Hamlin, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Hamlin, originally named "Hamline," is a town in Lincoln County
Lincoln County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,108 people, 8,664 households, and 6,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 9,846 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...

, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, along the Mud River
Mud River (West Virginia)
The Mud River is a tributary of the Guyandotte River in southwestern West Virginia in the United States. Via the Guyandotte and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed...

. The population was recorded as 1,119 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Lincoln County
Lincoln County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,108 people, 8,664 households, and 6,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 9,846 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...

.

History

The town was founded in 1835, and incorporated in 1867. Hamlin was named for either Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline
Leonidas Lent Hamline
Leonidas Lent Hamline was an American Methodist Episcopal bishop and a lawyer. He is the eponym of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and also of Hamline Avenue and Hamline United Methodist Church, also in St. Paul.Hamline studied for the ministry, but afterward studied law, and practiced...

 of the Methodist Church or President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

's first Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin was the 15th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War...

. A former postmaster claimed that Bishop Hamline added the "E" to his last name.

Government

Hamlin is governed by a five council members and a mayor and recorder. Mayor Chris Wilkinson, Recorder Elizabeth Rexroad, Council members: Roy Lambert, Kenny Lambert, Daniel McKay, Olive Hager, and Rick Walls. Elections for the council take place on June 8, 2010. The mayor, recorder and council members are elected to four-year terms.

Meetings are the first Monday of each month.

Geography

Hamlin is located at 38°16′44"N 82°6′25"W (38.278946, -82.106825).

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 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²). 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it is land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 1,119 people, 478 households, and 312 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 1,949.7 inhabitants per square mile (758.0/km²). There were 527 housing units at an average density of 918.2 per square mile (357.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.84% White, 0.09% African American, 0.27% Native American, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 478 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% 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, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $22,143, and the median income for a family was $30,250. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $17,059 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 $13,728. About 20.3% of families and 22.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.0% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.
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