrail. By the early 1980's the Kankakee Belt had been abandoned and removed, and the former PRR mainline's traffic had dropped dramatically, due to redundant east/west Conrail lines. Today, what remains of the former PRR mainline is operated by the Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad (CF&E), which services Hamlet's large CO-OP grain elevator during the fall harvest rush.
Hamlet has received a Dollar General in 2020 and was completed in 2021. [5] The Hamlet post office has been in operation since 1864.[6]
The Town of Hamlet was originally on both sides of US 30. In 1926 US 30 was realigned with the Indiana Realignment. U.S. Route 30 bypasses Hamlet, about a half mile to the north. It is about 2 mi (3.2 km) east of highway U.S. 35.
According to the 2010 census, Hamlet has a total area of 0.98 square miles (2.54 km2), of which 0.97 square miles (2.51 km2) (or 98.98%) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) (or 1.02%) is water.[7]
Historical population | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
1870 | 47 | — | |
1900 | 432 | — | |
1910 | 579 | 34.0% | |
1920 | 480 | −17.1% | |
1930 | 418 | −12.9% | |
1940 | 519 | 24.2% | |
1950 | 659 | 27.0% | |
1960 | 688 | 4.4% | |
1970 | 761 | 10.6% | |
1980 | 738 | −3.0% | |
1990 | 789 | 6.9% | |
2000 | 820 | 3.9% | |
2010 | 800 | −2.4% | |
2020 | 773 | −3.4% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[8] |
As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 800 people, 299 households, and 225 families living in the town. The population density was 824.7 inhabitants per square mile (318.4/km2). There were 332 housing units at an average density of 342.3 per square mile (132.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.6% White, 1.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.
There were 299 households, of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.7% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.01.
The median age in the town was 35 years. 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 820 people, 307 households, and 225 families living in the town. The population density was 849.5 inhabitants per square mile (328.0/km2). There were 336 housing units at an average density of 348.1 per square mile (134.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.05% White, 0.12% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.49% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.34% of the population.
There were 307 households, out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,750, and the median income for a family was $36,389. Males had a median income of $28,036 versus $20,921 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,811. About 15.4% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.
Hamlet has a public library, a branch of the Starke County Public Library System.[10]
Municipalities and communities of Starke County, Indiana, United States | ||
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County seat: Knox | ||
City | ![]() | |
Towns | ||
Townships | ||
CDPs | ||
Other unincorporated communities | ||
Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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