Hamilton, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Hamilton is a town in the Loudoun Valley
of Loudoun County
, Virginia
, United States
. The population was 562 as of the 2000 census.
at 39°8′2"N 77°39′51"W (39.133889, -77.664151), near the western base of Catoctin Mountain
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²), all of it land.
The Leesburg and Snickers Gap Turnpike Company opened a road connecting Leesburg and Snickersville in 1831. Growth ensued and by 1833, the area had enough population to sustain Harmony Methodist Church, which was built on land donated by Richard and Ann Hatcher Tavenner. The town also became known as Hamilton Store after a store founded there by Charles Bennett Hamilton. In 1835, John Quincy Adams approved a post office located in Hamilton's store and the town's name was recorded as Hamilton.
The last important Civil War action in Loudoun County, known as The Harmony Skirmish
, took place on March 21, 1865 as confederate Colonel John S. Mosby
and his troops surprised troops commanded by Colonel Marcus Reno
.
By 1868, a steam railroad from Alexandria
had come to Hamilton along the future route of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad
. Many tourists came to the town seeking relief from the city's heat. There was a one and 1/2 mile boardwalk that traversed the town and a dance hall. By 1900, the Town of Hamilton was Loudoun County's second largest town. The booming businesses in Hamilton included two newspapers, a butcher shop, a men's clothing store, a broom factory, a milliner, a dentist, two hardware stores, a stove shop, a flat racecourse, a livery stable and boarding houses.
The advent of the automobile led to a slow decline in tourism. In 1926, many of the town's central businesses were destroyed by fire and tourism thereafter declined sharply. Hamilton has since been known more as a residential community.
of 2000, there were 562 people, 216 households, and 157 families residing in the town. The population density
was 2,218.2 people per square mile (868.0/km²). There were 224 housing units at an average density of 884.1 per square mile (345.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 1.42% African American, 0.53% Asian, 0.36% from other races
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.
There were 216 households out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples
living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $59,688, and the median income for a family was $73,333. Males had a median income of $53,571 versus $32,857 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $27,474. About 2.4% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Loudoun Valley
The Loudoun Valley is a small, but historically significant valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains located in Loudoun County in northwestern Virginia in the United States.-Geography:...
of Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 562 as of the 2000 census.
Geography
Hamilton is located 6 miles west of the county seat LeesburgLeesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
at 39°8′2"N 77°39′51"W (39.133889, -77.664151), near the western base of Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain, along with the geologically associated Bull Run Mountains, comprises the easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in turn a part of the Appalachian Mountains range...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²), all of it land.
History
The present Town of Hamilton was once occupied by several native tribes. European settlers arrived in the 1730s. In 1768, George and Tabitha Roach Tavenner built the first house in the Hamilton area. Their son, Richard and his wife Ann Hatcher, built an estate called Harmony and the surrounding area was thereafter known as Harmony.The Leesburg and Snickers Gap Turnpike Company opened a road connecting Leesburg and Snickersville in 1831. Growth ensued and by 1833, the area had enough population to sustain Harmony Methodist Church, which was built on land donated by Richard and Ann Hatcher Tavenner. The town also became known as Hamilton Store after a store founded there by Charles Bennett Hamilton. In 1835, John Quincy Adams approved a post office located in Hamilton's store and the town's name was recorded as Hamilton.
The last important Civil War action in Loudoun County, known as The Harmony Skirmish
The Harmony Skirmish
The Harmony Skirmish was a small engagement of the American Civil War between Confederate forces under Colonel John Mosby and Union forces under Colonel Marcus Reno on March 21st, 1865 near the village of Harmony in Loudoun County, Virginia...
, took place on March 21, 1865 as confederate Colonel John S. Mosby
John S. Mosby
John Singleton Mosby , nicknamed the "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War...
and his troops surprised troops commanded by Colonel Marcus Reno
Marcus Reno
Marcus Albert Reno was a career military officer in the American Civil War and in the Black Hills War against the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne...
.
By 1868, a steam railroad from Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
had come to Hamilton along the future route of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad
Washington and Old Dominion Railroad
The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad was an intrastate short-line railroad located in Northern Virginia. Its oldest line extended from Alexandria on the Potomac River northwest to Bluemont at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Snickers Gap, not far from the boundary line between...
. Many tourists came to the town seeking relief from the city's heat. There was a one and 1/2 mile boardwalk that traversed the town and a dance hall. By 1900, the Town of Hamilton was Loudoun County's second largest town. The booming businesses in Hamilton included two newspapers, a butcher shop, a men's clothing store, a broom factory, a milliner, a dentist, two hardware stores, a stove shop, a flat racecourse, a livery stable and boarding houses.
The advent of the automobile led to a slow decline in tourism. In 1926, many of the town's central businesses were destroyed by fire and tourism thereafter declined sharply. Hamilton has since been known more as a residential community.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 562 people, 216 households, and 157 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,218.2 people per square mile (868.0/km²). There were 224 housing units at an average density of 884.1 per square mile (345.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 1.42% African American, 0.53% Asian, 0.36% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.
There were 216 households out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $59,688, and the median income for a family was $73,333. Males had a median income of $53,571 versus $32,857 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $27,474. About 2.4% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Chris Cooley, football player
- Lyndon LaRoucheLyndon LaRoucheLyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
, politician - Jimmye LaycockJimmye LaycockJimmye Laycock has served as head football coach at the College of William & Mary since 1980. Laycock graduated from William & Mary in 1970 and played quarterback under legendary coaches Marv Levy and Lou Holtz...
, college football player and coach - Ashley CaldwellAshley CaldwellAshley Caldwell is an American freestyle skier who has competed since 2008. Her best World Cup finish was tenth in an aerials event in the United States in January 2010....
, 2010 US Ski Team Member US Olympic Team Member Aerials (youngest US Olympian in the 2010 Vancouver Games)